Periwinkle paced back and forth in front of the Teleportation Tunnel. Her brofur Raz teased her that she was going to wear out the tile if she kept it up. As always, Periwinkle couldn't wait for her boyfriend, Stinky, to arrive.
With the Familiar WOOSH, out popped Stinky right into her arms. They giggled and spent time whisker kissing, paw patting and catching up. Stinky told Periwinkle how much he looked forward to their adventure and the two tabbies agreed it was the highlight of their week.
"What are we doing today?" asked Stinky. Periwinkle said they were getting back into the Teleportation Tunnel and headed to the Florida panhandle. "Huh? We're going to hang out in a PAN?" said Stinky. Periwinkle laughed at that which made Stinky look sad. Periwinkle ran up to him and gave him a big hug and kiss and said she was sorry and he brightened up. Periwinkle said "It is called the Panhandle because it is straight and narrow like the handle of a pan with the broader area of the state below it, like the bottom of a pan." She took his paw and they hopped into the Teleportation Tunnel. When they popped out he agreed they were in a cool place.
Periwinkle made Stinky promise to behave since she didn't want him running down into any caves alone. He promised and, paw in paw, they started investigating. Immediately, Stinky darted over to one of the entrances. "STINKY, you PROMISED" said Periwinkle. Stinky ran up to her and said he would be good.
The two decided the best way to see the caverns was with a guided tour.
The were amazed at the caves and how beautiful they looked with colored lights on them.
The tour guide explained that there 34 caves in the park but only one is available for tours. “At current count, there are 34 caves in the park. Pretty much anywhere you see a ridge in the ground, that’s a cave.”
The guide added, “Indian Cave,” for example, is a bat sanctuary that houses anywhere from 400 to 800 bats at a time."
Periwinkle shivered and Stinky put his paws around her shoulders. The guide told them the caves stay at 65 degrees all the time. Periwinkle thought that was way too cold for Florida.
The guide continued “The limestone formations in which the cave passages are developed were deposited in shallow, warm seas that existed more than 30 million years ago,” says Jacob Strickland, park manager. “The cave formations, called speleothems, formed over many thousands of years by the same process that created the cave passages for which Florida Caverns State Park is famous. The depth of the cave averages 45 feet below the surface, and is 65 feet deep at its lowest point. The lower portion often floods during periods of heavy rain, but shortened tours are still offered. The principal attractions inside are the calcite formations, which range from the fantastic to the grotesque.”
As much as they enjoyed the tour, they were happy to be out of the cave and wandered around the grounds a bit.
They were pretty interested in the Disappearing River.
But they decided to steer clear of this guy...
Being the thoughtful cats that they are, they visited the gift shop to find something to bring home to their Moms.
Being cats, they could not understand why they often heard their Moms say they couldn't sleep. They decided to bring home Dreamcatchers to both Moms to help them (Plus the fev-vers could make good cat toys!)
Soon it was time to return to Periwinkle's house. Stinky spent some time visiting with Periwinkle's Mom and fursibs and they had a snack of Temptations. They both agreed there was a lot to see at the park and it might be nice to go back someday.
After whiskers kisses, snuggles, and paw pats, Stinky entered the tunnel, blew one more kiss and off he went with a WOOSH.
Periwinkle and Stinky want to remind you that tomorrow is the first day of Hurricane Season. If you live in an area where you might be affected, click HERE to read their post from last year.
