Giant caves of Northern Mexico
[FONT=Times New Roman, serif]This Summer I journeyed to Texas to participate in the International Congress of Speleology but first I was off to See some big caves South of the border. My adventures with the Pre-ICS trip began when Aimee Beveridge picked me up at the hotel I’d spent the night at in downtown San Antonio.
Riverwalk-downtown San Antonio
With her were two of our international participants that she had already picked up, Uros from Serbia and Kaori from Japan . As we sped out of downtown Uros reminded Aimee that he had wanted to see the Alamo so after a couple of speedy U-turns we pulled into Alamo Park . Kaori and I had taken the tour on our own previously so we led Uros quickly through the main chapel, then out to the gift shop so he could purchase some postcards of his visit. We ran quickly through some of the exhibits then back out to where Aimee was waiting with her truck double parked.
The Alamo at night
A short drive later we were at Joe and Evelyn Mitchell's house where most of the rest of the 30 people we’d be traveling with were already assembled. Rolf was already there having driven from Sacramento in order to search for beetles along the way. We unloaded our luggage then joined the others for a wonderful grilled fajitas dinner. After dinner Pete Strickland and Aimee briefed us on the plans for the trip and which vehicles we’d be riding in. Rolf and I would be riding in Terry’s 4-runner along with Mario. We then sorted out some gear in preparation for the morning’s departure and then found space on the floor to get some sleep. [/FONT] [FONT=Times New Roman, serif]
The next morning we got up and after a quick breakfast, began loading the vehicles in order to head for the border. Before too long we were on the road, eight vehicles with 27 people heading for Mexico . We crossed the boarded from the Texas Toll road at Columbia in order to avoid the crowds at Laredo . This also put us on the small road that goes past our next destination which was a small rock outcropping. Out in the seemingly middle of nowhere we stopped and searched the rock faces till we found the Petra glyphs. In fact several of us searched in vain on the wrong set of rocks and it wasn’t until we were headed back to the vehicles that we spotted several people crowded around the correct rock. I hurried over and got a few pictures before we headed out again.
Petraglyphs
We drove through the town of Bustamante where we were joined by Nico, a local caver that would be joining us. We then continued up the canyon a little ways to our first visit to an "Ojo de Agua". This particular spring obviously had a high mineral content judging by the color of the water. There was a small developed pool for swimming, not much visible of the original spring anymore. After a pleasant cool swim we enjoyed the scenery for a bit, and then it was time to head out for dinner. The restaurant Ancira was one of only a couple in town but the food was very good. Almost everyone at the table I was at ordered the Chile rellanos and we all enjoyed them immensely. Next we were introduced to our home for the next several days- The Bugambillias field house. This wonderful place had a good sized building with kitchen bathrooms and showers as well as a few bedrooms though most of us opted to camp in the spacious backyard where the evening breeze really helped to cool things off at night. My favorite thing though was the wonderful swimming pool- what could be better after a day of caving or site seeing then cooling off in the pool. [/FONT]
[FONT=Times New Roman, serif]Breakfast at the field house
The next day was to be a fairly busy one as we had two caves to visit as well as a trip to see a dam on the itinerary, so we got up fairly early, and while some began fixing breakfast others laid out sandwich stuff and snack so we could begin assembling lunches to take with us. By the time most of us had filled up on cereal Pete began producing wonderful pancakes and so round two of breakfast began. Eventually we were all fed and loaded up for the drive to Grutas de Garcia. This meant we would be driving along the outskirts of Monterrey . As the whole convoy of 8 vehicles sped towards the industrial complex with Aimee in the lead we attracted the attention of the local policia who sped along and before you know it there was flashing lights. Aimee somehow managed to turn into a gas station but we continued to a wide stretch in the road and pulled over. Telling the police in our limited Spanish that we were heading to Grutas de Garcia, we wondered what our fate would be till Nico hopped out and talked to the officers. A small fine and we were on our way again. We drove past the town of Garcia and up a picturesque canyon until we spotted the amazing spectacle of a Swiss gondola going up the mountain to the cave entrance. Before long we had our tickets and it was time us to ride up to the cave- all at once. The gondola was apparently big enough for 40 people but it seemed pretty full. On the way up you could look down and see the previous method of going up to the cave which was the tracks of a funicular tram. It was a very impressive ride up and once at the entrance we enjoyed a magnificent view. Then it was time to move on into the cave. The tour was impressive as we moved through some very large rooms with huge formations. They had the usual attempt to appeal to the public with names like the Nativity room, frozen fountain etc. I had just remarked to Jenny that at least they hadn’t used multi colored lights when we entered les arboles de Natividad where they had draped a particularly large formation in Christmas lights and topped it off with a giant star, oh well so much for tasteful. It was still a wonderful cave. Further on there were some very impressive sized boulders along the trail that were full of various fossil remains, most appeared to be sea shells of various types. We stopped for a group picture at the entrance then rode the gondola down so we could eat lunch before heading off to our second cave of the day.
