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Standing in the lower tunnel of Dynamited Cave near Trout Lake, Washington. I only explored about 400 feet of the cave to here where there is a 15' vertical pit. Here one can look back & see an incredible thin layer of rock spanning across the tunnel forming a natural bridge. Many of the sections of the ceiling in this area are adorned with golden bacteria, better known as actinomycete bacteria. From Oregon Grotto:
One of the longest caves in the Trout Lake area with many vertical drops and levels. 12,345 feet. Dynamited Cave was discovered in Spring, 1958, by Reno and Carl Ziegler, loggers with the Broughton Lumber Co. In Oct., 1958, early exploration began when Carl Nielsen, family members and friends entered the cave as far as the 15-ft drop. Sometime between Oct. 18 and Dec. 6, 1958, the most decisive event in this cave's history occurred when--after five local boys were unable to ascend a 40-ft pit they had dropped on a 3/8-inch rope--the entrance was dynamited, ending exploration of the cave until 1961. Dynamite was employed again in late 1972 to destroy one of a series of typically impotent gates, this one some distance inside the cave.
https://www.oregongrotto.com/troutlake.shtml
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The United States is one of the most diverse countries on earth, jam packed full of amazing sights from St. Patrick's cathedral in New York to Mount Hollywood California.The Northeast region is where it all started. Thirteen British colonies fought the American Revolution from here and won their independence in the first successful colonial rebellion in history. Take a look at these rolling hills carpeted with foliage along the Hudson river here, north of New York City.The American south is known for its polite people and slow pace of life. Probably they move slowly because it's so hot. Southerners tend not to trust people from "up north" because they talk too fast. Here's a cemetery in Georgia where you can find graves of soldiers from the Civil War.The West Coast is sort of like another country that exists to make the east coast jealous. California is full of nothing but grizzly old miners digging for gold, a few gangster rappers, and then actors. That is to say, the West Coast functions as the imagination of the US, like a weird little brother who teases everybody then gets famous for making freaky art.The central part of the country is flat farmland all the way over to the Rocky Mountains. Up in the northwest corner you can find creative people in places like Portland and Seattle, along with awesome snowboarding and good beer. Text by Steve Smith.