It's been a few weeks since this day trip to the
Oregon Caves so I'm just catching up.
In the 70's, when I was about my son's age, we took a trip to the caves that I never forgot.
A tactile, cold, wet, magical experience where I learned the bulk of what I know about caves. Some of the anecdotes I can remember word for word and found comforting that they used them still in their tour (word for word). I was amazed, again, to be descending some 300' into the earth and tromping amongst the stalagtites and stalagmites, though this time without the psychedelic red and blue light show they used to awe the crowds in the 70's and more hand rails and walkways built in.... as with most tourist events, made a little tamer, a little more tasteful and a little safer than what we experienced in the 70's.
All of this failed to impress my 11 year old son. Maybe it was his mood, the car sickness from the brutal last 17 miles of tight turns leading to the caves, or just that few things seem to impress my sons they way they did me at their age.
The lodge, built in '38 and is covered in tree bark, and houses this tiny lunch cafe which serves decadent milkshakes remenescient of it's era which did make a lasting impression on my son, though, unfortunately it was just bad luck that we missed out on actually getting one.
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