The gondola to the cave
Group photo inside the cave
The second cave we were heading for was located up Huasteca canyon; here we drove through some beautiful karst landscape with amazing peaks that make this a favorite destination for rock climbers. We also got to see several Agave victoriae-reginae which are an uncommon plant known for this area. We drove down a dirt road for a ways then out onto a wash which during wetter times is probably a good sized river. Then we began the hike up the hill. The hike wasn’t very long but the steepness combined with loose rocks, prickly plants and blazing sun, combined to make it quite a challenging climb. Soon we were up at the cave entrance and able to escape out of the sun. Unlike caves in California though, it was still extremely warm and humid inside the cave, so that didn’t help cool us off much. A lot of the cave showed signs of frequent visitation- broken formations and even some graffiti but there were still lots to see and as we progressed further into the cave I saw more and more undamaged formations. I spent quite a while photographing parts of the cave then emerged just in time to start back down the hill before it got completely dark. Going down was much pleasanter especially without the hot sun. After a brief moment when it looked like the van wanted to get stuck, we were back on the dirt road heading down the canyon again.
Beautiful karst, there's caves up here.
Mario in the cave
We stopped at the junction to the main road to allow all the vehicles to catch up and it was then that I noticed something on a nearby peak. By now it was almost completely dark but I could see three or four tiny lights moving on the rock face. I pointed it out to the rest of the people in the vehicle with me and we agreed it was rock climbers making their way down the face. I managed to take a twenty second exposure that shows the tiny lights and a shooting star that happened when I took the picture.
Climbers and shooting star
We then drove on into Monterey for a late evening dinner at a seafood restaurant. The food was all right but with such a large group it took a very long time for all of us to get served. After all this we still had the lengthy drive back to Bustamante. As we drove along all eight vehicles caravaning down the road in the dark, the vehicle in front of us suddenly swerved, swung across the road and then off the road. Terry reminded me that I was holding a radio so I called to the other vehicles but they were already so far away that they were out of range. Pete was behind us though so he pulled over to make sure everyone was all right. We drove ahead a little till we found a place to pull over then drove back on a small dirt road that ran alongside the main road. Fortunately they had driven down the embankment to the same dirt road without incident and no one was injured so before long we were back on the road heading to the field house. [/FONT] [FONT=Times New Roman, serif]
Despite the late night previously most of us got up early in anticipation of our next cave. Today we’d be heading to Gruta de Bustamante, recently renamed from Palmito. A brand new road had been built up the side of the mountain to the cave entrance and a new building placed at the entrance. We entered the cave through a tunnel that reminded me more of something you'd see at an airport then a cave, an impression that only increased when we went through the second set of double doors into the cave. Here we were looking on a wide walkway lit on both sides by lines of blue/white lights definitely appearing like something from a sci-fi movie. This cave now has the first fully wheelchair accessible trail. We followed the trail which makes a large loop through a huge room, and then at the far end of the room we continued off the tour trail. Here we began a descent down a large slope covered in slippery breakdown. Since I had loaded myself down with lots of photo gear I made slow progress down the slope and had to stop several times to clear my glasses that kept fogging up in the warm, humid air. After descending the breakdown slope we climbed a small slope and then down to a room with several impressive formations. It was shortly after this that we split into two groups with one group going up to the bedroom and the rest of us going down towards what is considered the end of the cave. There after a climb down a steep slope with a hand line and a couple of squeezes we reached what had been referred to as the new room until Pete pointed out it had been called that for twenty years already so now it has been re-named the red room. It was very apparent why it was called the red room from all the feathery red crystal growth on the walls. This was certainly an impressive and unique set of formations. I spent a fairly long time photographing things in this room before we headed back out to the large formations so I could try some shots with flashbulbs.
