What we did on our Holidays, Part 1

[fredbassett]

For those of you who wanted holiday snaps, and for readers of the Devil's Crowll who might have been wondering why the hell people like Lyle go underground at all .............

These photos were taken in a lovely cave in the Dordogne, France, called la Grotte de Roffy, Sainte-Nathalene.


Me, admiring helictites on wall


Close up of stalactites on roof


Me admiring big stal column


Stal pillars and flowstone, with roof straws


More pretties in the roof


Me again


Yes, I know my bum looks big, but it's mud, honestly!


The way out ...........

Well, that's it for today folks !!!!!!!!!!!

Comments

[entangled-now.livejournal.com]

Lol, I love the way you're admiring all the rock formations. Very cool cave pictures, I love the formations in the fourth one! The one at them bottom doesn't look half as scary with no water involved I could wriggle through there...I totally could!

[fredbassett]

They're the classic "lurk in photos for scale", or "how to make yourself look like a total prat" shots.

The wriggle through in the last shot was quite roomy, with a nice sandy floor, so no trouble at all. Leading down to that was what the description called a pitch, so we went loaded with tackle, only to find a simple slither down through rocks. We promptly abandoned the kit just inside the crawl!

[adafrog.livejournal.com]

So very cool, up until the way out. *shivers*

[fredbassett]

It really was easy, honest!

[adafrog.livejournal.com]

I'm sure it was, but I have mild claustrophobia (ie, doesn't bother me until it's a pretty small space) so no way in heck would I do that. lol Glad you enjoy it, though, really. :D

[spacemonkey-27.livejournal.com]

Those are some awesome looking formations. :D

I'm not too sure about the way out though....

[fredbassett]

It was a lovely cave, and the way in/out really was fine :)

[hellcats-punk.livejournal.com]

Wow those are good pics. And who says a cave with natural formations like that can't be pretty!?

The way out....I don't know if I could do that. If that was a roomy tunnel I would hate to see what is called narrow!

[fredbassett]

Mr fb snapped something like 150 pics on his digital, so all I had to do was choose a few of the good ones :) Narrow is when you have to strip your kit off and breathe out first!!

[leda_speaks.livejournal.com]

Wow, that's so beautiful! All those columns are *amazing*! Though I won't be going underground any time soon - that last picture QUITE LITERALLY makes my blood run cold!

[fredbassett]

I always like surprising people with how pretty the underground can be! Caving on TV or film almost always makes it look dark and grim, which couldn't be furher from the truth. Unless your lights are crap, of course!

[neevebrody.livejournal.com]

The formations were beautiful, especially the columns! And the way out? I know you said easy, but still...

[fredbassett]

I now feel a total fraud for the way out shot! It really was an exceptionally easy crawl :)

[capn-mactastic.livejournal.com]

I'm looking at that photo and thinking that 'an easy crawl' to you is 'hell' to me *whimper* (sleeping bag small = panic attack for me)

The cave looks so pretty, and I love your posing *cheeky grin*

[fredbassett]

I always look crap in photos!! Almost impossible to look even half-way natral so I just don't try any more. It was a lovely place, I didn't expect it to be so well decorated. In the UK it would be gated with an access-system. Here it was quite open. We were underground again today and then had to get changed in the worst pissing rain I've been out in for ages "wet whimper"

[munchkinofdoom.livejournal.com]

These are wonderful! And I adore your outfit. Even the muddy bum. Have I told you how amused I am every time I see that you have a 'mud' tag? *g*

That last shot is a scream. Not sure I'd do it myself - but then again I can't get up a flight of stairs on my own - but it looks like an adventure. If I was ablebodied I'd be right there beside you...

[fredbassett]

The oversuit I'm wearing in these shots is actually one made for sailing, but its a nice caving suit. (I don't sail but the guy who makes the gear does stuff for sailing and windsuring as well and they like nice bright stuff!)

We were underground today and I was entertaining myself with some splendidly filthy ideas for DC follow up fic *evil, muddy grin*

[deinonychus-1.livejournal.com]

Oh, cool. That looks great, I do like caves and the interesting rock formations can by anything from 'oh, that's pretty' to 'Oh my god, that's amazing'. Thoses stalactites looked great.

Dordogne? Isn't that the region with the Palaeolithic cave paintings? have you seen any of them? (I do like geology, but archaeology wins every time, I'm afraid).

And did I just notice a sneaky mention of muddy cave related post-DC fic to Mucnhkin?

BTW, I've been quiet since Thursday due to extreme decorating. Had to carve a way through the stuff that's temporarily been shoved into the bedroom in order to get to the computer and get online this evening. Suspect the same will be true of tomorrow.
I only have a very small flat, it can't take that long, surely? *horrified whimper after first day ever of decorating own place*

[fredbassett]

Hi, welcome back! Decorating sucks, I agree. And I still have an endless number of doors and door frames to stain this week at the new house *groan*. I ought to enjoy it, but my bloody knees are still sore after caving and my back doesn't bent too well at times, so I didn't make it back there after today's trip, BUT I have managed several hours on DC today courtesy of the rain and general knackeration after caving.

Yep, I've had a grubby, Entangled_Now style idea for mud!porn which was chewing my brain during today's trip, and I had nearly three hours to develop it in!!

And yes, the Dordogne is stiff with palaeolithic stuff. Lascaux is a few miles over the hill from our house! I have visited them, including the original Lascaux. Wonderful, all of them!!

Best of luck for tomorrow!!

[rodlox.livejournal.com]

Pullo in cave mud, doing - whatever the plot requires - beneath cave paintings?

[rodlox.livejournal.com]

the bottommost picture looks like you're under a rock that could be rolled away for ease of movement.

as for the rest of the pictures - you do not have a big bum. baggy caving clothes, tis all.

(is there a difference between "tis all" and "is all" ?)

[fredbassett]

The "rock"'s the roof, so if that moved, I'd be squished! And I'm not going to admit to the fact that the suit isn;t that baggy *grins* but I am wearing something like an oversized baby-gro underneath !

(The first is a contraction of "that is all", the second has the "that" missing")

[earlybird42.livejournal.com]

Lovely photos. I have been to one or two caves in the Dordogne, but only the commercial walk round ones. I would love to see these, but that exit! Now I know I could get in there, but I also know that nothing on earth could persuade me to do it.

[fredbassett]

Thanks! Which caves did you visit? There are some wonderful show-caves in that area. But this one was easy, honest!!

[earlybird42.livejournal.com]

Looking at the conditions, I'll buy that it was an easy crawl. However, the claustrophobia would rule out me attempting it.

I've visited Les Eyzies 3 times and also been to 2 or 3 others whose names I can't remember because it was so long ago I went, but they were all lovely to see.

[fredbassett]

If they had prehistoric art, maybe Font de Gaume was one. There are some gorgeous caves round there.

PS Have just posted DC8, and I rose to your challenge re nicknames. Deinonychus tells me she guessed wrong re Stephen's. *grins*

[earlybird42.livejournal.com]

The name rings a bell but couldn't say for sure, we're talking around 30 years ago. I think at least one of them had prehistoric art.

Very much looking forward to DC8, but will make myself wait until later. Will be so much better for the kids being in bed and hubby on night shift, peace and quiet to enjoy it at my leisure.
I have made no guesses as to what the nickname is, but the anticipation of finding out at last is building.