Caverns of Sonora 

*Ranked #1 on my Cave List*

This cave has some wonderful formations and scenes throughout the tour. Bill Stephenson, founder of the National Speleological Society, says, " The beauty of the Caverns of Sonora cannot be exaggerated, not even by a Texan." This cave is still very active so...NO TOUCHING!

The cave is a short drive from the town of Sonora, Texas. While out in Sonora catch a glimpse of the stars at night. My first experience out there the summer Milky Way cast my shadow.

The Helictite Room photo depicts a room were their are so many helictites that it made me gasp. Helictites are very special formations. These formations defy the laws of gravity and grow in any direction they can. This cave was full of these unusual formations. 

The second row, far right photograph shows an almost pure white hall. With caves the purer the mineral deposits the whiter the formation. Walking into this room made me feel as if I had entered heaven.  

The soda straws are also another favorite formation of mine. These long thin stalactites are hollow inside making them like straws. They are extremely fragile. In this cave the longest soda straw was four feet long. This is one of the reasons it is important to stay on the trails and not touch anything. I must say though that the cave in Texas with the most soda straws is Innerspace.

      
Pure Water             Close up
 
    
Helictite Room         Heaven Hall
        
Soda Straws         Close up Helictites



There are two tours to this cave. The shorter one takes you through the main part of the cave, but don't even think twice about it because the longer route is so beautiful that words can not come close to grasping a description of what I saw. 

We entered the cave by a flight of about 26 steps. There are many steps but they are spread out in the cave in groups of around ten. This cave is one of the most highly decorated caves that I have ever seen. Carlsbad Caverns is number one on my cave list, but Sonora is not far from it. If you see one cave in Texas make it to the Caverns of Sonora. 



       Stairs are used in the cave where topography calls for it. There is a climb at the end of the tour, but several rest stops are available if needed. 

Tour length: one and a half miles; about two hours. 

To learn more visit Caverns of Sonora

To learn more about how I took these photos visit Cave Photography

Those interested in photography of this cave will need to make special arrangements with the cave for photography. The owners charge extra for a tour geared toward photography.

Caverns of Sonora

Official Web site of Caverns of Sonora

Photographs of Sonora by Eric Praetzel


| Home | Storms | Astronomy | Travel Pages | Comets | Meteors  | Caves | Bio |Contact

To purchase images contact Christie Ponder
Website Designed by WeatherFriend

Copyright © 1998-2008  [WeatherFriend]. All rights reserved.