Day 9 of Mentor on Road, USA

“All the powers in the universe are already ours. It is we who have put our hands before our eyes and cry that it is dark.”

-Swami Vivekananda

Day 9 of #MentoronRoadUSA was a bit different than the usual days of the trip. It was a day to take a break and ease off with no events or meetings lined up ahead. As we drove down from Washington DC to Charlotte, we stopped at Luray Caverns for some sightseeing. 

Luray Caverns, originally called Luray Cave, is a commercial cave just west of Luray, Virginia, United States, which has drawn many visitors since its discovery in 1878. The underground cavern system is generously adorned with speleothems such as, mud flows, stalactites, stalagmites, flowstone, and mirrored pools. The caverns are perhaps best known for the Great Stalacpipe Organ, a lithophone made from solenoid-fired strikers that tap stalactites of various sizes to produce tones similar to those of xylophones, tuning forks, or bells.

The path that goes through Luray Caverns starts at the entrance. Next it curves throughout the caverns until you reach Dream Lake. Then it goes in circles downwards until it reaches Saracen's Tent. It goes right to The Great Stalacpipe Organ where it goes next to some big stalactites and stalagmites. Last, it goes to the Wishing Well and goes to a sign where they honor veterans who come from Page County and it climbs out through a small passage where you see the "Fried Eggs" rock formation. 

At last, it goes out through a smaller passage to the entrance. The entire trek is 1.5 miles (2.4 kilometre) long and takes around 45 minutes to 1 hour to finish the journey.

Glimpses of Luray Caverns

We thoroughly enjoyed the visit to the Luray caves which is run by the private sector. In India, government should hand over most of the tourist sites to the private sector for management. This can become one of the highest job creating sectors in India since tourism is a major job creating sector globally.

Finally, we are heading back to our hotel to take some rest. Looking forward to an eventful day tomorrow.

Jai Ho! (Let victory be yours)