Moaning Caverns

After the Mercer Caverns we followed signs to the Moaning Cavern. Discovered by gold miners in 1851, the Moaning Cavern is simply amazing! It's impossible to capture it's size on camera because there's nothing familiar to compare the formations to (like a tree or something.)

Below: "1920—Three developers of Moaning Cavern prepare to descend into the original cavern opening. The present-day entrance, located just a few feet away, was yet to be discovered under a layer of rocks." Can you imagine just climbing down into a big dark hole? Especially one that moans???

Here's the map. Moaning Cavern boasts to having the largest "room" in California. It's large enough to hold the Statue of Liberty. Also, see the stalactite I've circled? Well...let's climb down some stairs and I'll show it to you in person...

By the way, although the cave drops 410 feet, tourists are no longer allowed at the bottom because too much C02 has sunk down there. Where did it come from? Us. Breathing. Interesting.

There's the stalactite. Just imagine that it is over 20 feet long. That makes this cavern HUGE! And millions of years old.

Love these draperies. Simply amazing. They have been nick-named Cave Bacon.

Now we descend down the 100 foot staircase which was welded together in 1922 piece by piece from the bottom up. It is made of scrap metal from an ocean liner. The workmanship is excellent.

Below: The Chocolate Waterfall. "The Moaning Cavern gets its name from the moaning sound made by water dripping into small holes at the bottom of the "chocolate waterfall" flowstone formation, causing a drumming sound, which would echo off the cave walls and be carried by the wind out of the natural entrance of the cavern. That's how the cavern was found."

Looks kind of like a ghost. A very large, bulbous one...

Concerts are also held in the cavern. During the Christmas concert, Santa descends by rope. So if you want something interesting to do this holiday...this would probably be it. (Although, can you just imagine the strange memories it would give a young child? "I thought Santa came down the chimney...")

Thanks for coming. Now we have to climb back UP all those stairs...