Wind Cave national park is an underground magical world full of strange formations and eclectic natural designs. There’s some mystery and a lot of speculation behind the history of this subterranean world. While most people agree that the Lakota Indians were truly the first to discover this place, a well-accepted story tells of two gentlemen who stumbled upon the cave when they felt strong gusts of wind coming from this shrubbery-hidden hole.

Pictured above is the Natural Entrance. Can you imagine squeezing yourself through that hole into the unknown? Curiosity (and probably a little bit of recklessness) led a handful of young men into the cave armed only with a candle in a bucket. This was the late 1800’s and their chosen safety precaution was a trail of string that enabled them to find their way back.

Comparatively, my tour of the cave was a cakewalk. With the assistance of electrical lights, I could view the artistic patterns on the walls and ceilings around me. Wind Cave contains a very unique deposition of minerals referred to as boxwork. This honey-comb outline is ridiculously delicate and absolutely gorgeous.

Wind Cave was different from Mammoth Cave in that I really had the time to gaze at strange and wonderful-looking formations. If you recall, I spent most of my time at Mammoth with my face in the dirt!