Class Dismissed

   Yesterday was our last day of training.  We met in the conference room to discuss the class, answer any questions, evaluate the program, etc.  It was a lively and rewarding discussion.  Many subjects, some about the cave and some totally off base, were asked and answered.  One of the best parts was that several maps of the cavern were there to examine.  Of course they were geological maps so fault lines and soil and rock types were features instead of tunnels and pathways.  But they still gave us an idea of the actual layout of the cavern. 
     Look up the history of the discovery and development of Kartchner Caverns,  It is fascinating.  The secrecy and hard work that went into the making of this state park.  It truly is the crown jewel of  the Arizona state park system.
     Next week the next phase of our volunteer stint begins.  The application of our training.  We have been doing various volunteer duties.  Working at the gatehouse, greeting the cars as they arrive and collecting the daily fee.  Another task is helping at the front desk, with information and tour tickets.  We also have been "trailers", being at the back of the tours, helping the tour guide as needed. 
     Now it gets interesting.  We will be the tour guides.  But we aren't just thrown into the arena like some of our previous parks.  We will have mentors to be with us.  We will gradually work our way into the position.  We will not be on our own until we are ready to solo.  It is not as if we had never been guides before.  Petrified Forest, Boyce Thompson, LBJ ranch, Oregon Pipe Cactus, etc.  Kartchner is a bit different.  This is our first cave so the language is new.  We can learn that, no problem.  The logistics is going to be the tricking part.  Tours of the Rotunda/Throne Room go every 20 minutes.  ( ie. 12:00, 12:20, 12:40) That schedule is exact.  So the tour guide's responsibility, in addition to greeting and handling 20 guests, telling the story, and showing the features of the site, is to keep on schedule.  That involves being at a certain spot at a certain time to push a button to tell the next tour to enter the cave or that you are past a certain point and they can move forward.  That's going to be the challenge here at KC.  It will be interesting.

Here is a photo of the map.  You can click on it to make it larger.  As you can see the cave is not a uniform shape.  It has lots of unique and interesting areas that only the scientists see.

   

Tour Guide Training

   For the last two days Randa and I and seven others have been in the classroom to prepare us to become tour guides here at Kartchner Caverns.  It has been intense, professional, organized and informative.  We had sections on various including the dynamics of interpretation, the geology of the area. the discovery story of the cave, logistics of the actual tour ( which includes timing, lighting controls, tour group management, emergency procedures )  The employees and volunteers are very concerned with the protection and preservation of the resource while offering the public the opportunity to see a cave that is very close to being just the way it was when it was discovered 45 years ago.  So the training emphasized giving tours that show the cave to lots of folk without compromising the fragile environment of Kartchner. 
    Additional time was spent talking about interpretation challenges such as unruly guests, school groups, accommodating visitors with physical and mental handicaps.  The tour schedule is very time-exacting.  From the moment we greet the tour group until they are returned to the discovery center (VC), the clock is running.  Don't be too slow; don't be too fast.  Giving the tour, I can do.  Done many of them.  Trying to keep on that tight schedule makes me nervous. 
 

Red

Pyracantha

Star Gazing

   Saturday night we were invited to visit friends who are staying at the Butterfield RV Park in Benson.  It is a nice medium sized park behind the shopping center with Safeway and Ace Hardware.  In addition to the normal amenities, there is an observatory.  Several years ago the previous owner purchased the telescope and had the building constructed over it.  It is opened several nights a week for residents to enjoy. 
   It was great fun to view the heavens again.  The last time we looked up in that direction was when we volunteered at Goldendale Observatory in Washington in July 2011.  It stirred old memories of our time there.
  We looked at Venus which is in the evening sky.  That was followed by M35, the Andromeda Galaxy and finally the Orion Nebula.  It was a very good thing.

Here is the telescope.  Quite impressive for a small town.

Cleaning the cave

Keeping the cave pristine is not an easy task.  As you can see the rangers take it very seriously.  the ranger here has pulled down the rope lighting and is removing the crud that has formed on the lights.  There is going to be a lint cleaning event one day next month.  Randa and I hope that we can help with that. 

Sahuarita

   Drove into Tucson yesterday.  Heard that there was a good outdoor equipment store there.  Millers was located in an older part of town but it was exactly what we were looking for.  Camping gear, hiking gear. clothes, flashlights.  There was a large room that was for the guy who wanted to looked like GI Joe.  Camo everything.  Nice, but not what we were interested in.  We had tried a "military surplus" store in Sierra Vista but with a name of Apocalypse, we should have known better.  Fort Huachuca borders S.V. so it the military influence is evident.
    After shopping at Millers we drove to Sahuarita ( sah wah RITA) which is a suburb of Tucson.  Visited with Glenda and Paul who we volunteered with at Tallac.  Had fun catching up.  They drove us around the area we went to lunch and it was time to head home.  A quick stop at Costco and we were driving east on I-10 toward Benson.  The boys were glad to see us.  That's the neat thing about dogs.  They are always happy to see you.  Whether you have been gone for an hour or the whole day, it's, " Wag, wag.  Pet me, pet me.  Let's go for a walk."

We had a day of rain last week.  This was our view the next morning 

Martin Luther King Day

 

These are Soda Straws. They are hollow and can grow to over 6 feet.
  There is one over 23 feet growing in the Big Room.

Today is Monday Jan. 20, 2020.  Because it is Martin Luther King Day, there is no entry fee at any National Park and Arizona State Parks.  I'm working at the Gate House this afternoon.  We expect to be busy greeting visitors.  The cave tours are already sold out which is not unusual.  Some folks come up to the gate hoping to get a tour.  The number of tours are limited, to keep the cave from being overrun and over used.  The staff and us volunteers take great care to keep this cave as pristine as it was when it was discovered in 1974.  It is not.  Many changes had to be made to accommodate visitors.  Kartchner is the only cave that is totally ADA accessible.  That took an immense amount of planning and work.  And yet, you walk through and you are in awe.  You have a paved path the entire route and stainless steel handrails to steady your walk.  Wheel chairs are stationed at several locations to be there if needed.  The volunteers and staff are also ready to help someone who is having trouble, going as far as escorting them to the outside if necessary.









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