It is Thanksgiving weekend. A good time to reflect on what we are thankful for. Just because we were born or live in America, we all have been blessed beyond measure. We all at least have liberty and freedom to use our giftings and pursue our purpose, if we can overcome our own human weaknesses and whatever circumstances we face as a result of the failings of others.

I am now old enough to have a long view back on life. While my life has been full of various challenges and continues to be so on a daily basis, it certainly hasn’t been dull. It has been a great adventure. I can see how God has at critical times helped direct my path or given me, one who is certainly not naturally brave, the courage to take a step of faith.

As a child, I always loved building forts. I also loved reading about early American heros, like Kit Carson, Jim Bridger and John Paul Jones. This apparently gave me a thirst for adventure in spite of a typical middle class suburan childhood.

Caves have played a prominent role in my life since age 11. As I reflect back I am thankful that on my first boy scout camping trip as a Tenderfoot scout, I had the opportunity to explore Lamplighter’s Cave at Cave River Valley, one of the Indiana’s neatest natural areas. The cave had been found only a year or two earlier. Climbing down that narrow chimney and contorting my small body into the low crawl at the bottom left an indelible imprint. We explored several caves that weekend much to the chagrin and worry of our scoutmaster. From that day forward I, I was always scheming to get our troops or my parents to take me to caves. The day I got my driver’s license I was off to Cave River Valley over 50 miles from home to go caving with neighborhood friends.

I am thankful that as a senior in high school, Terry Crayden, who is now in charge of underground development of Indiana Caverns, was in my Analytic Geometry class. Our old teacher, Norman Smith, would ask Terry and another caving student, Richard Hampton, on Mondays where they had gone caving the weekend before. Meeting Terry was a seed for a life long caving and show cave development relationship with Terry.

I am also very thankful that 45 years ago this weekend, I got to take my first trip in Binkley Cave. Terry and I had both heard tails about the cave from Louis Lamon, pioneer caver in southern Indiana. We were looking for a project for the ISS, our fledgling caving group, to undertake. After 45 years of surveying and mapping in this cave system, the ISS is still going strong in Binkley today!

Continuing my reflection, I am thankful and amazed how skipping class and oversleeping on a Monday morning in 1969 after a long weekend of caving in Binkley led to a job interview tha allowed me to get a great job offer, stay in southern Indiana and continue working in Binkley Cave.

I am thankful that one day in 1971 when we emerged from Binkley Cave after a exciting new discovery that we found out that Fred Conway, a New Albany businessman, had been to the cave to talk to the owner about possibly developing the cave.

I am thankful that I just happened to have pictures of nearby Boone’s Mill cave at home and the property it was on just happened to be for sale. Fred looked at my pictures and went straight out and bought the cave without ever seeing the property. Then I am thankful that he needed someone to developed it for him. This started Terry and I down a path of developing three of Indiana’s four show caves.

Then decades later after developing Squire Boone Caverns, re-developing Marengo Cave and hundreds of additional adventures in Binkley, I am very grateful that George Jaegers encouraged me to write a book about our adventures in Binkley Cave System. I am and my ISS cohorts were growing older and most no longer had the strength or stamina to tackle the cold water and mud of the cave. It was time to document our adventures for those who might pick up the mantle of exploring the great cave sometime in the future.

Little did I know that the future was now. Five years later, to my astonishment the suggestion that I contact Dave Everton to take pictures for this book has led to a major revitalization of the survey project, many great new discoveries and finding the long sought connection between Binkley and Blowing Hole Cave. Who would have ever thought that writing a book would lead to Binkley Cave becoming the 11th longest cave in the US at over 35 miles in length? Not only that, the writing of that book led to the discovery of the part of Binkley cave that I now have the privilege of developing to become Indiana Caverns.

So you can see, I have very much to be thankful for this Thanksgiving weekend. The freedom I have as an American has given me an opportunity to follow the great adventure that I believe God had in mind for me.