Then they stroll into the first of two vaults sealed with giant restaurant-freezer doors. Next, in guided groups of 16, visitors step into the cavern's expansive Rotunda Room. The one-hour tour ends at a small amphitheater on a ridge overlooking Kubla Khan. The grand finale wasn't ready when I was there, but visitors can expect a sound and light show while seated on the concrete benches. Other fossils from the cavern include an ancient horse skull and a bear jaw.
Scientists theorize that the animals entered the cave through a long-closed passageway.
But humans apparently didn't set foot in Kartchner until this century. But Tenen and Tufts recommend Benson for another reason. That's where Tufts and Tenen hung out after their many clandestine trips to Xanadu. Speaking in hushed tones and trying not to track in too much mud, they'd gobble hamburgers, eye the gleaming pie case and plot their next move. Even during my visit, the men dined unrecognized.