Terry in the red room.
After recruiting Bob and Mike to help me by holding flash guns I set about trying to take some pictures. The usual problems occurred of one of the flash guns not firing (battery was weak) and so it took a couple of tries to get a shot I was happy with. During our third or fourth try there was a tremendous bang which resonated around the cave. Followed by Aimee’s voice from the slope above me saying "Don’t blow up your assistants, that’s not good". Yes, one of the flash bulbs had apparently not aged so well and blew up, luckily no one was hurt and we cleaned up all the pieces of broken bulb before we left. This was not the only time this happened though as a little later we were attempting to take a picture of another formation and the flashbulb that Bob was holding burst into pieces. So maybe it wasn’t just the age of the bulbs but Bob’s explosive personality since both times it was bulbs he was firing that exploded? In either case the second shot was particularly interesting as Bob and the exploding flash bulb can be clearly seen down in the bottom of the frame.
Exploding Flashbulb!
We spent a while longer seeing some of the large formations and taking pictures before heading back up towards the tour route again. Before much longer we were outside in the hot sun again, where we immediately headed to the shade near the vehicles. There we enjoyed a cold beer and pickles that Aimee had thoughtfully brought along. We had been in the cave a little over eight hours and all agreed it had been a very enjoyable time. We returned to the field house where we enjoyed a good spaghetti dinner. After dinner Collin and a few of the younger members of the group decided to head to the town square to see Bustamante at night, most of the rest of us headed to the pool to cool off and enjoy a beer. [/FONT]
[FONT=Times New Roman, serif]
[/FONT][FONT=Times New Roman, serif][/FONT] To be continued....
Riverwalk-downtown San Antonio
With her were two of our international participants that she had already picked up, Uros from Serbia and Kaori from Japan . As we sped out of downtown Uros reminded Aimee that he had wanted to see the Alamo so after a couple of speedy U-turns we pulled into Alamo Park . Kaori and I had taken the tour on our own previously so we led Uros quickly through the main chapel, then out to the gift shop so he could purchase some postcards of his visit. We ran quickly through some of the exhibits then back out to where Aimee was waiting with her truck double parked.
The Alamo at night
A short drive later we were at Joe and Evelyn Mitchell's house where most of the rest of the 30 people we’d be traveling with were already assembled. Rolf was already there having driven from Sacramento in order to search for beetles along the way. We unloaded our luggage then joined the others for a wonderful grilled fajitas dinner. After dinner Pete Strickland and Aimee briefed us on the plans for the trip and which vehicles we’d be riding in. Rolf and I would be riding in Terry’s 4-runner along with Mario. We then sorted out some gear in preparation for the morning’s departure and then found space on the floor to get some sleep. [/FONT] [FONT=Times New Roman, serif]
The next morning we got up and after a quick breakfast, began loading the vehicles in order to head for the border. Before too long we were on the road, eight vehicles with 27 people heading for Mexico . We crossed the boarded from the Texas Toll road at Columbia in order to avoid the crowds at Laredo . This also put us on the small road that goes past our next destination which was a small rock outcropping. Out in the seemingly middle of nowhere we stopped and searched the rock faces till we found the Petra glyphs. In fact several of us searched in vain on the wrong set of rocks and it wasn’t until we were headed back to the vehicles that we spotted several people crowded around the correct rock. I hurried over and got a few pictures before we headed out again.
