WEDNESDAY - With another very short travel day, just 28-miles, there really isn't much to write about.
We did however pass through a very famous town though, well not really the town per se, just the name, San Andreas. You may have heard of the famous fault line that runs underneath this area of California!
A couple other items of note, I believe this is the first Bureau of Reclamation Park we have camped in. At first I thought this was just another Army Corp of Engineers Park, which we have camped in plenty of times.
While the Army Corps of Engineers did construct the dam that created New Melones Lake here back in the 1960s, it is the Bureau of Reclamation that is in charge of controlling the dam when it comes to irrigation water and hydroelectric power. Why they also operate the campground I'm just not sure?
The Army Corps of Engineers is still the agency in charge when it comes to operating the dam concerning flood control.
The second item of note is the unconventional name of the Recreation Area that we are camped in. You can see the name in the infographic at the beginning of this post. I can't mention the name in "text format" because the blogging platform tags this post as "adult content", which is against the rules for me receiving this FREE platform from Google.
THURSDAY - You may be wondering why would we move such a short distance down the road and give up that beautiful campsite on the edge of New Hogan Lake?
Well, it's because all of the sightseeing we have planned for this area is now 28-miles closer to where we are camped and it's going to save us a lot of time and money with the fuel savings.
Not to waste any time, we were up and out of THE POD by 8:45AM to head towards our first planned sightseeing stop.
You all know how much we enjoy a good cave tour, so Moaning Caverns sounded like something right up our alley, plus it's now only 13-miles from our campsite.
We arrived with plenty of time to spare for the 10:00AM tour. When we found out our tour included 3 mothers with their 5 children under 8 years old, plus a single middle aged guy, we almost considered waiting for the 11:00AM tour instead.
I'm glad we didn't because we saw the 11:00AM tour begin with a mother and father, plus their 4 children, all under 6 years old. YIKES!
MOANING CAVERNS
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That's not a sign I want to see when beginning a cave tour, but we knew that in advance.
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One thing I wasn't aware of was just how narrow the stairs were going to be.
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Plus the fact I had to pay attention so I didn't bump my head and knock myself out.
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Finally, at the 65' below the entrance level, we got to stop and check out the formations.
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We also got a glimpse of the 144 more stairs on the 100' tall spiral staircase.
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But the ceiling 45' above us was filled with interesting cave formations.
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We seen these flowstone formations before, but no two are exctly alike, how could they be?
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The tour guide began shining her flashlight on some of the larger formations.
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This particular stalactite is 14' long.
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The walls surrounding us were completely covered in various colors of flowstone.
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It was time to begin the 144 stairs down to the next cave platform.
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The formations were close enough you could reach out and touch them, but please don't!
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There were lots of drapery formations to view from inside the spiral staircase.
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The staircase was built in 1921, partly using salvaged steel from a WWI battleship.
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Reaching the bottom, we looked back up at the 7-1/2 spirals we just climbed down.
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This flow stone is covering up the draperies beneath it.
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The lighting in the cave really showed off the most prominent formations.
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Then she changed the lighting to being backlit, what she called Cathedral Lighting.
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Ah, the ever familiar "cave bacon" formation, it always makes me hungry.
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Now for the really fun part, climbing back up the first 144 stairs back to the upper landing.
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The final 91 stairs were even steeper and a little uneven, watch your step!
After we successfully completed the strenuous cave tour, we felt the need to sit down somewhere and enjoy a nice lunch, so that's exactly what we did.
The only town between the cave tour and the campground is Angels Camp (pop. 3667). Angels Camp is sometimes referred to as "Frogtown", mostly due to it's hosting the "Annual Jumping Frog Jubilee" each May at the Calaveras County Fairgrounds.
The event was conceived from the Mark Twain 1865 short story titled "The Celebrated Jumping Frog of Calaveras County". It was his first great success as a writer and brought him national attention.
