The calcite splendour

Luray Album           On Nov 6th we were escorted by Dr Jim Greenberg and Holly Emert of AED to the Luray caverns in Virginia.We started out at 8.00 AM on a very cold morning.We went in 4 vans.After 30 minutres or so we entered the state of Virginia after crossing the bridge of the American Legion over the Potomac. we were in the last  but one van and were driven by Dr Jim.Within 5 minutes or so we heard a big bang and  our van which was travelling at  a very high speed ,tottered to a shuddering stop with Dr Jim carefully directing it to the right shoulder on the Beltway. I suspected that there had been a pucture.We got out to investigate and I saw that what I had suspected was true.The last van with Mikko also came to a stop and he jogged  out to our car .Then we started removing the extra tyre fixed at the bottom of the car.Raj also joined us and mikko,raj and me set about removing the puctured tyre and replaced it with the temporary one.It was icy cold.Li Heong with her red jacket deflected the traffic away from our side on the Beltway.After fixing the tyre we went to a mechanic shop where we bought a new tyre , but as our rim was dented we had to wait around 1 1/2 hours for the car to be fixed. Some of us had breakfast during this time.We had the accident at 8.30 AM we got the repaired car only at 11 Am.The other group had reached Luray and started the tour inside the cavern.We arrived close to 2.00 Pm .The other 2 vans departed for home while we just set off to the caverns.Though it was icy outside,once we got in it was quite warm and moist.
The colours and formations of stalactites and stalagmites were spectacular.Initially we were close to the surface,so the formations were small.But as we went deeper in to the caverns ,the pillars got bigger and finally in the central part they reached from the ground to the ceiling.The "Dream Pool","Pluto's ghost","Persephone","The Bride and the Groom", Draperies"are some of the names given to the formations we see.It was very beautiful.In the "Ball Room" as it was called earlier ,there is an organ which uses these formations to generate sound of different frequencies which were generated by a rubber mallet hitting it with the help of  an electrical circuit.These sounds were amplified and the music thus created at different parts of the stalactities were then put on a PA system.With the colours that we saw and music we heard and scenes of the formations and pools of
water all swirling through our minds we came out of these caverns into the harsh biting cold outside.After a lunch ,we headed for home.We stopped for some apple pie,cider.... at the Apple House.A nice quaint looking shop with very expensive products on sale.After 30 minutes, we then set off and returned to the Mazza at 7.30 PM.
It was another very different experience.A  suitable addition to the very colourful repertoire of experiences that were already present.