Cave Confines

Half a mile from my house, my neighborhood spills out onto Cedar Creek Grade.  Turning left flows toward town; right heads out into the country.   With no destination in mind, I turn right. 

Winter has me feeling confined but driving aimlessly amid bright morning light is my antidote, I hope.  Though I have no destination, I do have preparation: boots and thermal underwear for warmth; cameras and a tripod for artistry.  After five miles of meandering, a destination idea emerges:  Ogden’s Cave - a biologically sensitive natural area preserve off limits to the general public.  Several years ago though, I was granted permission to visit. 

Near the end of a rutted, rocky lane, there’s a notch for just one car to park.  I back in, gather my gear, and set out on a course that I’ve followed the three other times I’ve visited.  I cautiously step over crotch-high barbed wire then follow Buffalo Marsh Run in a north-westerly direction for a half-mile.  The stream is vividly clear, its edges adorned with odd-shaped ice crystals.  At the property boundary I hop the stream and turn south-west through a cedar grove, across an open field, and down a ravine leading to the cave. 

I’m unprepared to enter the cave.  I don’t have the gear or the guts, especially since no one in the world knows I’m here.  I linger at its narrow entrance for a while feeling the enticement and solitude.  And welcome the geothermal warmth emanating from the depths.   Inside the cave is a world for spelunkers; not random wanderers like me.  Still though, I’m glad I came to visit this geologic oddity on my private nature preserve today.  The bright sunlight, tranquil sounds of the stream, and the cave’s ominous sense have indeed served as a small antidote to this winter’s confinement.
Ogden's Cave


Comments

  1. meFebruary 13, 2011 at 4:58 PM

    cool, can you go inside the cave?

    ReplyDelete
  2. Tim KoppenhaverFebruary 13, 2011 at 6:29 PM

    Yeah, you can go in, but the entrance is pretty narrow. I found a website with plenty of photos. Lotsa mud and water inside. (That's probably true for all caves.)
    Thanks for commenting.
    TK

    http://www.caves.org/member/jerry/ogden/oc.htm

    ReplyDelete
  3. captron52February 13, 2011 at 10:05 PM

    didnt know you were a splunker Tim. Thats way cool man I love caves but have only been inside 1 big one that being Mammouth Cave near Bowling Green Ky. Hey I hope you and yours are having a great wqeekend Tim Take care old friend!

    ReplyDelete
  4. Tim KoppenhaverFebruary 13, 2011 at 10:25 PM

    Thanks Ron, but I'm not a spelunker. I just hang out at the entrances of caves, although I've been through the commercialzed Luray Caverns.

    Take care, and thanks for your comments.

    Tim

    ReplyDelete

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