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SEPTEMBER, 2014: TAPACHAU, EL TORO, AND TAYLOR CAVE

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Rod, you asked me to take the photo. We are looking nearly straight down a pit. I would say the depth is about 30 to 50 feet. You can see a ledge to your right, which is accessible from a small crawl-through, also (but we didn't go there on this trip).
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Rod, you asked me to take the photo. We are looking nearly straight down a pit. I would say the depth is about 30 to 50 feet. You can see a ledge to your right, which is accessible from a small crawl-through, also (but we didn't go there on this trip).

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  • Victoria looks out over Saipan and Tinian in the early morning hours, after watching America's sun rise.<br /> <br /> Please feel free to comment on any of these photos (find the "Add Comment" button to your lower left. In the window which asks for the comment type, select "This Photo").<br /> <br /> Also, please feel free to "Tweet," "Share," or "Like." That way you can then add comments which will make it to more of your acquaintances, family, and friends.
  • Several months ago, our own James Taylor (not the singer / guitar player, but a local friend and attorney) lead a group of us to these caves in the middle of nowhere on the Naftan Peninsula. I had no GPS, and knew that I would never find my way back without one. So finally, a couple of months ago, I got a GPS. John Fraser (who had been in the group with James and me) had the coordinates. So, we trekked back there to make sure we could do it. I didn't take a rope this time, because I was basically just wanting to see if we could find the caves. So I didn't go down in. John was more adventuresome, descending and looking around.
  • This is a second opening to the cave, which has been filled in with boulders. The story I heard was that the Americans blasted these boulders into this opening in case Japanese soldiers were hiding in the cave (this is a part of the island where there were many bloody raids by Japanese after Saipan fell to the Americans). Apparently, if this story is true, the Americans did not know about the entry where John was standing in the previous photo.<br /> <br /> I can only imagine the terror of the American G.I.'s as they searched for these hiding places, not knowing whether an enemy soldier was lurking behind the next tree or inside the next hole in a rock ready to fire. I can also only imagine the terror felt by any Japanese people who may have been hiding in here as the Americans blasted this hole closed -- and then the relief as the Americans left, apparently without finding the other entry (and exit). Of course, this is all conjecture: I don't know if anyone was hiding in here. It seems somewhat likely to me, however, that they may have been.
  • On a different trip, Rod, Leslie, and I headed down to El Toro Sunday AM, 09/14/2014. Here you can hear the dragon (or bull, I guess, from the El Toro name) snoring.<br /> <br /> Make sure that your sound is turned on. Then click on the triangle and allow it to buffer a bit.
  • I didn't get any photos and only very few videos from out on the El Toro flats because it rained quite hard while we were out there. Here we have made it to the El Toro Caves.
  • Rod, you asked me to take the photo. We are looking nearly straight down a pit. I would say the depth is about 30 to 50 feet. You can see a ledge to your right, which is accessible from a small crawl-through, also (but we didn't go there on this trip).
  • You can see the cave opening to your right.
  • Later the same day, a group of us headed back to Taylor Caves. There were some cool wood fungi along the trek (can't really call it a trail).
  • Danielle gets up close and personal for a phenomenally fantastic fungus photo.
  • I liked the back light glow through these guys.
  • I'm standing about where you saw John in the second photo of this gallery, Jordan and Victoria are standing about where I was when I took that photo. As you can see, we brought rope this time.
  • Untitled photo
  • There is kind of a "false entry" (for lack of a better term), and then a steeper descent down into the cave proper.
  • Untitled photo
  • The large boulders to your right (behind Victoria here) are the ones which came crashing in when the south exit was blasted. So this is the bottom of what John was standing on in photo 3.
  • All sorts of little nooks and crannies which open up into chambers to explore. These folks are thinner and much more nimble than am I. So I stayed in the main chamber as they explored around.<br /> <br /> Wow, Jordan: I like your hair color! Actually, Chad's light is blue. Creates an interesting effect in the photo.
  • Nice to have a little help from one's friends when one is ready to get out of a tight place.
  • Jordan starts down a different passageway.
  • Danielle follows Jordan down.
  • Then it's Chad's turn. You can see how this opens up into a larger chamber (You can also again see Chad's blue light). I didn't go down there, so I don't know how big it was.
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