Shenandoah Caverns

Armed with Tom's GPS and my printed map from MapQuest, we headed out southwest towards Shenandoah Caverns. Thank God the weather is good. It's an hour and a half drive so we entertained ourselves by singing along Tom's CD. We listened to JT's "Summer Love", Maroon 5's "Makes Me Wonder", Fergie's "Glamorous", and even, (would you believe) Ariel Rivera's "Minsan Lang Kitang Iibigin".
I was afraid to take pee stops so I didn't drink water much before we left. Tom refreshed himself with a big bottle of Gatorade. No bladder probs.

Reached Shenandoah Caverns around noon. We went inside the gift shop. Found a staircase going down the caverns but it was locked. We could hear some Tagalog being uttered so we're not the only Pinoys around.

Tom paid for our entrance fees, 22 bucks each. The ticket is good for 2 other attractions: American Celebration on Parade and the Yellow Barn. We then waited by the lift. Took some photos before we headed down the caverns.
According to our guide, who's all business and no fun, we'll descend 60 feet. Sweet!

The last time I visited a cavern was like 6 years ago. I went to Luray Caverns with Astur. The guide explained that we'll be seeing stalactites, stalagmites, blah-blah-blah. I was more concerned with what my camera can capture. A word of advice: don't wear light clothing when you do this. It gets cold down there.
Some stalactites are enhanced by dramatic lighting. In some areas where there's stagnant water, you could see some coins (& bills) thrown in for good luck. The guide said that they collect the coins every 3 to 4 years and donate them to charity.
One of the things the Shenandoah Caverns is known for is this bacon formation. 'twas featured in National Geographic. In Luray Caverns, they have an egg-like formation. Cool, eh?
There's this formation that they call the Cathedral and they also have a bishop ;oP
And then there's this very interesting stalagmite. What does it remind you of?This is the perfect example where lighting makes a difference.Tom and I would argue about how different our shots are from one another. In my opinion, I took better pics when he's my subject. He takes crappy ones when I'm his subject. He blames it on my camera.We finished the tour around 1:30. Tom and I looked for a place to eat before we checked out the remaining attractions. I asked the lady behind the counter where the nearest Chinese resto is located. She referred us to Shun Xing which is like 6 miles from the caverns. Unforch, when we got there, the place opens at 3 on Saturdays. Crap!

We settled for McDonald's. I had my usual Ranch sandwich, nuggets, fries and coke.

Part two of today's events.