FULLVIEW ESSENTIAL

Time For A Cool Change - LRB [link]

Something cool for y'all suffering the heatwave in the Northern hemisphere

................................................................................ooo00O00ooo................................................................................

WATERFALL CAVE REFUGIUM

When the temperature rose over 40C we headed down into the deep gorge below the caldera rim to the waterfall cave.

Here the rainforest was lush and verdant. Huge fronds of giant treeferns and palms of all sizes cast giant shadows, creating a lattice of silhoettes over the enormous rocks and the sandy track running beside the creek. We pushed aside the fronds and crouched low, made our way among the stones, collecting glinting crystals, semi precious chalcedonys and glossy deep green and red jaspers as we went.

Ahead the cave beckoned, a cool dark refuge under the waterfall where we could sit out the torrid days safe from the killer heat now enveloping the whole east coast.

Many years before I had located it following clues in the ramblings of Old Bill and his stories of life in this mountain keep. For 40 years he had lived as hermit deep in this montaine rainforest gorge under the escarpments of the western caldera rim

I'd come across him in his rough hut while surveying for rare rainforest species. In his 90's, lame and half blind, he was starving and wasted but wouldn't leave his precious retreat. We gave him food, listened to his stories and looked around in amazement at the way he was living.

Bill's hut was more of a mine than a dwelling. Piled high with his scavenged hoard of beautiful stones, an Ali Baba's treasury of geology where amazing hand-hewn Aboriginal stone tools lay tumbled amongst the booty of crystals and curious rock specimens.

Later I told the local doctor about Old Bill. He relocated him to the local hospital, fully protesting every yard, as they stretchered him out the 5 km along the rocky creek to the ambo. He died of pneumonia there a week later and I was always sorry I had done that.

But would it have been kinder to leave him to die & be eaten by the forest animals? It had been a hard decision and I still don't know the answer.

We finally maneuvered our way over the last slippery rocks and ducked into the low entrance of the cave, a crystal-embedded basalt gas tunnel created by the volcano some 20 million years ago.

Sinking wearily onto the soft cool earthen floor of the cave we unloaded our packs for the duration. Silently I gave thanks to that old pioneer, now long gone. His secret hideaway cave, a last retreat from that deadly heat, was probably saving our lives.

Another episode of the Chronicles d'Anu

Follow these links to read more:

Moonflower [link]
Scarlet Passionflower [link]
Secrets in the Cave [link]
Spellbound [link]
Wilde Eye [link]
Ancient Magic [link]
Swamp Secrets [link]
Ganymede Fungoid Spore [link]

................................................................................ooo00O00ooo................................................................................

Apophysis 2.08b2

This is my explorations into original params Behind Bars-An Experiment [link] from with thanks

Plugins used include cylinder, waves2, oscilloscope.

My gradient Troncity