Another lush and beautiful essay from Tom the Gambolin’ Man on his recent Vasco Caves Regional Preserve hike:
Open to public tours just since 2005, access was preceded by years of wrangling with local land owners and finally a deal was struck with the Contra Costa Water District to help buy and protect the preserve. Indeed, because of the delicate balance of so many rare and threatened entities, Vasco Caves is a precious resource area deserving of the utmost protection, with access restricted to anyone not formally signed up with a guide through the East Bay Regional Park District. It’s an ethic of deep respect meant to keep out the riff-raff and partiers, a conscious effort to preserve and protect the caves from destruction.
The writing’s great, and so are the photos.