Petraglyphs
We drove through the town of Bustamante where we were joined by Nico, a local caver that would be joining us. We then continued up the canyon a little ways to our first visit to an "Ojo de Agua". This particular spring obviously had a high mineral content judging by the color of the water. There was a small developed pool for swimming, not much visible of the original spring anymore. After a pleasant cool swim we enjoyed the scenery for a bit, and then it was time to head out for dinner. The restaurant Ancira was one of only a couple in town but the food was very good. Almost everyone at the table I was at ordered the Chile rellanos and we all enjoyed them immensely. Next we were introduced to our home for the next several days- The Bugambillias field house. This wonderful place had a good sized building with kitchen bathrooms and showers as well as a few bedrooms though most of us opted to camp in the spacious backyard where the evening breeze really helped to cool things off at night. My favorite thing though was the wonderful swimming pool- what could be better after a day of caving or site seeing then cooling off in the pool. [/FONT]
[FONT=Times New Roman, serif]Breakfast at the field house
The next day was to be a fairly busy one as we had two caves to visit as well as a trip to see a dam on the itinerary, so we got up fairly early, and while some began fixing breakfast others laid out sandwich stuff and snack so we could begin assembling lunches to take with us. By the time most of us had filled up on cereal Pete began producing wonderful pancakes and so round two of breakfast began. Eventually we were all fed and loaded up for the drive to Grutas de Garcia. This meant we would be driving along the outskirts of Monterrey . As the whole convoy of 8 vehicles sped towards the industrial complex with Aimee in the lead we attracted the attention of the local policia who sped along and before you know it there was flashing lights. Aimee somehow managed to turn into a gas station but we continued to a wide stretch in the road and pulled over. Telling the police in our limited Spanish that we were heading to Grutas de Garcia, we wondered what our fate would be till Nico hopped out and talked to the officers. A small fine and we were on our way again. We drove past the town of Garcia and up a picturesque canyon until we spotted the amazing spectacle of a Swiss gondola going up the mountain to the cave entrance. Before long we had our tickets and it was time us to ride up to the cave- all at once. The gondola was apparently big enough for 40 people but it seemed pretty full. On the way up you could look down and see the previous method of going up to the cave which was the tracks of a funicular tram. It was a very impressive ride up and once at the entrance we enjoyed a magnificent view. Then it was time to move on into the cave. The tour was impressive as we moved through some very large rooms with huge formations. They had the usual attempt to appeal to the public with names like the Nativity room, frozen fountain etc. I had just remarked to Jenny that at least they hadn’t used multi colored lights when we entered les arboles de Natividad where they had draped a particularly large formation in Christmas lights and topped it off with a giant star, oh well so much for tasteful. It was still a wonderful cave. Further on there were some very impressive sized boulders along the trail that were full of various fossil remains, most appeared to be sea shells of various types. We stopped for a group picture at the entrance then rode the gondola down so we could eat lunch before heading off to our second cave of the day.
The gondola to the cave
Group photo inside the cave
The second cave we were heading for was located up Huasteca canyon; here we drove through some beautiful karst landscape with amazing peaks that make this a favorite destination for rock climbers. We also got to see several Agave victoriae-reginae which are an uncommon plant known for this area. We drove down a dirt road for a ways then out onto a wash which during wetter times is probably a good sized river. Then we began the hike up the hill. The hike wasn’t very long but the steepness combined with loose rocks, prickly plants and blazing sun, combined to make it quite a challenging climb. Soon we were up at the cave entrance and able to escape out of the sun. Unlike caves in California though, it was still extremely warm and humid inside the cave, so that didn’t help cool us off much. A lot of the cave showed signs of frequent visitation- broken formations and even some graffiti but there were still lots to see and as we progressed further into the cave I saw more and more undamaged formations. I spent quite a while photographing parts of the cave then emerged just in time to start back down the hill before it got completely dark. Going down was much pleasanter especially without the hot sun. After a brief moment when it looked like the van wanted to get stuck, we were back on the dirt road heading down the canyon again.
Beautiful karst, there's caves up here.
