the cherney maribel caves are part of a 50-ft outcropping dolostone bluff in manitowoc cty. most of the “caves” are indentations at the foot of the exposed bluff, but a small army of very dedicated volunteers have been clearing out the actual cave in the bluff. apparently (our very informative tour guide in the cave informed us), water has been trickling down thru lifelines in the dolostone for millennia, carving out the caverns with all manner of fantastic features. but then the last glacier filled in the cave with till and moraine from a sinkhole. they’ve been slowly removing the deposit, which filled the caverns about six feet high before removal.

beautiful hardwood wood too, with cedars on the base of the cliffs. well worth the visit.

first id of herb-robert!

a.

carbonic acid

thru lifeline,

leaves, and living rock

b.

amphibian legs,

harvestmen

over the caverns

c.

inside dolostone—

what to say

about the rock’s heart?