DeSoto Stumbles On Alabama
There is a lot of "could have happened" on your tour of the twelve story cave of stalactites and stalagmites. Like a small school of goldfish that reside inside a murky pool. The fish might have been blind if they had been born there and not bought at the local Wal-Mart. And my pictures may have come out better if there was not so much condensation inside the place. During the Civil War, DeSoto Caverns was a gunpowder mining center. Later it was mined for Onyx. During Prohibition it was a bootleggers bar called The Bloody Bucket which may be why the tips of some rocks appear shot off. And alas, in the 1960's it became a "show cave" which translates to what most of us call a roadside attraction. Halfway through the tour is what seems like it should be the finale. People are seated on a long bench in the center of the cave, the place goes pitch black and then suddenly erupts with spritzing fountains illuminated by colored lights. Religious hymns come up over the splashing water and wire nativity statues blink as the story of the birth of Jesus is told. We all have to meet our maker eventually. I just never saw it happening inside a cave in rural Alabama. Then again, the brochure did mention that "God made this one big & awesome."
People with an active imagination will have fun deciphering what may look like animals and objects in the mineral formations. If you have ever stared at clouds you already know the routine.
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