Readers say they enjoy learning about my travels, therefore I will tell about my recent visit to Longhorn Cavern.

Most people have a tendency to drive long distances to view or visit scenic or historic sites, or amusement parks. At the same time, they do not visit local attractions. I think the reason for that is local attractions are nearby, and they say they can visit them at anytime. Some never do, however.

I haven’t taken the tour of Longhorn Cavern in more than 20 years; I took my son when he was about 10 years old. My wife and I recently decided to see the local cave one more time. We enjoyed the tour except near the end when my wife had a mishap, but more about that later.

Longhorn Cavern State Park is south of Burnet less than an hour’s drive from Lampasas. To get there, drive south of Burnet to Park Road 4. Turn right, and drive about six miles to the park entrance. Longhorn Cavern has been a state park since 1932, when the property was acquired from private owners.

Park information states the cave is different from most caverns as it classifies as a river cave. The cave was formed when the ground levels of water began to drop. As this downward movement occurred, the water began to dissolve the limestone. This downward drainage continued until great underground stream beds were cut out of solid rock.

It is this unusual combination of dissolving and cutting by water that makes Longhorn Cavern one of the most unique caves in the world. It is one of the few river-formed caves in the U.S. Another one is Mammoth Cave in Kentucky.

The cavern has been used as a shelter since prehistoric times. Among legends about the cave is one that outlaw Sam Bass hid a $2 million cache of stolen money inside.

The Civilian Conservation Corps built many of the cave structures. The CCC also spent many man-hours cleaning the cave and constructing walkways inside the cavern.

The cave is 68 degrees year round, which makes the cave tour a good summer activity. The park offers guided tours that last approximately 90 minutes for the 1.25-mile round trip. For safety and comfort, lowheeled shoes with rubber soles are recommended.

The park is open every day except Christmas Eve and Christmas Day. The visitor center opens at 9 a.m. daily. The first tour leaves between 10 and 11 a.m. On most days, tours are scheduled throughout the day.

Park facilities include a gift shop, a full-service deli and snack counter, a picnic area and two miles of hiking trails.

If you are interested in taking a cavern tour, please note the cave is not handicapped accessible. Also, if you are not in good physical condition, I would not recommend the tour. There are three long stairways just to get to and from the cavern entrance.

The tour is a long walk with many areas where you have to bend down to keep from bumping your head. On our tour, due to recent rains, much of the walkway surfaces were slippery.

About halfway back to the entrance, my wife Nelda slipped and fell. She cut her elbow and scraped her knee. For an extra precaution, park officials called emergency medical services, and the Hoover Valley VFD responded. They assisted me in getting Nelda out of the cavern. Many thanks to the Hoover Valley VFD for their help. I am sending them a donation.

Thankfully, Nelda was not seriously injured, and she suffered no lasting effects except for a sore elbow for a few days.

I have had the opportunity to tour several other caverns, including Natural Bridge Caverns and Caverns of Sonora in Texas, and Carlsbad Caverns in New Mexico. To tell you the truth, Longhorn Cavern is not as impressive as some other caverns -- especially Carlsbad -- but it is still worth a visit.

In my opinion, the most beautiful cave in Texas is Caverns of Sonora. Although not very large, it offers very delicate and impressive formations.

Carlsbad Caverns is the most impressive cave, both in size and features, however you have to drive about 500 miles just to get there. The drive and visit to Longhorn Cavern is only a half-day trip.

Former Soil Conservation Service employee and longtime writer Mat Taylor offers his outdoors column for Dispatch Record readers. He can be contacted at (254) 518-2262 or via e-mail at mntaylor@wildblue.net.