6/6/07 Another Fun Filled Day

Today we went for a float in an six man raft down the Meramec River.

This is another business the campground owners, Dan and Barb have. It is called the Crosseyed Cricket Canoe Company. They rent canoes or 6, 8 or 10 man rafts.

It would have cost us $100.00 to rent this raft for the day if we walked in off the street, but since other floaters were scheduled Dan offered to put in a raft for us at no charge. One of our perks for working here.

So we boarded the bus around ten in the morning with coolers in hand ready to spend a lazy day on the river.

Bob and Bobby taking the raft to the river.

Our float will start at Sappington Bridge and will continue down river for five miles to Meramec State Park.
A scene from the river Meramec.

This is a Class 1 river meaning it is a very calm, slow current river. You won't find any white water here although we did get excited a few times when the water rushed over some underwater rocks and it looked like white water in the distance. Very small white water mind you. You don't even have to paddle this river in order to move. You just need to paddle once in awhile to keep yourself in the middle of the river or avoid trees that have fallen into it.

All along the river are areas like this to pull over on for a picnic lunch, to rest, or for a "pitstop".

It was in an area like this that we thought we saw a fox. The animal had the coloring of a fox and a plumed tail like a fox but as we got closer we realized it was a little Pekingnese dog. It was getting a drink from the river and from the looks of its coat as we got closer it looked like it had been on its own for some time. We pulled on shore and tried to call it over to us but it wanted no part of us. The little dog doesn't know what a good home it passed by because Bob and I would have rescued it.

It wasn't long before we came to Green's Cave. Bob, Bobby and Shelly went exploring and I lagged behind. Going into a dark cave is not my cup of tea.

Take note of that stone table in the entrance of the cave. It looked like it has been there many years.

The entrance to the cave.

I did get brave and go just inside entrace. Trust me, this is "just" inside the cave. I wasn't letting daylight out of my sight!

The cave explorers coming back to civilization.

Back to the river, this took some navigating.

We passed these stone cliffs on our way down the river.

We pulled over to an area to get out and stretch our legs for awhile. While walking around Bob found this. The rock on the right has some quartz in it, that is why that was picked up. Now you are probably wondering what the thing on the left is. We finally determined that it is a vertabrae! Judging from the size of it, probably from a cow. Farms are along the river and cows are often seen drinking from the river and also taking a cool dip on a hot day. Just thought we'd share this with you.

In the latter part of the float Bobby got hot and decided to slip off the back of the raft for a dip.

We finished our float around 2:30 and were back at the campground by three. We all agreed to meet at 4:30 since our day wasn't over yet! We still had something to do.

We drove three miles down the road to explore a cave. Not to worry, this one is well-lit.

We arrived at Meramec Caverns in short order and were anxious to get inside and see what it had to offer as it is called the "Greatest Show Under the Earth".

Located on the Meramec River, Meramec Caverns has 26 miles of underground passages and is seven stories tall, all but two of the levels are open to the public. In the Caverns, visitors can see expansive rooms, beautiful stalactites and stalagmites, unusual onyx formations and colorful formations.

Meramec Caverns is considered a "show cave" with interior lights and paved paths but it is also a "living" cave with moving and dripping water which continues to alter it with the formation of new passages and the enlargement of old ones.

The caverns have had many uses over the years. Centuries ago, Native Americans used the cavern system for shelter. During the 1700's, the cave was used for extracting saltpeter for the manufacture of gunpowder. In the Civil War era, the Union Army used the caves as a saltpeter plant, but was destroyed by Confederate soldiers, namely Jesse James. Jesse James and his brother and partner in crime, Frank, later used the caves as a hideout.

In front the Caverns is a statue of Jesse James and his brother, Frank.

Our visit added to the numbers of people who visit the Caverns each year. Yearly attendance runs to just under 165,000.

Meramec Caverns was first major cave discovery on the North American continent and is the largest single cave formation in the world.

It was time to take the tour. Tours usually cost $16.00 per person but once again Dan made arrangements for free passes for all of us since they send so many people to the Caverns. Another perk for us.

We soon learned that Hollywood had come calling in years past. An episode of Lassie was filmed here, as was a part of the film "The Adventures of Tom Sawyer". Do you remember Art Linkletter? Back in the 50's he had a show called People Are Funny. He had two contestants that were playing for a vacation. Well, they were sent to Meramec Caves to the Honeymoon Room. I don't think this is what they had in mind.

They were dressed in "caveman" outfits and every time a tour came by, about every 20 minutes, he had to drag her by the hair from outside the cave into it. They did this for a week! When they finally got back to civilization and back on the show they were given their prize. A weeks vacation in Jamacia and one thousand dollars, a lot of money in the 1950's.

It was then time to go in and see the stalagtites and stalagmites. Do you know how to tell the difference between the two? A stalagtite hangs "tite" from the ceiling and a stalagmite grows from the floor and "mite" make it to the ceiling.

This is called "Mothers In Law Tongue". It is one of the largest formations in the Caverns.

The "Million and One Room" has countless deposits of dripstone in all stages of formation on the vast ceiling. "Onyx Mountain" is a massive onyx formation 500 feet in circumference, 200 feet thick and 33 feet high. It is still growing.

I always thought of onyx as being black in color.

This next picture is of the Mirror Room.

We're told these are called "grape" formations but Bob thought they looked more like brussels sprouts.

This one we called Power Pedestal Formation.

We were then taken into a room set up like a theater complete with seats. The room was darkened, only small lights on the floor, enough light to see our way. After taking our seats the lights went up. It was at that time we saw The Stage Curtain. This extraordinary mineral deposit, which measures 70 feet high, 60 feet wide and 35 feet thick, is called America's number one cave scene. Music played and we were given a light show on the curtain.

In this next picture take notice of the area just left of center. It looks like a curtain opening. Years ago, singer Kate Smith performed God Bless America from a platform erected there for the governor of Missouri. While this song was played on the loudspeaker the room darkened and a American flag image was projected on the formation. Look in the center of the darker picture.

So these were our two days with Bobby and Shelly. We sure crammed alot into our days off but we had a lot fun. We were tired at the end of it that's for sure!