Mario in the cave
We stopped at the junction to the main road to allow all the vehicles to catch up and it was then that I noticed something on a nearby peak. By now it was almost completely dark but I could see three or four tiny lights moving on the rock face. I pointed it out to the rest of the people in the vehicle with me and we agreed it was rock climbers making their way down the face. I managed to take a twenty second exposure that shows the tiny lights and a shooting star that happened when I took the picture.
Climbers and shooting star
We then drove on into Monterey for a late evening dinner at a seafood restaurant. The food was all right but with such a large group it took a very long time for all of us to get served. After all this we still had the lengthy drive back to Bustamante. As we drove along all eight vehicles caravaning down the road in the dark, the vehicle in front of us suddenly swerved, swung across the road and then off the road. Terry reminded me that I was holding a radio so I called to the other vehicles but they were already so far away that they were out of range. Pete was behind us though so he pulled over to make sure everyone was all right. We drove ahead a little till we found a place to pull over then drove back on a small dirt road that ran alongside the main road. Fortunately they had driven down the embankment to the same dirt road without incident and no one was injured so before long we were back on the road heading to the field house. [/FONT] [FONT=Times New Roman, serif]
Despite the late night previously most of us got up early in anticipation of our next cave. Today we’d be heading to Gruta de Bustamante, recently renamed from Palmito. A brand new road had been built up the side of the mountain to the cave entrance and a new building placed at the entrance. We entered the cave through a tunnel that reminded me more of something you'd see at an airport then a cave, an impression that only increased when we went through the second set of double doors into the cave. Here we were looking on a wide walkway lit on both sides by lines of blue/white lights definitely appearing like something from a sci-fi movie. This cave now has the first fully wheelchair accessible trail. We followed the trail which makes a large loop through a huge room, and then at the far end of the room we continued off the tour trail. Here we began a descent down a large slope covered in slippery breakdown. Since I had loaded myself down with lots of photo gear I made slow progress down the slope and had to stop several times to clear my glasses that kept fogging up in the warm, humid air. After descending the breakdown slope we climbed a small slope and then down to a room with several impressive formations. It was shortly after this that we split into two groups with one group going up to the bedroom and the rest of us going down towards what is considered the end of the cave. There after a climb down a steep slope with a hand line and a couple of squeezes we reached what had been referred to as the new room until Pete pointed out it had been called that for twenty years already so now it has been re-named the red room. It was very apparent why it was called the red room from all the feathery red crystal growth on the walls. This was certainly an impressive and unique set of formations. I spent a fairly long time photographing things in this room before we headed back out to the large formations so I could try some shots with flashbulbs.
Terry in the red room.After recruiting Bob and Mike to help me by holding flash guns I set about trying to take some pictures. The usual problems occurred of one of the flash guns not firing (battery was weak) and so it took a couple of tries to get a shot I was happy with. During our third or fourth try there was a tremendous bang which resonated around the cave. Followed by Aimee’s voice from the slope above me saying "Don’t blow up your assistants, that’s not good". Yes, one of the flash bulbs had apparently not aged so well and blew up, luckily no one was hurt and we cleaned up all the pieces of broken bulb before we left. This was not the only time this happened though as a little later we were attempting to take a picture of another formation and the flashbulb that Bob was holding burst into pieces. So maybe it wasn’t just the age of the bulbs but Bob’s explosive personality since both times it was bulbs he was firing that exploded? In either case the second shot was particularly interesting as Bob and the exploding flash bulb can be clearly seen down in the bottom of the frame.
Exploding Flashbulb!We spent a while longer seeing some of the large formations and taking pictures before heading back up towards the tour route again. Before much longer we were outside in the hot sun again, where we immediately headed to the shade near the vehicles. There we enjoyed a cold beer and pickles that Aimee had thoughtfully brought along. We had been in the cave a little over eight hours and all agreed it had been a very enjoyable time. We returned to the field house where we enjoyed a good spaghetti dinner. After dinner Collin and a few of the younger members of the group decided to head to the town square to see Bustamante at night, most of the rest of us headed to the pool to cool off and enjoy a beer. [/FONT]
[FONT=Times New Roman, serif]
[/FONT][FONT=Times New Roman, serif][/FONT] To be continued....
