JUNE 2017
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| FERN GROVE INSIDE TEAPOT CAVE |
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| HOLE IN THE CEILING OF TEAPOT CAVE |
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| RATTLESNAKE GUARDING THE ENTRANCE |
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| RATTLESNAKE |
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| TEAPOT CAVE FROM ABOVE |
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| CHUTE INTO TEAPOT CAVE |
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| THE EXIT FROM THE CAVE |
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| FERN GROVE INSIDE THE CAVE |
Teapot Cave is a cool hike located just outside the town of Gooding that I just recently found out about. If you have a high-clearance vehicle, you can actually drive right up to it. As I was driving a Corolla, I parked at Dead Horse Cave, and walked about a mile south to the cave. It's not marked, so bring good directions. I didn't find it right-away. Also, when you do find it, watch out for rattle snakes. There was a rattle snake hanging out just inside the entrance of the cave when I visited. We scared each other when I started to go in, and it ended up coming out of the cave to let me in. However, when I was existing the cave, he had moved back into a crack located right below the exit. As that was the only way, I had to just hold my breath and climb over it as fast as I could to get out. Luckily, it just stayed in its crack.
Anyway, the chute down into the cave is not tricky. And as you look to the bottom, you will see a fern grove surrounded by a large pile of rocks. The fern grove looks really out of place compared to the barren desert surrounding it. There was no one else there when I visited, and it was really pleasant walking around in the cool temperature of the cave. It is called Teapot due to there being a hole in the ceiling, similar to the lid of a teapot (which allows the ferns to grow) and the sloped entrance into the cave resembling the spout of a teapot. I doubt this place receives many visitors due to how difficult it was to find directions to it. I'm sure there are also a lot of other cool things like this located in the desert around Gooding that I just haven't found out about yet.
