Bus 1: Luray Caverns

          At the early time of 5:30 AM, we were all awoken to go to the Luray Caverns, because it was a rather far ride, of two hours.

          As we entered the caves, we encountered the beautiful landscape before us (pictured left). There were a series of pathways that we were taken on by our tour guide, Stephanie. Stephanie thoroughly explained each land mass we stopped at, and allowed us to take pictures, but not to touch. That's because we have a special trait in our skin that stunts growth in the calcite. As we continued through the caverns, we came across several stalagmites, stalactites, and columns - all mentioned in our science curriculum, so it was kind of cool to see them up close. 

          One of the things we observed was the Giant Robo Tree (pictured right). The Giant Robo Tree is the oldest and largest creations in Luray, at an ancient seven million years old. To the everyday visitors, it's called the Giant Robo Tree. But to the staff, it is referred to as the Big Shaggy Dog, due to its looks (the head, not pictured, on the left, and the body following). There were several masses that depicted some sort of animal, or human.
          The largest land mass to fall in the caverns, fell close to seven thousand years ago (pictured left) due to fatal earth movements. You can notice it's flat bottom on the left, indicating some sort of base.
          At the end of our trip, we were directed towards the Dream Lake (pictured right). At 6 feet deep, it stands as the deepest lake in the caverns. It has clear water, but it's enhanced by appearance lights on the bottom of the lake. Coins are suggested to be thrown in the lake, and the lake is drained at the end of the year, and the money is donated to a different charity every year. Above the lake, is a chart of the money donated to each charity, and the total amount donated to date, which is close to a whopping $900,000.

     I truly loved my experience of the Luray Caverns, and it's rich history.