Monday, August 24, 2009

Blue John Cavern

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In the little intermezzo between our wedding and our honeymoon, we took our friend Danni to the Blue John Cavern. I must have started close to a hundred mountain bike rides from this spot, but have never before been down into the cavern.

The cavern is actually both a natural feature and a working mine of the unique Blue John stone found there which is crafted into jewelery and sold in the nearby settlement of Castleton.

It was a trip notable for the fact we had to descend around 300 feet down steps carved into the stone through some twisting and narrow passageways. Oliver walked down but I had to carry Lucy as the steps were large and slippery. The deeper we got the more I feared having to carry them both back up in two trips. In fact I needn't have worried. Lucy walked up some of it and Oliver walked up the whole 300 feet without complaint, an impressive feat.

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