Today we visited the Shoshone Indian Ice Caves. This was different to any cave that we've been in before. They too were formed by lava but were full of ice. They were discovered in the early 1900's by a farm boy. They were later developed and the entry way blasted out to harvest the ice for the nearby railroad and to always have cold beer. This had the detrimental effect of most of the ice melting away due to the increased air flow. The cave has since been walled back up at one end and a door at the other so that the cave is now increasing the amount of ice it produces each year. Some olympic skaters have also been known to use the cave to practice in.
Shoshone totems
The pathway down to the entrance
This bear was preserved virtually intact until the entrance was disturbed and the body rotted after the air got to it. There also used to be two cubs but a disgruntled ex employee stole the bones when he quit and they have never been able to recover them. Why he would want them who knows?
The ice on the floor of the cave
The face of the ghost who protects the cave
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