Many long-time state residents, perhaps most, do not realize what a wonderful varied state is Oklahoma in its topography, four major eco-systems, diverse animals, birds and plants.

I'm so lucky that I have a good friend, Pat Folley, who is familiar with most of the most fascinating and beautiful destinations all over Oklahoma. She is a botanist who has spent countless hours in the fields, gullies, canyons and prairies of our state finding, photographing and identifying wildflowers, making her a living encyclopedia of great places to visit. This past week she and her grandson Dillon and I traveled to a most unusual topography for any state; its location near Freedom, the Blaine Formation of Gypsum Caves, rough hills and narrow canyons.

A large inland sea covered the area 200 million years ago leaving dense layers of numerous minerals called alabaster or gypsum when the sea water evaporated over time. Alabaster is chemically calcium sulfate, an acidic compound that when hydrated under pressure becomes a hard, glass-like mineral. When there is a depression and water enters, the acidic solution "eats" its way downward and outward eventually forming a sink hole. As more water enters the depression the acidic water enters cracks between gypsum layers and eventually extensive cave systems and sink holes develop.

The first recorded exploration of Alabaster Caverns was in 1898, and the land containing the caves was bought by Charles Grass in 1939. Grass sold the 200 acres containing three-fourths of a mile caverns to the state of Oklahoma for a public park in 1953 for $34,000.

The caverns were closed in June 2004 for the installation of lighting and reopened in October of the same year. Up to that time you had to bring your own flashlight with you if you wanted to navigate through the rough and irregular winding three-fourths of a mile passages as well as see to keep from bumping your head on outcrops that partially block the inky passages. There are no formations in gypsum caves as there are in limestone ones; the unique shapes of the inner walls and roof are sculpted by moving water and occasionally by early spelunkers. One of the excellent tour guides will point out plenty of both types of carving throughout the hour underground hike.

Long ago the entire cave was filled with a roaring river, now a stream fed by lateral brooks. Seepages from the walls and roof keep the cave at a constant high humidity and a cool 50 degrees all year. You can hear the springs gurgling beside you as you navigate the passages. Some dry channels as well run alongside the trails. Some are pure chalky white with no iron content at all. Others are various shades of browns, reds, cream, and pinks.

There are only three large and extensive alabaster caves in the world open to the public, the Oklahoma caverns, Barbarossahohle and Humkehle in Germany. There are smaller gypsum caves in Italy and China and elsewhere, and the largest cave system is at Optimisticheskaya in the Ukraine, although only a small portion of the huge complex is open to the public.

Five species of bat live in the Oklahoma gypsum caves: Cave Myotis bats, Western Big-Eared bats, Eastern Pipistrelle bats, Western Brown bat and Mexican Free-tailed bats. However, you're not likely to see bats in the main passage because there are too many visitors and the bats prefer unlighted areas, retreating to the dark channels undisturbed by humans.

The trip to Alabaster Caverns State Park takes a little more than three hours each way so it is possible to get there and back in one day. If you wish to stay, there are many places that you can camp, take a room at the park housing at the entrance to the park, plug into an RV hookup or stay in nearby Woodward.

For more information about the park and caves use your search engine and type in Alabaster Caves or you can call the park office, (580) 621-3381 or the Oklahoma City contact, 521-3411.

Closer to home

Upcoming activities at Lake Thunderbird State Park Nature Center -- Today: 11 a.m., Bats Around Us, slide show for all ages; 1 p.m., Clay leaf prints, ages 4-10 $1 fee; 2 p.m., Animal Charades, ages 2 and up; 3 p.m. Caterpillar and/or butterfly construction using egg cartons, pipe cleaners and construction paper, fee 50 cents.

Saturday: 10 a.m. Fabric Leaf Prints on your own t-shirt or on one of their bandanas fee $1 for bandana, ages 2 and up; 11 a.m. What is a Bird? ages 4 and up; 7:30 p.m., Program about Other Great State Parks, slide show and information about other state parks.

The new Nature Center at Lake Thunderbird is east of the lake on Highway 9 about one mile north on Clear Bay Avenue.