It's always fun to show people places they haven't seen before so we thoroughly enjoy showing Bruce and Judy the cave and the trail leading from SR 288 all the way through and coming out at Punkin Center on the west side of Roosevelt Lake.
We don't ordinarily go out on weekends because some of the trails can get a bit crowded with loads of people coming up from Phoenix to enjoy the better temperatures in the mountains. Yesterday was no exception, the cave on FR 609 resembled a blue light special at K-Mart, with lots of city people crawling around the cave, oohing and aahing in the damp, spooky interior. It was fun hearing them talk about snakes...no self-respecting snake would ever be found in such an uninviting, cold interior but we didn't tell them, instead we agreed that caution should be used, yep, ya never know when a rattler might be lurking under the rocks deep inside the cave....
The cave had been living quarters for ancient Indians at one time, you can still see some evidence of their presence. Few cave drawings remain, but looking closely, you can still find a few faint images. The fire pit still holds a few charred bits of wood and the ceiling above it still shows the smokey stains left behind by generations of cooking. The remains of stone walls are still present, making it easy to imagine what life was like for the cave dwellers.
The next time we go back to the cave, we'll be sure to go during the week to avoid the crowds of city weekenders.
Hedgehog cactus in full bloom
Our two red Jeeps
The cave entrance
Me, Growlph, Judy and Bruce
Ralph, Judy, Growlph and Bruce
A city feller stepping carefully to avoid stepping on snakes
Stacked stone walls left by the ancients tell a story of what life was like
for the early cave dwellers
Judy and Bruce inside the cave
The smokey ceiling above an ancient fire pit
