Hidden River Cave - 04

This is the last of the Ft. Knox photos. We were there for only a few days and visiting was the goal. We have gone nowhere since so I may need to go back in time for the next round of photos.

The trademark feature of this cave is the Sunset Dome at the end of the trail/tour. The 100 foot suspension bridge is pretty unique also but the Sunset Dome is a natural feature. The dome is pretty impressive and very symmetric. At this point in the tour, there is no way I had a lens with me that could capture the scale of this dome so you get to see a portion of it. Their fixed lights do not show the colors of the rock formation.

The photo below is from their website and gives you a much better perspective with much better lighting. NOT MY PHOTO but damn, it would be fun to set up something similar!

So when you think about caves, you naturally think about bats. This cave does not have a large bat population and the species there is one that is somewhat territorial. I don't remember the specific species and couldn't find it in a quick search. As we turn around to walk back to the entrance of the cave, our guide points out a lone bat on the ceiling that has been hibernating in same location this winter. Same lens story, this time not a long enough lens! Cameras can be such a pain!

Do you see the bat in this full frame from the camera? Note that our guide's flashlight is not directly on the bat.

When I crop in to roughly double the size, you can see it a little better. It is center photo about 1/3 way from the top.

Thanks,

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