I drove to AZ for the TTPG Conference this weekend and stopped to meet Teri, Mary and RV along the way. They are just the nicest people you could meet and RV is even more beautiful in person. I was dropping off my Rubbermade shed and some heat mats for RV to use. We talked for a while, set up the new shed, and looked at RV's baby pics. We set up the shed right next to RV's burrow entrance and we all kept mentioning how we wondered what was down there. I've always wanted to know, but mine don't dig and I just haven't had the opportunity before. Teri and Mary offered (with great enthusiasm) to let me go down and check it out and graciously offered me some old clothes and a hot shower after, so down I went. Keep in mind that RV is now around 10 years old and 78.6 pounds.
Here I am just before descending head first into the unknown...
It was deeper than I thought. The entrance tunnel is about 10' long and at about a 45 degree angle.
The tunnel goes straight down and then turns to the right. There is a large "chamber" to the right, big enough for me to turn around in.
In this pic my behind is up against the wall at the bottom of the entrance tunnel and my feet are in the "chamber" area.
Here is what RV sees from about half way up the burrow. She really wanted to know what I was doing in her burrow and tried to join me repeatedly. Thankfully, we all agreed that was not a good idea.
Here is the chamber area. You can see that it continues on to the right. Also note how smooth and flat the roof is. You can see where the top of RV's dome has been rubbing day after day. This is one reason for the shell smoothness of a tort that burrows. That roof was very hard and abrasive.
The burrow keeps going around and down to the right and forms a spiral. The terminal end of the burrow actually wraps around and finally stops UNDER the entrance burrow. There was a lot of loose dirt and I could see where she was still working on it. Who knows how far it will go when she is finally done.
I must have shown these pics to 20 people at the TTPG conference. You should have seen Richard Fife's eyes light up. He told me he's done this too and was equally astounded. He said when he does it he ties a rope around his legs and has his wife hold the end, "just in case". I thought of a whole lot of jokes, but chose to bite my tongue. As far as he can remember, all the burrows he has been down also turn to the right. I wonder if they turn to the left in the Southern Hemisphere.
This was an amazing experience. I can't thank Teri and Mary enough for allowing me this adventure and learning experience.
Here I am just before descending head first into the unknown...
It was deeper than I thought. The entrance tunnel is about 10' long and at about a 45 degree angle.
The tunnel goes straight down and then turns to the right. There is a large "chamber" to the right, big enough for me to turn around in.
In this pic my behind is up against the wall at the bottom of the entrance tunnel and my feet are in the "chamber" area.
Here is what RV sees from about half way up the burrow. She really wanted to know what I was doing in her burrow and tried to join me repeatedly. Thankfully, we all agreed that was not a good idea.
Here is the chamber area. You can see that it continues on to the right. Also note how smooth and flat the roof is. You can see where the top of RV's dome has been rubbing day after day. This is one reason for the shell smoothness of a tort that burrows. That roof was very hard and abrasive.
The burrow keeps going around and down to the right and forms a spiral. The terminal end of the burrow actually wraps around and finally stops UNDER the entrance burrow. There was a lot of loose dirt and I could see where she was still working on it. Who knows how far it will go when she is finally done.
I must have shown these pics to 20 people at the TTPG conference. You should have seen Richard Fife's eyes light up. He told me he's done this too and was equally astounded. He said when he does it he ties a rope around his legs and has his wife hold the end, "just in case". I thought of a whole lot of jokes, but chose to bite my tongue. As far as he can remember, all the burrows he has been down also turn to the right. I wonder if they turn to the left in the Southern Hemisphere.
This was an amazing experience. I can't thank Teri and Mary enough for allowing me this adventure and learning experience.