Bubble Bubble Toil And Trouble

Over the weekend my wife and I had a particularly rough time on the road as no matter which route we took there were a plethora of potholes that seemed to jump out and attack our tires. It even got to the point that I scrolled through the data on my dashboard (it really isn’t as fancy as it sounds) and would constantly monitor the tire pressure after each thump and jump of the suspension. Given my constant glances, I think if the township, county, and state really wanted to do something about distracted driving they should put more of an effort into filling all of the asphalt craters scattered about the paved terrain.

Last night, on my way home from work and knowing that it was a fend for yourself night for dinner I stopped at the Wawa on my way home which is conveniently located about a mile after I get off the highway. After grabbing a quick sandwich (no hoagie this time) I stepped out back into the strangely barren parking lot, put my food in the passenger seat, and walked to the side of the building to light a cigarette. As I was standing there reading through the impatient list of emails streaming to my phone I glanced just beyond the iPhone screen and saw Lincoln staring back at me.

Not one to pass up any kind of luck at this point, I bent over, pinched the penny between my fingers and on my way back up turned my head to the right for some reason. That is when I saw it, a bubble in the sidewall of my right front tire slightly larger than a golf ball. I guess finding a lucky penny isn’t always about making good things happen, sometimes the luck is in preventing bad things from happening. If it hadn’t been for that penny I would have never seen the bubble and I would have probably not noticed the defect until my commute either to or from work later in the week when the sidewall finally gave way.

So now I find myself in the waiting room of the car dealer instead of at my desk getting work done. Thankfully I do believe in one form of extended warranty when purchasing a new car… tire and rim protection. While it is, without question, an inconvenience it could have been a lot worse and I could be out a lot of money. Sometimes the luck isn’t about making good things happen, sometimes luck is what you need to prevent the bad things from being nothing more than an inconvenience.

When Was The Last Time You Went Spelunking?

 

The last time I went spelunking at Crystal Cave in Kutztown, Pennsylvania was when I was in elementary school about 20 years ago. I don’t remember much about the fieldtrip but it didn’t take much to have the memories come back to me once we stepped foot into the screening room near the entrance of the cave. While the clacking of the projector was now absent, the movie remained the same which allowed my childhood to come back to me.

With the heat index nearing 100 degrees, the 55 degree coolness of the cave was a welcomed change from the sweltering summer soup. It took some time for our eyes to adjust and the rock that surrounded us had little detail at the beginning.

Soon some details began to emerge and we were able to take a closer look at a few of the columns that surrounded us.

Fortunately, we are not in an earthquake area as the fault line ran right through the middle of the cave.

With our pupils fully dilated, the beauty of this other world began to show through with what, at first glance, looks like a garden of hanging carrots in the corner of the first room.

Our bearings established, we made our way deeper into the subterranean world.

Like many city streets that surround our neighborhood, even caves have pot holes. However, I have never seen a gap in the asphalt that looked like this one.

This second room is where the colors of the cave displayed the natural mosaic that provides warmth that is difficult to explain in words or pictures.

The growth of formations can also be witnessed by way of the variety of stalactites throughout the network of tunnels. From infants…

… to pubescent mineral deposits.

When viewing this progression of forming formations we are reminded here and there that they can easily be gone in an instant.

Walking over the stunted stalagmites we also took note of the immense lake that sits just beside one of the upper platforms. This body of water is also known as Lake Inferior.  

The flow of water in the cave is not limited to the slow drips from the ceilings and the pools scattered about the ledges, it also forms waterfalls frozen in time…

…and surrounded by small patches of moss from the artificial daylight.

Something to keep in mind when spelunking, especially when frequently looking through a viewfinder, is that a slight tilt of the head can make you a little dizzy…

…and make you feel like the roof is coming down on you.

So take your time and enjoy the colors that surround you…

… and don’t be afraid if it feels like someone is looking over you.

By taking your time and looking around at the different textures, colors, and formations you experience such an amazing variety of feelings.

There are different points throughout the tour where I would look up and see a clear autumn night full of stars.

But what took my breath away was when I looked off to the far end of the room and saw what looked like scaffolding climbing up the rocks.

It looked much like what I would imagine the structure that Michelangelo would lay on to paint the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel. When I looked up I saw not a depiction of G-d but the work of G-d’s own hand.

Thankfully I had captured all the images that I wanted to before that discovery because there was no way that I was going to be able to follow that photo. So we headed toward the light and into the seasonal stranglehold. Crystal Cave was a completely different experience as an adult and I would encourage a visit for those that may have seen it as a child (the same can be said for most local caves). It was an interesting way to relive a small part of my childhood and see things from a completely different perspective.

To concluded our day trip this weekend we grabbed a quick bite, enjoyed a swift game of miniature golf, and spent a few minutes and a couple dollars browsing in the air conditioned souvenir shops (you can read about my discover at one of the shops in my previous post). With all buildings explored and the heat beginning to diminish our energy, we headed back to the car and made our way home. Now it’s time to rest up for next weekend.