Great Grottoes

As most Clay Aiken fans know, after a tour has ended, the Man is inclined to retreat to what we lovingly call his "man-cave." There's something to be said for having a great grotto (though depending on which rumors you believe, he may be in the process of finding a new grotto... who knows? Maybe back to Wake Co., an area of political interest to him).

Grottoes may or may not have added geological appeal to the Man, again depending on which rumors you believe. I can't say that it was geology necessarily that led me to my day trip today. But it was Clay. Or rather, a nice long drive gave me the opportunity to listen to my two-disc custom made CD of the Timeless Tour (Biloxi show) featuring Clay and Ruben Studdard, and an interest of mine was (irrationally) Boonsboro, Maryland (irrational because it should be spelled with an e, having been founded by cousins of Daniel Boone).

A change of scenery is always good for someone who lives in a box--a noisy city box. In searching the Net for Boonsboro, I found a couple of interesting destinations: Washington Monument State Park and Crystal Grottoes Caverns.

So off I went, on a hot day with the a/c and CA blasting. First stop is Washington Monument, which isn't the one you're thinking of. This was actually (according to the brochure) the first monument completed in honor of George Washington, built by the citizens of Boonsboro in 1827.

The monument was used by the Union Army as a signal tower during the Civil War, as it offered an outstanding view of the valley below, including Middletown, Maryland.

Truthfully, I didn't spend a lot of time contemplating history. It was hot, and I am in no way an outdoor cat. I met a sweet kid on the Appalachian Trail, passing through from Maine on her way to Georgia. Now there's someone who won't be grottoed.

Got back in the car and let Clay and Ruben continue toward the end of the first half of their concert... In mileage, I can't tell you how far away from my apartment Boonsboro is, but it is just a little bit more than half the length of the Timeless Tour, which was over two hours.

In Boonsboro, head west on Rte 34 to get to Crystal Grottoes Caverns.

I was glad to see a family from New Jersey waiting for the "next tour," which was apparently whenever there were enough people to take down to the caverns. The young man leading us was not a professional geologist, but learned all he needed on the job, which he'd been doing for about a year. This cavern has (according to the brochure) "more formations per square foot than any Cave known to man and is the most naturally kept Caverns in the world."

Okay, of course there's something Clay related in all this. The formations in their natural state are covered in clay. Heh. Our young guide explained that there is a massive "noncommercial" area of the caverns that are still being excavated, explored, cleaned. I asked what they used to clean the clay off the formations, and he said "toothbrushes and toothpaste." I confess to wondering whether it was cinnamon or mint.

This was a day trip for me, and a pleasant one at that. I had brought my computer and an overnight bag with me in case I wanted to stay over. Boonsboro didn't offer much else to attract me, certainly not the cafe that also offered guns and ammunition. Middletown was a nice stop for lunch, but I really did want to head back home.

To my grotto - and Clay and Ruben along the way.

Love, hosaa
caving

Credit: All photos by C. G. Wagner