Cave of the Mounds: A Excellent Adventure Day!

    There is an area about 40 minutes west of the town we live in called Cave of the Mounds.  The boys both went there when they were in cub couts.  I had always wanted to go see it, but was unwilling to pay for tickets for our entire family to go in (it is a bit expensive).  Now that just Sylvia, Ephraim and I were having our own "Adventure Days" this summer, it seemed like the perfect time to visit.  We weren't dissapointed!

   On the surface, it looks like usual Wisconsin hills and farmland.

  The caves below were accidentally discovered when a man was blasting a new shaft in his lead mine almost 200 years ago.  Now there is a small path you can take down into the caves, as a guide ponts out different features.   They are really beautiful. 

 

  It was really peaceful underground. Nice and cool for a July summer day. These were formations that looked like potatoes and gravy.

  There was one rock they allowed people to touch, to show what would happen if everybody touched the rocks.  Sylvia thought it felt a little "slimey and bumpy".

  Ephraim was happy to be snug in his sling on me for the whole trip.  He did not trust this underworld adventure in the least.

   They did a good job tucking lighs away in places you couldn't see them. It gave just enough light to appreciate the rock formations, without being over the top.  I thought it was a really peaceful and elegant place.  I'm so glad we went.

    After the underground tour, we did a self-guided walking tour of the area above the caves. We could see the sinkholes that had been pointed out while we were underground.  This is where we watched rainwater dripping in just a while earlier below the surface.

  The gift shop was a hit.  The kids had a great time running their fingers over the beautiful rocks, and marveling at all the amazing crystal items for sale.

   On the way home, we stopped at the Bavarian Sausage store, a place we had hear great things about.  The reports were true.  I found shelves and shelves of Scandinavian imported food.  We came home with a large bag of goodies.  We took this picture to show Sean when we returned home, to see if he would cry.  (Because we got to go there and he didn't).  He had a quivering lip, but somehow managed to hold off the deluge of tears. Sylvia was dissapointed in the lack of waterworks. :)

It was a great trip!  I loved seeing something new and beautiful that I had wanted to see for years. Sylvia is wonderful company.  I love having her with me on our Adventure Days!