Cudjo's Cave

Friday July 25, 2008
******************

written by:
Larry Curtis Spurlock

Don’t turn out the lights at
Cudjo’s Cave
... without telling us, first !

My immediate Family migrated to Northern Virginia in 1955 from the Appalachian area of Southwestern Virginia. That’s where both my Parents were from and all four of my Grandparents were living .. as well as many relatives.
Every year, after that – our Summer vacations were trips back to that area.
Each new School year would come and my Classmates would brag about their vacations in exotic places such as Amusement Parks, Ocean Beeches and Grand Hotels .. while I was left to only ponder what it would be like to spend a vacation at some place other than my Grandpas’ & Grandmas’ houses.

As the years went by .. and my older Siblings grew up and left home – there were fewer of us to make the sojourn ‘down home’ as my Family always referred to it.
My Family, then, began taking mini excursions from the Grandparents’ homes.
We went through the Great Smokey Mountains several times .. and once, on our way back to Lee County, Virginia – my Mother, Father and one of my Sisters stopped at a tourist attraction called Cudjo’s Cave. It was in Cumberland Gap, Tennessee .. or maybe Kentucky. They were very close .. and we went through both .. as well as North Carolina.

I think I was 12 years old, during this one trip. Old enough to know better – but too young to resist.
Regardless, my Mother did not want to sightsee in the Cave because the Guide said it was over an hour and a half trek through the vast underground. So, only my Dad and my Sister and I ventured into the cool Cavern.
It was a hot Summer day .. and the Cave was a welcome cool respite. My Dad’s eyeglasses fogged up immediately as we entered down the initial steep ramp.

It was really quite beautiful and something that I had never experienced before. I was mystified and enthralled. There were probably 30 of us on this Tour and as the Tour progressed, I moved up to the front of the TourGroup from the spot about half way back, where my Dad and Sister were.
I listened very intently to everything the Tour Guide said.

At, one point – the Tour Guide was going to explain that we were so deep underground .. that absolutely zero light was present without the manmade artificial lighting that was illuminating our walkway. He would further explain that if you stayed there for two years or more – you would become blind from having no light enter your eyes.
BUT .. he did not say any of that UNTIL he reached up and flipped the light switch .. casting us all into total darkness. It surprised all of us and I heard a few gasps when the lighting disappeared.
I don’t know if it was the sudden darkness .. or the fact that I was only 12 years old .. or that I had moved away from my Dad & Sister – but it startled me so much that, for some reason, I reached out and grabbed the TourGuide. J

After the minute or so of total darkness and the TourGuide had finished his summation .. he flipped the light switch back on. It was at that time that I saw that when I had grabbed the TourGuide .. I had ripped three of the buttons off his shirt. He was fumbling with where the missing buttons were supposed to be .. and looking at the first 2 or 3 of us, in line .. trying to figure out which one of us had done this.

As the Tour continued on .. I, methodically, worked my way back to the middle of the pack of people .. back to where my Dad & Sister were.

When the Tour ended .. and the TourGuide brought us all out of the Cave through a different opening than we had entered – we were right by where we had parked our car and where my Mother was sitting patiently awaiting for us to return.

And so as my Dad & Sister & I got into our car to continue on back to my Grandparents’ homes – my Mom remarked, “ Did you see that poor old fellow who was your all’s TourGuide ? Poor thing couldn’t afford a new shirt. The one he had on, had buttons missing all the way down the front ! “
My Dad mentioned that he had not noticed that at the beginning of the walk. My Sister, who was always a thorn in my side, blurted out that Larry (me) probably did it when he (I) was up in the front of the line.
My Mother admonished my Sister for her negative comments, without probable cause.
Me ? I sat in my back seat corner of the car, playing shutmouth.

It was a great experience. One that I remember, fully, to this day.
I learned many, many things on that Tour of the underground .. but the most important thing was:

Don’t turn out the lights at
Cudjo’s Cave
... without telling us, first !