0
Comments
The following morning we rose a little later then previous mornings as we had a lighter itinerary planed. Thanks to Nico we were heading to Minas Viellas, a mine located on property owned by Nico’s grandfather. The main shaft went completely through part of the mountain and partway through they had actually tunneled into a cave. The trip to the mine proved more adventurous then many of us anticipated though as the road was a very narrow dirt road, which in parts seemed to be only held up by bits of rock and old railroad track. Several times the tires on Preston ’s wide dually truck seemed to be barely touching the road in parts. After a particularly narrow stretch one of the passengers in Preston ’s truck opted to ride in the narrower 4-runner with us.
Narrow road
We all made it up the mountain without incident and toured the old building that served as a picturesque dining hall for visitors staying in cabins that Nico’s Grandfather had built nearby. It was a short drive back down to the mine entrance where we stopped and ate lunch before heading in. The mine shaft was a horizontal shaft which was mostly unremarkable except for the occasional interesting mineral embedded in the wall. After we passed into a wide section which was where the mine had dug into a natural cave, we saw some nice flowstone and even the start of some new cave pearls. Mario chuckled and pointed out a spot where someone had spray painted descanso (rest) with an arrow pointed at the ground in a rather random spot along the shaft. Apparently the designated rest stop, we guessed. Then it was time to head back the way we had come as we weren’t doing a through trip on this one.
Formations starting to grow
That night we sat in the pool and relaxed. Pete asked us what we had enjoyed the most on the trip, several people commented on how they enjoyed hearing the different languages spoken by different members of our group in the cave, many commented on how huge the caves were, I was glad that Bob didn’t actually get blown up when the flash bulb went. We all agreed it was a wonderful trip. The next morning we got up rather sadly for we were packing things up to head back, our little adventure was almost over. We had a couple more things to see on the way home though. Our first stop was the historic Candela train station.
Candela train station
Here apparently the workers had been supporters of Pancho Villa and they had mounted a plaque upside down in protest of the government hunting him down. We decided to check out the view from the second floor of the station. This was one of the scarier moments of the trip as the only way up was a rather sketchy looking wooden ladder apparently cobbled together from scrap pieces of wood. We made it up and down without incidence though. During this time Rolf was scouring the countryside in search of more beetles. When we piled back in the 4-runner he proclaimed that he had found one of Pancho Villas bullets. Sure enough he had found a cartridge with the date 1912 on it so who knows?
We had one final stop before we headed to the border crossing at Columbia again and that was yet another Ojo de Agua. Sadly the water level was so low that the main spring was closed, though we were able to swim and cool off in the man made swimming pool they had built above the springs. We then sat and ate lunch in the shady picnic area. While we were eating three motorcycle policia drove up. Kaori was very excited to see the motorcycles and ran up to them, soon one of the policemen was letting her sit on his bike and start it up.
A little while later though it was time to head to the border crossing. Our vehicle got through with just a cursory inspection though several other vehicles had to stop for more detailed searches and to stand in line to show their visas to immigration. We drove on down the road to the first gas station and waited there, eventually everyone caught up and we were all on our way to the ICS.
Trip participants:
Rolf Aalbu, USA
Uros Aksemovic, Serbia
Richard Breisch, USA
Robert Cornish, USA
Richard Geisler, USA
Margot Geisler, USA
Satoshi Goto, Japan
John Hargreaves, USA
Alexander Izmaylov, Russia
Mike Koerner, USA
Jenny Kuo, USA
Lullia Lozova, Ukraine
Carol Lucero, USA
Ryo Matsuzawa, Japan
Gregory Middleton, Australia
Kaori Ooka, Japan
Mario Parise, Italy
Rene Scherrer, Switzerland
Rhiann Senkalski, USA
Linda Starr, USA
Walt Vennum, USA
Lois Vennum, USA
Aimee Beveridge, USA
Nico Escamilla, Mexico
Preston Forsythe, USA
Sherry Forsythe, USA
Ernie Garza, USA
Geoffrey Hoese, USA
Justin Shaw, USA
Terri Sprouse, USA
Pete Strickland, USA
Colin Strickland, USA