Flunkin' Spelunkin'

Spiced rum or no, I still managed to see the sun rise Sunday morning.  Not enthusiastically, but resigned.  It’s certainly better than the two or three in the morning which has been my wake-up call lately.  Our agenda for the day was to go visit the Crystal Caves near Qualicum, then hit the ferry for home.

Getting ten people on the road is not an easy thing to do.  Steve’s driveway is extremely steep and not being able to get any momentum up, we got stuck partway.  Unload bodies, unload dogs.  Again, not an easy task.  My poor old boy, Jiggs, doesn’t get up or down stairs well, or in and out of vehicles.  He can usually manage to get his front paws up, but then we have to get around to the business end, grab his back legs before they give out on him and lift.  He’ll then walk his front feet forward while we hold up the rear end.  I tend to hold my breath at this part of the operation.  He’s an old boy and all that extra stretching and maneouvering can have its consequences.  Like the volcano types we studied in Geography, an exhalative gas eruption is possible.  It’s not pretty.  And, just like kids, what you do for one, you have to do for the other, even though Riley (Kev’s dog) is perfectly capable of managing on his own.

Anyway, gong show done for the moment, we get to the park and start across the suspension bridge.  Kev is not good on heights and the middle grandson, Taylor wasn’t thrilled either, particularly after Jiggs starting doing his thing.  He loves to run across bridges – the louder the noise the happier he is.  These days he can’t really run;  it’s more of a rocking horse motion, but he’s no lightweight, so that makes up for the slo-mo.  Of course, it’s a suspension bridge and as he’s a’rockin’, so is the bridge.  Chaos reigns supreme until everyone gets across.

This first cave is a tight squeeze to get into and proves to be a bit of a challenge.  Not that any of us are in any way close to being on the heavy side.  It’s more of a case of rock placement coinciding with specific body parts and sucking in one part only to have the other poke out further, if you get my drift.  Once inside, it’s beyond totally cool.  Maybe not for anybody who’s done any caving, but for us amateurs, it was amazing.  The kids were less than thrilled after they’d smoked their heads a couple times, but the rest of us were completely enthused.



Water Pooled Under Ledge



Once we’d explored as much as we could there, we moved on to the second one.  It was a vertical climb and of course, Kev and Steve had to push the envelope.   Bri was a little more cautious after having gotten stuck in a vent in the side of the house not long ago and finding that tight spaces don’t do much for her.  She does wear the scar from the chainsaw used to cut her out as a Badge of Honour.  Long story.  Suffice it to say that I learned a long time ago that it’s far easier on the nervous system to just take these things in stride.  Though I have to admit, I couldn’t decide whether to laugh or have a fit about the chainsaw incident.  Ended up doing both.  Lord love a duck!  Once again, I digress.

This second cave was more incredible than the first.  I must admit that I was able to do well by my geography instructor, Susan, telling the kids what kind of rock it was, where it came from and how it was formed.  Way to go, Susan!  I wasn’t able to get up too high, though, much as I wanted to.  Caving with a cane and hand held flashlight does pose an issue or two.  C’est la vie.  Got some great shots, though and I was sorry we couldn’t stay longer.

Rock Formations at the Crystal Caves

Sunset From the Ferry