The past week’s activities were planned before we left home. Now we are playing it by “map,” finding new places. This small town fits right in with what we enjoy: museums, history, nature and, of course, ice cream. Another thing we find in our travels is the difference between a small town that is in trouble and one that is thriving. Those in trouble have the empty stores and boarded windows. Those that thrive have restored old buildings housing shops, restaurants and museums, not necessarily new stuff but well preserved old.
Hot Springs is a thriving town, living mostly on tourism but some on regional agriculture in the area. First known by Native Americans and later by pioneers for the hot springs which made the land inhospitable, the springs later brought visitors to soak in the water. The area now offers other attractions.
North of town is Wind Cave. We have toured both Wind and Jewel Caves in the past. We returned to Wind Cave and took the Fairgrounds Tour that lasts about 90 minutes and has 450 stairs total to climb and descend. Our excellent guide explained the boxwork formations unique to this dry cave. These "thin, honey-combed formations that protrude from the ceiling and walls" are unique to this cave. They are “fins of hard calcite surrounding pockets of eroding bedrock.”
We peeked in the tunnels
walked through narrow passages
and saw a variety of formations.
As the guide turned out the lights to put us in total darkness, she told about Alvin McDonald, the youth who explored these caves by torchlight. He spent much of his short life in the caves always trying to find the end of the tunnels. That search continues today.
We drove out and saw a familiar critter.
We went to the entrance of Wild Horse Sanctuary to views these handsome equines
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