The event has been held every year since 1928 and awards a $750 prize to the owner of the longest frog jump entered in the contest. The current record is from the frog named "Rosie the Ribiter", set is 1986 at a distance of 21 feet 5-3/4 inches. If your frog sets a new record now the prize is increased to $5000. I'm might just have to go find me a frog and start training a new contestant!
The sidewalks in town have their own "Walk of Fame" where each year the winner receives a new plaque set into the city sidewalk.
Today there are frog jumping contests all over the country, notably in Indiana, Illinois, Ohio, Washington, Maine, Missouri, Louisiana, New York, Wisconsin, and even Manitoba, Canada. But I believe it all started here in Angels Camp, CA nearly 100-years ago.
According to Google the highest rated place in town to grab a lunch is this place, right on the main street through the middle of town. Actually, we saw it yesterday when we towed THE POD through on the way to the campground.
We ate our lunch outside on the porch, or course.
Tricia had her Fiesta Chicken Salad and I had the Tri-Tip Sandwich with Spiral Pasta Salad. I also included a Brownie's Caramel Cream Root Beer to wash it all down.
Just to prove I wasn't making it up I included this photo of the Recreation Area name. Again, I can't type in the words or this post will be flagged for removal.
FRIDAY - Today we're headed out to attempt something we haven't done in over 2-years, that's to participate in two cave tours in the same day.
These will be our 79th and 80th cave tour in the Lower 48 States. The last time we did two in one day was back in September of 2024 on Put-In-Bay Island in Lake Erie.
Neither of those turned out to be very interesting, so we're hoping for better results today.
MERCER CAVERNS
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This modest entrance is your gateway to something truly amazing.
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As the sign says, a display of some of the crystals found in this cave won the Grand Prize at the 1900 World's Fair in Paris, France.
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Upon entering the cave you begin your descent down some of the 440-stairs along the tour...
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...until you finally reach this large room in the cave.
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We are not so far below the surface that the tree roots can't make their way into the cave.
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There were several odd shaped stalactites hanging from the ceiling.
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The limestone ceilings in this cave allow many formations to grow from them.
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There could be another whole cave up there somewhere.
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But we're heading down to the basement, because that's where they hide all the good stuff.
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There were some very large drapery formations along the tour.
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We just came down those stairs, but will return on our way out of the cave.
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There's that "cave bacon" again.
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Those timbers are part of the original 1860s tour path.
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In the basement is where you'll find the wall of Arogonite Flos Ferri formations.
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Each individual tiny delicate formation is only about 1-inch in diameter.
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But that's OK because we have an entire wall of them to appreciate.
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There's also a name for these "berry looking" formations, but I can't remember what it is.
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This drapery had a hard time figuring which direction it wanted to grow.
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There's no way to go but up from here.
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Now this drapery looks as if it were pressed on an ironing board.
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This truly was a one of a kind experience for us.
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Let's hope this afternoons tour is just as memorable.
Well that first cave tour was really something special with all the rare "Aragonite Flos Ferri" crystals just inches away from where we stood. It almost took on the look of a coral reef. Flos Ferri is French for "Flowers of Iron"?
Before we check out the second cave we're headed into San Andreas for some good Chinese food at the Hong Kong Inn. The $14.95 lunch combo special came with more food than either one of us could eat.
CALIFORNIA CAVERN
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This cave tour starts with a 1/4-mile outdoor walk from the gift shop to the cave entrance.
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Only that wasn't the entrance, that was the exit. The entrance is another 100' away.
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Just inside the entrance the popcorn formations are everywhere.
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A little further in and they begin to mix with the flowstone formations.
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This cave was originally owned by some miners and they had no regard for preservation. Everywhere, their names are permanently scratched into the walls and broken formations.
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The tour follows along on a dirt/sometimes mud path through the cave.
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Here is an 1861 name scrtched into the wall, believed to be the oldest of them all.
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That doesn't mean that the cave has no redeeming qualities left.
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You just have to look a little harder to find one that is unbroken.
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Usually the ones that are still intact are high up on the walls.
