{"id":6775,"date":"2017-05-16T10:34:40","date_gmt":"2017-05-16T15:34:40","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/oldnaturalist.com\/?p=6775"},"modified":"2017-05-19T22:13:28","modified_gmt":"2017-05-20T03:13:28","slug":"hidden-gems-in-the-bowels-of-the-earth","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/oldnaturalist.com\/?p=6775","title":{"rendered":"A Sense of Place – Journey to the Center of the Earth"},"content":{"rendered":"

To see the video of the river, you will need to use your Safari browser. <\/strong><\/p>\n

This is the third in a series of stories about a “Sense of Place”, where a person can feel the wonder on nature. This story takes us to Niagara Cave and Forestville\/Mystery Cave State Park. The caves are located within miles of the Iowa border, only 2.5 hours from the Twin Cities.<\/p>\n

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Courtesy of Niagara Cave<\/p><\/div>\n

Caves are unknown, mysterious, and have their own beauty.
\nYou are deep inside of the Earth now. There are dark passageways, strange sounds, and the oxygen is pure. This cave is relatively untouched by humans and the rawness of nature is all around you.
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Walking through a cave is like walking through the insides of your body: bones, organs, and blood.\u00a0 You are inside of the cave, but at the same time you can feel the aliveness\u00a0 and beauty inside your own body.<\/em><\/p>\n

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Courtesy of Niagara Cave<\/p><\/div>\n

Are you walking through your blood vessels now or a passageway at Niagara Cave?\u00a0 A river ran through this cave carving passageways and now it is dry.
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The energy at this pool was pure and serene. I felt a calmness wash over me. I took it in, like a\u00a0 camel drinking in the desert.
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