Exploring the Indian Cave

Last night I posted about getting there. Things went along much better once we arrived at our ranch in Palo Duro Canyon. We were there to celebrate my mom's birthday and what she wanted more than anything was to explore a real-live Indian cave on the neighboring ranch. We've heard stories about it for years and have always wanted to check it out for ourselves. The owner of the ranch that boasts the cave acted as our tour guide for the excursion. He couldn't have been nicer and was thrilled to show it off.

This cave has been excavated by a local university, but they opted to leave the Indian paintings in the cave. I'm so glad they did. You lose something of the authenticity when admiring Indian paintings within the environs of a museum.

Here is some of our party including the brave soul that my husband and I ditched on our way out of town.



Looks like a hand, doesn't it? I was thinking the Lone Ranger only got it half wrong. The fingers were open when they greeted passing white men with "how". Turns out I was totally wrong. According to the experts, this is a prairie fire.

I had this one pegged for a buffalo, for sure. Turns out it's supposedly a Texas Longhorn. Hmmm. A fire and a Longhorn. It didn't take Big D long to make the connection. BBQ. (This is just our interpretation of the paintings, they may have some much more profound meaning.) Did I mention the cave exploration was before dinner.?

Baby Lu with the birthday girl. 49 and holding.

Some of the kids entertaining themselves back at our place.

One of our friends we ditched on the way out of town. See, we made it up to him. Doesn't he look like he's having fun?

Our American boy, who else? Notice his t-shirt I found at Target.


Baby Lu feeling a little left out.

Grandma soon remedied that!

Twinkle Toes posing with her Grandpa, my father-in-law.