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You can clearly see anything within reach didn't survive the miners.
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As long as the water continues to make it's way into the cave it will continue to recover.
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Our guide explains how this piece breaking off was a natural occurance, 1000s of years ago.
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Ah, there's the exit. Now it's just a 1/4-mile walk back to the gift shop and parking lot.
Looking for our Visited States Map and Data? How about our State by State Bucket Lists or Visited Campgrounds List? If so, click on the sign below to be taken to our other website.
That's not a sign I want to see when beginning a cave tour, but we knew that in advance.
One thing I wasn't aware of was just how narrow the stairs were going to be.
Plus the fact I had to pay attention so I didn't bump my head and knock myself out.
Finally, at the 65' below the entrance level, we got to stop and check out the formations.
We also got a glimpse of the 144 more stairs on the 100' tall spiral staircase.
But the ceiling 45' above us was filled with interesting cave formations.
We seen these flowstone formations before, but no two are exctly alike, how could they be?
The tour guide began shining her flashlight on some of the larger formations.
This particular stalactite is 14' long.
The walls surrounding us were completely covered in various colors of flowstone.
It was time to begin the 144 stairs down to the next cave platform.
The formations were close enough you could reach out and touch them, but please don't!
There were lots of drapery formations to view from inside the spiral staircase.
The staircase was built in 1921, partly using salvaged steel from a WWI battleship.
Reaching the bottom, we looked back up at the 7-1/2 spirals we just climbed down.
This flow stone is covering up the draperies beneath it.
The lighting in the cave really showed off the most prominent formations.
Then she changed the lighting to being backlit, what she called Cathedral Lighting.
Ah, the ever familiar "cave bacon" formation, it always makes me hungry.
Now for the really fun part, climbing back up the first 144 stairs back to the upper landing.
The final 91 stairs were even steeper and a little uneven, watch your step!
This modest entrance is your gateway to something truly amazing.
As the sign says, a display of some of the crystals found in this cave
Upon entering the cave you begin your descent down some of the 440-stairs along the tour...
...until you finally reach this large room in the cave.
We are not so far below the surface that the tree roots can't make their way into the cave. 
There were several odd shaped stalactites hanging from the ceiling.
The limestone ceilings in this cave allow many formations to grow from them.
There could be another whole cave up there somewhere.
But we're heading down to the basement, because that's where they hide all the good stuff.
There were some very large drapery formations along the tour.
We just came down those stairs, but will return on our way out of the cave.
There's that "cave bacon" again.
Those timbers are part of the original 1860s tour path.
In the basement is where you'll find the wall of Arogonite Flos Ferri formations.
Each individual tiny delicate formation is only about 1-inch in diameter.
But that's OK because we have an entire wall of them to appreciate.
There's also a name for these "berry looking" formations, but I can't remember what it is.
This drapery had a hard time figuring which direction it wanted to grow.
There's no way to go but up from here.
Now this drapery looks as if it were pressed on an ironing board.
This truly was a one of a kind experience for us.
Let's hope this afternoons tour is just as memorable.
This cave tour starts with a 1/4-mile outdoor walk from the gift shop to the cave entrance.
Only that wasn't the entrance, that was the exit. The entrance is another 100' away.
Just inside the entrance the popcorn formations are everywhere.
A little further in and they begin to mix with the flowstone formations.
This cave was originally owned by some miners and they had no regard for preservation.
The tour follows along on a dirt/sometimes mud path through the cave.
Here is an 1861 name scrtched into the wall, believed to be the oldest of them all.
That doesn't mean that the cave has no redeeming qualities left.
You just have to look a little harder to find one that is unbroken.
Usually the ones that are still intact are high up on the walls.
You can clearly see anything within reach didn't survive the miners.
As long as the water continues to make it's way into the cave it will continue to recover.
Our guide explains how this piece breaking off was a natural occurance, 1000s of years ago.
Ah, there's the exit. Now it's just a 1/4-mile walk back to the gift shop and parking lot.
