Our final stop of the day was not on Lookout Mountain but under it…
the view from the top of the “castle”
The tour begins with an elevator ride 260 feet down the the start of the trail. All along the way to the falls, you see all kinds of geological formations found in caves…
we even got to touch this stalagmite
Leo Lambert, the man who discovered Ruby Falls after crawling through a space only 2 feet high and 4 feet wide for 7 hours, said this of his discovery: "Discovering Ruby Falls was like discovering God. At first it was very dark, scary and uncertain. You don't know what lies ahead. You bump into things you didn't even realize were there and you suffer injuries, bumps, and bruises. You fall down into sticky, sticky mud and mire and feel like you cannot go on. But you get up with a feeling that somewhere ahead lies something more wonderful than you could ever imagine. As you add light to what you discovered you find that the things that caused you suffering and injury were wonderful God made things, put there for you to witness and give you joy. It is all more than you ever imagined you could witness. It is God, and Ruby Falls and the Lookout Mountain Cave are God's creations, made for man to enjoy. I am just a little proud that he used me." December 30, 1928
I feel privileged we just got to see it!
Ruby Falls is 1120 feet below the surface and is 145 feet high! A few days after his trip, Lambert took his wife down into the cave to see the falls that would bear her name. In my opinion, if she was willing to do that trek she totally deserved to have a major US tourist attraction named after her! ;)
The trip back seemed much faster but we did have to wait a long time for the elevator!
It was a long but very good day!
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