点评:I'm not into superlatives or gushy reviews. But this place is just wonderful. Getting there from the south is interesting (on windy roads that deteriorate into dirt roads). There are lots of caves in the Ozarks. But few 'public' caves (i.e., run by the Federal or State government). I'm partial to 'public' caves having been into a number. The emphasis is first on preservation. Then on tourism. Private caves are just the opposite (OK, enough editorializing).
We had a wonderful time at the Cave. And the Cave itself is just marvelous. We took a tour of the Cave. Our tour was rather large, some 20 people. But we were glad to get on it. Emily, our tour guide was quite good. She comfortably knew the cave and was able to point out its features. The cave? It’s a really nice cave. Rivalling the best we’ve seen – Lehman in Nevada, Kartchner in Arizona, Blanchard Springs in Arkansas. They’ve done a nice job with access installing a concrete pathway leading through the cave. And the features are wonderful – stalactites, stalagmites, flowstone, soda straws (albeit short) and lily pads. The tour was comprehensive taking about 1 ½ hours. Well worth the time to get here.
翻译:我不太喜欢夸张的形容词或溢美之词,但这个地方真是太棒了。从南边过来的路很有意思(蜿蜒的山路最终会变成土路)。奥扎克山脉有很多洞穴,但“公共”洞穴(即由联邦或州政府运营的洞穴)却很少。我去过不少“公共”洞穴,所以对它们情有独钟。它们的首要任务是保护,其次才是发展旅游业。私人洞穴则恰恰相反(好了,我的个人见解就到此为止)。
我们在洞穴里度过了美好的时光。洞穴本身也令人叹为观止。我们参加了一个洞穴导览团,人数不少,大约有20人。不过我们很高兴能参加。我们的导游艾米丽非常棒,她对洞穴了如指掌,能够指出洞穴的各个特色。至于洞穴本身?它真是一个绝佳的洞穴,足以媲美我们见过的最棒的洞穴——内华达州的雷曼洞穴、亚利桑那州的卡特纳洞穴和阿肯色州的布兰查德泉洞穴。他们修建了一条混凝土步道,方便游客进入洞穴,做得非常出色。洞穴内的景观也令人叹为观止——钟乳石、石笋、流石、石管(虽然很短)和睡莲。整个游览过程非常全面,大约需要一个半小时。绝对值得花时间来这里。