When I was planning to write about dwarves living in caves for FRIGG'S JOURNEY TO ANASGAR, I needed to visit an actual cave to learn about them firsthand. I'd toured local lava tube caves known as the Ape Caves near Mt. St. Helens, but their long tunnel structure hadn't exactly given me the inspiration I needed to imagine the daily lives of a large multi-generational colony of dwarves and refugee magical folk. So, my husband and I headed south to spend some time at the Oregon Caves National Monument and Preserve. https://www.nps.gov/orca/learn/index.htm
High up in the Siskiyou Mountains, the Oregon Caves have a number of enormous chambers that gave me the ideas for the distinctive caverns and grottos inside the mountain of Nadavir in my book, where I could visualize settings for my story. The mining operation of the lower caverns, the beauty and silence of the Cathedral Cave, and the twists and turns of the Maze Cave all were imagined during this visit. Although the Oregon Caves did not have a Breathing Cave, there was one that surely must have breathed in the past!
Although I became a bit claustrophobic while inside the caves, I have to say that the scariest part of the trip was the drive to the Chateau where we stayed near the cave entrance. The road is winding and narrow with many drop-offs and flimsy or no guardrails!
If you are interested in what it’s like inside the caves, here are some videos that you might like:
I really enjoyed this video of the tour by OffRouteExplorers. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Msot05AE2iI
There are some great videos at the OregonCavesNPS YouTube channel, including this one about the cave tour precautions: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7sVgAaW2N0I
