Saturday we went to fabulous Kartchner Caverns!

Here are the signs on the side of State Route 90 directing us to the turn-off.  It was only a 15 mile trip today from the SKP park.

And here’s the gate into Kartchner Caverns.  They charged a $3 parking fee after I got the veteran discount.

We parked and walked up to the visitor center building through the hummingbird garden:

Inside the building, we checked on tour times and availability.  Stilla opted to sit out.  She felt it would be too claustrophobic for her, but insisted that I go.  And besides – there was plenty to see in the visitors center and adjacent area to keep her busy while I went on a tour.

I paid $23 for the privilege of touring the caverns.  We wandered around the visitors center displays together until it was time for the guided-tour.  I only had a short wait and was able to join the next group that was assembling.

Here’s some pics from inside the visitor center:

When it came time for the tour, I gathered with others (about 15 people) at the rear of the building for a tram ride up to the entrance.

Unfortunately, there are no pictures allowed in the caverns during the tour; which is probably a good thing since it would certainly be distracting while trying to enjoy the wonders.  At first, I was a little bummed that I couldn’t take pictures, but then I started to realize that it made the experience better when I wasn’t trying to get just-the-right image.

Click HERE for a link to wikipedia to read more information on Kartchner Caverns.  And HERE for information from the state park website.  And, also HERE for a good website that summarizes the cavern history by telling us: “Kept secret since its discovery in 1974, Kartchner Caverns, 12 miles south of Benson, Arizona, was announced to the world in 1988. Still virtually pristine, this massive limestone cave has 13,000 feet of passages and two rooms as long as football fields. Finally opened as a state park November 12, 1999.”

The following pictures were swiped from google images:

Click HERE to see more of the awesome pictures available at google images.

When I came back from the circa hour-long tour; I found Stilla and we went back inside the visitors center to watch the presentation in the big theater room.  This informative documentary runs every half-hour.  Then we browsed the gift shop.

This is truly another “must-see” attraction… I was so glad to get the opportunity.  Put it on your list if you’re ever in the area…

And that’s it for today folks… We made a quick stop at the Safeway in Benson on the way back to the SKP park for a roasted chicken.  Then we spent the evening relaxing in the Coach hiding from the gusty winds.

Check back later for our next adventure… we’ll probably start heading north…

This morning (Sunday) it’s raining off-and-on as I finish up this blog post, so we’ll probably just hunker down today.  We can’t complain since this is the first rain we’ve seen since we were in Prescott Valley back in early March.