Inner Space Caverns - Bucket List, Check!

As I mentioned in my last post, my family and I went to Corpus Christi a lot when I was a kid, and I continued that journey once I could venture out on my own.

One of the things I remember about the trip down was the big sign right before we got to Austin on I-35 advertising for Inner Space Caverns. Here's a little secret: I always wanted to stop and explore it, but I never told my folks that.

Every time we passed that sign, I always thought "this time we'll stop." Alas, every time we just breezed past. Was I despondent because my secret wish was once again unfulfilled? Hardly. I was usually too excited to get to the beach and to see my Aunt and Uncle. And I knew the big overpass in Austin was just ahead and that was cool. So I forgot all about it until the next trip came. Yea, I'm easy to please.

And since I usually eschewed the big highway on solo trips, I rarely saw that sign on my way down or back. Out of sight, etc.

When I got to Bastrop for a couple of weeks stay, the first thing I did (as I do pretty much every place) was to open Google Maps and type "Attractions" in the search bar. Imagine my surprise when one of the entries was for none other than Inner Space Caverns. Oh, yeah, that's one I wasn't going to miss!

The hole where the first person to see the cave entered

History lesson time. Inner Space is what is called a carst cave, meaning that is was created by water flowing through the limestone underground in the Edwards Aquifer area. It was discovered in 1963 by the Texas Department of Transportation during the construction of I-35. It seems that when engineers were drilling test holes to make sure the bedrock was solid enough for the road bed, the kept hitting air. When they drilled out a big enough hole for a man to go down in, he found a huge cavern. Not only that, he turned around and saw a big stalagmite (that they now call their Cave Bear) and was so frightened, he hightailed out of there.

Anyway, the Cavern was opened to tours in 1966, and that big sign went up shortly after. And I made it (finally) some 54 years later.

The Caverns offer three different tours. The first is your typical cave tour, with the touristas following a very knowledgeable guide (we're walking, we're walking) snapping picks and laughing at the jokes and puns. The second tour is a little more in depth and takes place in newer, but still fairly easy paths, although its not as well lit, so they provide flashlights. The final tour is a true spelunking experience, so strenuous that the intrepid are supplied with hard hats, gloves and knee pads. I opted for the first.

As you wind through the caverns, there are myriad formations to marvel out. Cave bacon, which looks just like the breakfast treat, an upside down "beach ceiling," and of course stalactites and stalagmites about in all sorts of shapes and sizes, plus a huge wall of sheet deposits and even evidence of the Balcones fault zone, left bare from a thousands year old earthquake. There are even dinosaur bones. According to the guide, the earthquake created a sink hole which trapped a lot of local fauna.

Side note twofer. The name Inner Space was given to the caverns when it first opened, because the U.S. was becoming more and more entranced with space travel. We were still in the midst of the race to the moon. The owners thought that the cave looked like what the moonscape might be. Of course, that turned out to not necessarily be correct, but the name stuck.

And that sign? well it happens they had a way to access it from inside the cave. Along the way, you'll see a metal ladder going up through the ceiling. That's how they got up there. It's not used now, but makes for an interesting dichotomy. The modern metal ladder in the ancient stone cave.

And of course on the way out there is the obligatory gift shop, as well as a snack bar. The shop has all the usual tourist related goodies, plus you can split your own agates.

Is this a tourist trap? Of course it is. Is it popular, judging by the crowd when I went, absolutely. Did I enjoy it? You bet! Bucket list item substantially checked.

For more info, go to https://innerspacecavern.com/

I'm on the road next week. A quick stop at the home base in Livingston to pick up my mail, then off to Martin Creek Lake State Park for the 4th, and from there?

Stay tuned...

Later, Folks.