Blanchard Springs Caverns

On Thursday, we got to spend several hours at Blanchard Springs Caverns. If you've never been, I'd say it is worth going, at least once. I know that many caverns say the are "the best" at this thing or the other. I would say that this one (and I've only been to a few) is one of the nicest inside. There is enough light as you walk in to be able to take some nice pictures with a good camera and once they turn lights up, you can get good pics with your phone. The images below are from iPhones. 

There are multiple tours from which one can choose. I opted for the easier walk (Dripstone tour), while many of our group decided to go on the Discovery Tour. They are about an hour and an hour and a half, respectively. Our tour had a few steps, but the Discovery had around 700 steps, hence my decision to choose Dripstone (chronic back pain). 

http://www.blanchardsprings.org

Anyway, we enjoyed the tours. Additionally, this cave is owned by the US Forest Service, so it isn't a ridiculous price for entry into the cave. As I recall, it was about $12.50 for adults, with a reduced price for children. 

I'd recommend this as a nice way to spend a few hours of the day with your family. Your ticket also allows you to use any of the day use areas in the park. We took a picnic lunch and ate at a nice pavilion without an additional fee. We also took a family picture under a huge rock overhang. 

In the Cathedral Room by Jody Bowie

Photo credit: Jeff Wright

By the Fire

We spent some time last night around the fire. The owner had a huge pile of brush down by the pond and we told him we'd be happy to burn it form him. While we did that, we got some camera fun in. Here are a few of the results. We spent some time doing some long exposure and even got to do a bit of "double exposure."

A long exposure of the fire, fire tenders, and the moon.

A long exposure with some of the family in a flash picture.

There was some dancing that went on, too.

Sliding

The Golf Cart Roller Coaster

Jeff and I were going to head up the hill toward the road. No reason, just because. In this family, there's no way anyone can get on a golf cart alone. Therefore, it became Jeff, me, and 6 of the kids (one of them another adult!).

Pretty sure we are at max capacity for this golf cart.

We go up the hill and get all the way to the road. As we begin to come back, I notice that the cart will coast quite nicely on the way down. So I decided to see if we could go without touching the brakes. While I wasn't able to do that (almost) we did have a good time all the way back down.

The "Big Weapons" storage: a relic from a paranoid bygone era

As previously mentioned, we are staying this year in a former Y2K compound. According to the current owner, a doctor from Florida purchased the house and property and built multiple cabins around the older home in the middle of the property. He effectively left his practice in Florida and moved here. As you likely know, nothing happened on Y2K. He sold the place and returned to his life in Florida, leaving all of the food and supplies behind. Those supplies were all auctioned off.

What he did not leave behind was his guns. He had some small handguns (we assume) but also apparently some larger guns and ammunition. He kept these under a cutout in the floor of the gazebo. It is a metal box, lockable from both sides, and is approximately 6ft by 8 ft and roughly 4 feet tall. While I did not go down inside others did and verified that it would be a perfect place for guns. 

Here's where all of the big guns were kept.

Pigeon Fail

I shooed a couple of pigeons off my vehicle this morning. Their getaway wasn't very smooth.

The Grocery Store

Normally, Papa goes to the grocery store. In fact, he had already been before we arrived this time. However, Michelle and I went this morning to get a few things. We had a list and even asked everyone if they needed anything. No one needed anything. While we were there, our group text blew up and we started getting requests for every thing from ingredients for complete dishes to floaties for the little kids to use in the pool.

By the time we left, we were on the verge of insanity from the huge number of text requests we got. 

This was how I felt, minus the LOL.

JWB Vacations

On even years, e.g. 2014, the extended Jones family takes a vacation together. We've gone to Tennessee three times, Cedar Lake south of Dallas one year, to some friends' cabin and to Galveston two times. This year we have decided to go to Arkansas. We are in the middle of nowhere (specifically Marcella, AR). Most often, we stay in a single large house. However, this year, our accommodations are actually a repurposed Y2K compound with a cookhouse including 2 bedrooms, 3 cabins (each with a couple of bedrooms), a pool, and what I like to call "the tabernacle." In reality, it's an outdoor pavilion with 4 bathrooms. 

So we are in the middle of the woods, next to a river and it's pretty dark. I'm looking forward to a good week. 

Here's an over head view of our place.