Kuna Cave

20 years ago, when I first met Flyboy, he introduced me to Kuna Cave. It is an underground lava tube that goes for about a half mile. Most of it is pretty easy to get through, but there are areas where you have to crawl on your hands and knees and some where you have to belly crawl to get through. It has been a favorite teenage party spot for years. It is about a 30 foot drop to the bottom. There is a ladder with a cage around it, but 20 years ago, there was no cage. And it's a steep ladder. Which made for a scary trip down. It's a fun cave to explore, but don't go without your own flashlight. Years ago, Flyboy and I took his brother, who had never been. We had one flashlight. We got to the part where you have to start belly crawling and that was the end of the line for me. Flyboy wanted to take his brother further to a place called "fat man's hole" (because you have to literally squeeze through it) and I said, fine, but take me back to the truck and you guys can come back in. It really doesn't take that long to get through the cave. Anyhoo, Flyboy insisted that it was only 5 minutes away and they would be right back. I begged and pleaded but I eventually lost. So, they left me in the dark, by myself, WITHOUT A FLASHLIGHT!!! If you've ever been in an underground cave in the dark, then you know that there is absolutely NO LIGHT WHATSOEVER! It is the blackest black you can imagine. And with an imagination like mine (remember the pitchfork incident?), then your mind goes crazy with all sorts of scary possibilities. So there I sat, in the dark, by myself waiting for the boys to return. I was so scared, I was afraid to breath. Because I knew that if I moved, whatever was inches from my face would get me. Well, typical of Flyboy, 5 minutes turned into about 45 minutes. Yes, my future husband left me to fend for myself in the dark for nearly an hour!!!! And yes, 20 years later, I am still pissed off about it!!!!! But, it didn't deter me from ever going back in there. I just make sure that I have my own flashlight. I won't go in without one. We took the girls to the cave last weekend and they loved it. Notice that everyone has their own flashlight. I even said that I would go back to fat man's hole, which is further than I've ever been. We got to where you have to belly crawl and that is where I stopped (which is the farthest I've gone). I wore shorts and the lava rocks really hurt. The kids went exploring a little further. They are afraid of nothing! Troopers they are! They get that from Flyboy. They are all adventurers. They love exploring the unknown. I love exploring too, but I like knowing where I'm going first. Here are some pictures of our adventure. The further we got into the cave, the smaller the lava tube and my camera wouldn't take any more pictures. So, these are all pictures of the entrance and the beginning of the lava tube. Flyboy even found a snake when we first got in there. And then Jessica found one coming back out. I tell ya, they are afraid of nothing!!!!! If you ever go, wear long pants and take a jacket or sweatshirt. It's pretty cold down in there.

This is what you see when you drive up to the cave. Just a hole in the ground with a ladder. See the cage on the ladder? That wasn't there 20 years ago.

Sugie Boogie taking the plunge

Flyboy finds a snake every time we go somewhere exploring. I think they're drawn to him. Or him to them.

My girls are afraid of nothing. They all held their first snake as babies.

Jessica begged me to bring it home for a pet. I've done that twice. Both got out of the cage. We never found the first one. I found the 2nd one in my laundry pile and swore I would never have a snake in my house again. Sorry, Jessica!

Heading into the cave. Notice, we each have our own flashlight. I learned my lesson!

I love the smell down there. It's crisp and cool and earthy.

Emily kept worrying that we were going to get lost. Lost as in separated from her.

This is the first spot where you have to crawl on your knees. Can you see me behind Emily? Sarabeth is actually between us, but you can't see her.

This is the view coming back out. It's pretty big and open in here. Lots of graffiti. Remember, it's a popular teenage party spot.

View of the ladder with Emily at the top.

This is the snake that Jessica and Emily spotted coming back out. It was down in the cave. She begged to have it for a pet. Then she wanted to at least bring it home and put in by the creek that runs behind our house. I'm sorry, but the answer was still NO!