Discovery at the Rio Camuy,

by Russell H. Gurnee, Jeanne Gurnee

Crown Publishers (1974) ISBN-0517505940 ; hardcover /jacket; 183 pages clean; photo illustrated; exploring one of the largest caves in the western world(+b3)

183 pages, hardback

First published January 1, 1974

Reviews

[Tentatively, Convenience · Rating 4 out of 5]

Alright, once again, I have to admit that I don't remember this. I read it 32 yrs ago. I love caves. I love their non-geometrical nature. Whenever I've gone exploring in caves there's always the challenge of being able to find one's way back by remembering unique shapes & the varying difficulties of crawl-thrus & the like. Being able to go on an expedition like this wd be an experience to be remembered. Alas, I doubt that I'll ever be that athletic. As of the time this bk was written, in the early 1970s, there was talk of making the caves a tourist attraction. I have mixed feelings about that. After all, the explorers found previously unknown species; it was an environment hitherto 'safe' from humans. As much as I'd love to go down convenient elevators into the depths of such a fanastic environment, I hesitate to enthuse over yet-another human invasion. At this point, though, I find on the internet that there are walking & rappelling tours there & that there's a trolley. It appears that the tours are limited to a small section so I reckon the invasion isn't so extreme.

[Allan · Rating 5 out of 5]

What a fascinating book. An impulse purchase from a used bookstore. It tells the story of one of the biggest tourist attractions in Puerto Rico. I had no idea that local NYC/NJ cave explorers along with local Puerto Ricans led the initial discovery and exploration of this cave. On my next visit to the island, I will definitely look at this show cave with new eyes. A great read.