The Lost Sea

Well, we went into the cave that holds the lost sea today. It is located 225 feet below ground. The cave was (as caves go) unremarkable. A little "cave bacon" and some stalactites and stalagmites... the most incredible thing I saw was ferns growing around inside the cave. Surprising, because there is no natural sunlight for photosynthesis. I wonder how they survive? The great part of today was the lake itself. So calm, so dark, so serene, and cool to the touch. There were big rainbow trout living in there, put there as an experiment to see if A) They would survive and B) If they could find an exit under ground. They never did leave (but they did survive) and they now number 300 or better. They were fed near the surface so we could see them in the dimly lit pool of water. The boats we were in were glass bottomed, but I failed to see the purpose of this, as there were no lights to show what was down there, and it was too dark for it to matter otherwise. We saw rations stored underground in the 60's that were supposed to be for an emergency (like the "big one" I guess). Each box contains crackers and other non-perishables still to this day. Enjoy a few of the photos...I have more to place, but the computer is giving me problems. I have to wait a bit. Tomorrow we move on to Chattanooga, TN. There we will ride the incline rail, visit Rock City, and Ruby Falls. Those should be interesting photos! Until then...