Alaska Amazon Australia Brit. At waist level, an opening in a rock wall in Luray Caverns reveals a 3-foot high space. Inside, teethy orange and black stalactites hanging from the ceiling are matched by the sharp stalagmites poking up, like the mouth of a shark. Then a drop of water falls.
Ripples spoil the illusion.
The lower jaw is actually a shallow pool of water, called Dream Lake, that perfectly mirrors the ceiling. Discovered in 1878 by the town tinsmith, these caverns in the Shenandoah Valley are the largest on the East Coast. It was a left-handed compliment, but Brand had a point. Instead, the valley offers a wealth of natural and historic treasures, many of which haven't been touched by modernization since the Civil War. Out here, even the mountains are old.