Thanks for sending the update Paul. It was great meeting you. We did not break through as we hoped for so we will be back first weekend of November for more digging.
We stopped digging at around 3pm as we wanted to catch the last guided tour of the day at 4pm. The guided tour lasted about 1 hour and 40 minutes. Some headed back home after the tour. Six of us stayed behind overnight and camped at Longhorn Caverns State Park. We had brats and dogs for dinner. We spent the evening chatting on the observation tower with a 360 view of Texas hill country. We could see bats flying around us. It was a cool clear evening. Quite windy and no insects. I'm looking forward to the next dig in November. On Sat, 4 Oct 2008 19:13:22 -0500 [email protected] wrote: > October 4th > > Saturday noon update > > > > The dig is progressing with the help of 10 young energetic cavers whose > enthusiasm is so contagious. Mark Alman, the fearless leader, supervised > the dig from a very comfortable room, short of the actual dig face. > Knowing > that Mark needed support, I too remained in the room to count the buckets > coming out of the dig. > > > > Before lunch over 100 buckets of dirt had been removed from the fill > that is > blocking the entrance passage. > > > > Now to the details. > > > > I arrived at 7PM on Friday evening expecting to find a nice camp site. > Instead I found the gates locked and the ranger was not at the > residence. I > waited until the lightening became fierce, and decided to find a camping > place in a Burnett motel, a luxury indeed. > > > > It did not rain, but I enjoyed a completely decadent breakfast of honey > chicken biscuit at Whataburger. It was really good. Had one now, > don't need > another. > > > > Mark and the other cavers arrived AT LCSP much later than I, and chose > to go > to Inks SP where they camped for the nite. They arrived shortly after 9 AM > and we all caravanned to the cave that is located on private land. The > entrance is gated, but very nice, having a vertical ladder. We found that > the entrance to be filled with harvestman spiders. Not really a problem > unless you know that all spiders contain venom and are poisonous.. > Fortunately, harvestmen have no means of dispensing their poison, and are > therefore harmless. It was really nice to see one of the young distaff > cavers overcome their fears and descend among the spiders crawling all over > her. > > > > The young caves attacked the dig, and Mark and I watched as bucket after > bucket came out of the passage. At noon, all decided to make the > short trip > to the surface for lunch. I had a family obligation so I decided to return > home. Mark will have to continue the report. > > > > Mark is planning on returning the first week in November. This is a rare > opportunity for you to see a really magnificent cave. And it is unusual as > it is the most outstanding example and proof of Ralph Ewers' ground > breaking > theory of para-genesis as I have observed. I would really love to have > access to the cave as I am sure that the sediments would contain proof. > > > > According to the Park staff, there is about a mile of cave separating this > entrance and the commercial tour. Once we break through, we expect so > see a > lot of really nice off tour cave passage. > > > > I f you want to be a part of this dig, contact Mark Alman. > > > > > > > > Paul Unger > > > > > > 512-446-6715 > > > -- Lyndon Tiu --------------------------------------------------------------------- Visit our website: http://texascavers.com To unsubscribe, e-mail: [email protected] For additional commands, e-mail: [email protected]
