Quebec Road Trip, Day 6: Howe Caverns, NY

On the second to last day of our road trip, we drove from our tree house camping accommodations at Chimo Refuges to Howe Caverns in central NY.

The border crossing was easy and there was no traffic, so we made the drive in good time. Unfortunately, driving through the Adirondack Region meant there was nowhere to stop for lunch for a significant period of time, and no cell phone signal to find the closest place to eat. We ate potato chips and Aero bars from our grocery stop in Quebec. We finally exited the Adirondacks and came upon a McDonald's - judging by the crowds, this is the first easily found fast food restaurant along that stretch of road.

We made it to Howe Caverns by about 2 pm and booked a tour of the caves. Howe Caverns is a little "touristy," but it is very fun and the guide gives a lot of information about the cave and its discovery. We forgot to bring our sweatshirts, which was a mistake - the cave is about 50 degrees Fahrenheit year round! Nolan was a little chilly.

Prior to descending into the caves, there is an introductory "show" explaining the discovery of the caverns by the Howe family.

The walkways are well defined and the tour guide leads you the entire way throughout the tour.

Nolan was really cold, but did well (despite the chilly temperatures)!

As you wind through the caverns, you get closer to the underground river. This was a really cool feature of the cave.

There are some cave features kids are allowed to touch, including this stalagmite placed for touching purposes. Otherwise, everyone is told to keep their hands to themselves, as oil from your hands can destroy the mineral formations.

I couldn't get a picture of the boat ride, as the lighting was not sufficient, but there is a boat ride on the river inside the cave. The guide pulls the boat along using handrails inside the cave - this was a really cool experience. After our boat ride, we walked back through the cave and went through the winding narrows.

It was a great visit to the caves and everyone had a lot of fun. We stopped for a photo op outside of the caverns and then headed out to our hotel in Oneonta.

We were sad that our adventure was coming to an end!