I’ve been in many caves and I have my favorites. Luray and Carlsbad Caverns were alone at the top of the list until today. Kartchner Caverns was revealed to the world in 1999 after over a decade of secretive development. Never before have I been in a cave so pristine, so well preserved, so artistically presented. The finale is a light show of a feature called Kubli Khan. It was beautiful and moving and extremely well done. Kartchner really rocks!
Did you notice that I have no pictures from inside Kartchner Caverns?
That certainly wasn’t by choice. Here’s how my top three differ in their policies regarding cameras:
- Carlsbad: cameras are welcome, take as many pictures as you like at your own pace on your choice of path.
- Luray: cameras welcome, but don’t hold up the tour group!
- Kartchner: no cameras allowed, period.
Can you guess which policy like best?
This southeast corner of Arizona is full of things to do. Today I decided to scrap my normal themes and just visit what I found convenient and interesting. The results were eclectic. Of all things, I visited Tombstone and saw a living version of the wild, wild west. Coronado National Memorial was near by so I visited that memorial to Coronado who scouted the region for Spain decades before England arrived in the new world. By chance, I found there was a cave in the hills so I mounted my head lamp and went exploring.
There were several of other stops along the way which included a stop at Fort Huachuca and learning the origins of the Buffalo Soldier but one memory stands out.
As I left Coronado National Memorial which is situated along the U.S.- Mexico border, I happened to notice a line on the horizon. It stretched as far as the eye could see and it turns out to have been a wall. A physical barrier between our two countries along the lines of what was built in Berlin to separate east from west and in China to keep out the Mongols. As I drove west, when ever I came close to the border I saw more fence. Incredible.
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