08 October 2008

I Just Wet Myself

I'm whipped. In between last night's presidential debate and J-man screaming his head off (I know, little man, I feel the same way), I have no decent content for you. I have several posts rambling around in my head, but no solid connection between my brain and hands to get said posts into a readable format.

In the meantime, have you seen this? How about this? Or even this article? Take a gander at this rough video, the first ever shot inside Cueva de los Cristales:



When I saw the previews for the National Geographic show about this cave (airing this Sunday, October 12 at 9PM), I fell over in my chair. I love caves. I've dabbled in cave exploring*, read up on speleology, and I'm itching to get into this place. It would never happen, but one can dream. So, this coming Sunday I'll be sitting on the edge of my seat, ooo-ing and aaaaa-ing over some of the most incredible gypsum crystals this amateur caver has never seen.

*Don't call it spelunking. Dumbasses who only take one source of light, don't tell anyone where they've gone, and get lost inside a cave, ending up with a broken leg at the bottom of a 50-foot drop are spelunkers. Cavers? Do it right the first time. And call it caving.

12 comments:

Unknown said...

Dude! Trip to Mexico? I am SO there!

Expat No. 3699 said...

I started watching the video first and it was hard to make out. I was actually wondering why there were beams in a cave...then I looked at the links. Damn! Those crystals are huge. Very cool.

Toasty said...

I don't know much about caving, but I enjoyed watching the debate "with you". Twitter is a hoot. Thanks for bringing some humor into what could have been a very mind-numbing night of debate-watching! P.S. Babu also appreciated your commentary, although he still is wary of the Twitter...

Bucky said...

Over the weekend, I set that to record on my DVR. I can hardly wait to see it. :)

Coal Miner's Granddaughter said...

Teri - I knew you would be. :)

Employee No. 3699 - Very, very cool.

Toasty - Isn't Twitter fun? Glad I made you guys snicker at least. Got to have some humor in all that crud.

Bucky - I'm with you, darlin'!

Trukindog said...

I have some awesome pics. from inside the Sanoran Caverns in TexAss but I don't have a scanner so I can't share. Sorry.

Anonymous said...

But "spelunking" is such a cool word. Far better the "caving". Harrumph.

Not Afraid to Use It said...

I'm with A Free Man. It gives me Pippi Longstocking flashbacks.

Anonymous said...

Very cool video.

But here's a stupid question ... do they harvest any of those crystals or just document that they are there?

Coal Miner's Granddaughter said...

Trukindog - Dude. You suck.

A Free Man - I know. I'm all about the Bah Humbug.

NATUI - HA!

Marti - No. They're just documenting. Actually, the cave was filled with mineral-rich water and was a constant 136-degrees Fahrenheit. When it was discovered, they pumped the water out and once the mining company is finished mining the silver, zinc, and lead from their mine nearby, they may shut that cavern off and allow it to re-fill with water and just let it exist in its natural state. Which means no more exploring. :)

Molly's Mom said...

So cool! We don't have many caves up here in my land, but I've always found them fascinating as well.

Coal Miner's Granddaughter said...

Molly's Mom - If you're ever in Kentucky, you'll have to take a tour of Mammoth Cave. It's wonderful!