The Mojave’s subterranean secret
California’s Mitchell Caverns “introduced me to a world I’d never experienced,” said James Dorsey in the Los Angeles Times. Entering these limestone caves in the Mojave Desert, I stepped into a “colorful subterranean wonderland” that seemed made for an adventure movie. “Surreal sculptures snaked their way down from the towering roof or ascended majestically from the floor, forming towers, pillars, and chandelier-like protrusions.” Although the caves were occupied for centuries by Chemehuevi Indians, they are named after Jack Mitchell, a businessman who retreated to the Mojave after 1929’s stock-market crash. He built a house near the caverns, and guided tours by torchlight until the ’50s. Today his house is a visitors center on state park land and a launch point for weekend tours. “No spelunking experience” is necessary for two of the caves. A third, though, can only be entered via a 300-foot drop. Contact: parks.ca.gov/?page_id=25146
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