Eric & I visit Luray Caverns
with friends Dave & Kathy.
In 1974 the Caverns were
designated a National
This is the perfect place to let your imagination run wild.
I took WAY too many photos. These are my favorites...
The underworld is a strange & mysterious place.
Imagination creates stories at every turn.
This photo includes a Mermaid's Tail
just right of center.
Luray Caverns was discovered in 1878 by William Campbell, Andrew Campbell, and Benton Stebbins. The Smithsonian Institutions sent staff to visit the Caverns and issued a report in 1880 stating,"it is safe to say that there is probably no other cave in the world more completely and profusely decorated with stalactite and stalagmite ornamentation than that of Luray." Records show visitor attendance in 1908.
Different colors indicate
the types of minerals that
seeped through the ground
& created the ethereal
underground formations.
Is that the gaping maw of an underground demon?
Stalactites hang from the ceiling.
I wish that my Cell Phone
Camera picked up the depth
of the colors that I see
during our hour-plus tour.
"growing downward" from the
ceiling meet Stalagmites
"growing upward" from the
floor of the Cavern.
I expect to see a mucus-covered 
Our mile & a quarter tour is
Saracen's Tent is the best
The double-column in Giant's Hall
I admire the thoughtful use
of lighting to highlight
Luray Caverns' many
subterranean formations.
This formation is called The Fish Market.
Dream Lake presents visitors with an otherworldly
optical illusion. No Stalagmites exist in this photo.
Alien dropping from the hollow
looking formation in this photo.
I wonder if the creators of Greek & Roman underworld Gods
ever explored Caverns.
This large white column is
Pluto's Ghost, named for the
the Roman God of the
underworld.
filled with spectral formations.
creep out of the entrance of his lair
& glare at unwelcome visitors
while rubbing the ring & mutterig,
"My Precious...."
example of this type of
flowstone in the Caverns.
As the drapery grows it
becomes longer & thinner,
sometimes translucent.
This picture shows the severed
end of the Fallen Stalactite.
A massive earthquake 7,000
ago dislodged it from the
ceiling & I think no one was
around to hear it fall.
I see a pagoda next
to a waterfall...
What do you see?
A winged creature grows
out of the wall...
Imagination runs wild
here!
is two distinctly different formations.
The two are joined side by side.
The Cathedral's Great Stalactite Organ... Using
Stalactites to create music is an audacious idea!
It is the invention of Leland W. Sprinkle, Mathematician &
Electronics Engineer. Starting in 1954, Sprinkle carefully
tapped Stalactites to determine their tones.
He mapped the "musical Stalactites," attached rubber-tipped mallets to selected formations, and wired them together to create the "pipes" this Organ plays. This project took years to complete and the music is beautiful.
Coins & folding money from
the Wishing Well is gathered
annually & donations are made
to health, environmental &
educational organizations.
These Fried Eggs were "formed" when two Stalagmites were
sheared off during the enlargement of this tunnel. The early
tradition was to rub them for good luck. Visitors are asked
to admire this oddity & not touch...
Our hour-plus self-guided tour is coming to an end.
I'm taking my re-charged imagination with me as
I walk to the surface.
Eric, Kathy, Dave, and I agree that Luray Caverns is the must-see National Wonder in North Central Virginia.
Dave shared this great article with me on how the Middle Atlantic States, and their Natural Wonders were formed over millions & millions of years...
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