Meremac Caverns

We decided to visit Meramec Caverns on a whim Sunday morning when coming home from Cobblestone.  Our original destination wasn't open yet and Meramec Caverns was just down the road as well as the flooding river.  So to kill time, we drove to it to really just go to the bathroom, see the flooded river and look around some; we never intended to go through the cave.  Shawn loves going through them tho, so after making sure there was no massive amount of steps I was going to have to climb, we decided to tour the cave. 

It's a huge cave, took about an hour and 20 minutes to go through and we walked about a mile the sign said.  I toured all of the cave except for the upper room - there was about 50 steps to get to that room.  But for the people that don't want to climb the steps, there is a ramp you can go up to a separate room to continue the tour.  That's where I went. 

Throughout the whole trip, they are warning you to be careful because of the wet concrete.  Well who is the first, and only, person to fall in our group?  Yep, me!  I couldn't believe it!  We were walking down a little slope to leave the main cave, the concrete was somewhat wet, and I was even holding on to the handrail and down I went.  It all happened so fast!  I remember hearing Shawn ask if I was ok and I saw some people ahead of our group turn around and ask if I was ok.  I said I was and jumped up as quick as a fat girl could get up!  I finished the walk out of the cave and knew the whole time that underneath my capris, my right knee (which by the way is already my bad knee) was jacked up!  It was burning so I knew I had scraped it and I could feel some blood underneath my pants.  I also scraped the inside of my right foot some.  Upon checking in the bathroom, my knee wasn't as bad as I thought it would be, but it was still scraped up. 

Before we left, we stopped at the smashed penny machine to so I could get one.  Once again, I didn't know they had one and was excited when Shawn pointed it out to me.

Between our experience at Squire Boone Caverns and this cave, I think my caving days are over unless it's a sit down and ride on something cave tour like Louisville Mega Caverns was. 

(I'm not sure why this picture is turned this way; I tried ever way I could in Blogger to fix it and it kept turning sideways.)

 



 

Shawn gives my new smashed penny "two-thumbs up"

 



They have zip lining at Meramec Caverns and there were lots of people zipping through the parking lot!  (Can you see the person in the middle of the picture just above the tree line?)

 



 

Due to all of the rain we had had in the last day or two, the river was flooding!  It was spilled over into the parking lot of Meramec Caverns!

 

 

 

Riverside Wildlife & Reptile Center

I had read about this place on Roadside America and then googled it to find out more about it  What a fun place!  I'm so glad we went! 

We were given an up-close, hands-on personal tour of the place with Howard our tour guide.  He was friendly and knowledgeable of the center.  And when he couldn't get Leo the lion to come over to where we were so I could take pictures, he mentioned it to the owner and she had someone else take us back out there so that I could get some pictures!  We were also offered the opportunity to hold a baby alligator and a snake.  I choose the first and backed away from the latter.  Eww, I hate snakes!

 

I love, love, love taking pictures of the tigers!  I could of stood here for hours watching them and taking their pictures!

 

 

I really don't like snakes at all, but thought it was neat to see the active snake instead of it curled up in the corner like they usually are in zoos and such.

 

And I can't even begin to believe I did this!  There was another lady and her son in our group that held it and thought, I think I want to do that too!  I was afraid to touch it at first, but once I did, I decided to hold it.  It was definitely a quick experience and only long enough for a picture, but I did it none the less!

 

 Howard, our tour guide, with a komodo dragon!

 

And then there's Leo...Leo the Lion!  Howard couldn't get Leo to come down to us so we could see him and take his picture.  So Gary came out and immediately got the lion to come over.  Leo likes to drink water out of a spray bottle!