PSP Go - Your Favorite Games Can Be Downloaded to Your PSP Go

The development that went into the PSP Go has paved the way for expansions that could be used for upgrades and future applications. The memory is excellent on this device. The price is reasonable for some, but others believe big price, but small changes to the new console that would make it worth the price. There are many popular vendors that are setup to make games for the device.

Some titles you are already familiar with because they are on gaming discs. Sony is going to offer some of their older and popular games as discs and digital downloads for the PSP Go owners. Some of the games include: Gran Turismo, Super Hero Squad, NBA 10 Inside, Final Fantasy XIII (available in 2010), Metal Gear: Solid Peace Walker and Resident Evil (available in 2010).

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The titles are what have kept Sony afloat in the world of gaming and this device will be no different. The industry is competitive, although Sony is the one to beat, but they have done their homework very well. So, you can agree that the timing of the release of this console was important, especially since the holiday season is fast approaching.

The unit is for all ages, although the specific target group is not necessarily gamers, but those consumers who may be first time owners. There are games for everyone in the family, you can choose from Mario Brothers to the more challenging action adventure type games.

Games for this device will be available for download directly from the PlayStation Store over the console's Wi-Fi connection. Remember in order to access the Store from your computer; you must have Media Go installed. In addition to direct downloads, the new games will also continue to be available on discs for the older PSP devices.

However, although there is a large selection available for existing PSP owners, it appears that Sony may be moving away from gaming discs. Gaming enthusiasts for example bring up the recent Patapon 2 game, which can only be accessed by download only.

PSP Go - Your Favorite Games Can Be Downloaded to Your PSP Go

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My Favorite Cave, Pettyjohn Cave

I could write many stories about Pettyjohn Cave, however I would like to explain here why this great cave is my favorite. For a Horizontal caver like myself, Pettyjohn has plenty to offer. Good climbs, challenging passages, waterfalls, formations, intriguing passages, extreme hard to reach places most of which I have not seen, possibilities for new discoveries and good mud.

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Good Climbs

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For some looking for climbing challenges, the entrance room has plenty to offer. This long room over 500 feet long and averaging 50 feet wide and 30 feet high ceilings, has two easy climbs just to reach the back. Near the entrance there is a good climb up into an upper formation room that connects to the main entrance room at the ceiling level. Most visitors rush pass this area to get to the back of the room or to head off to the main waterfall.

To reach the stream levels there are challenging climbs if you avoid the ropes left there by previous cavers. Some of these ropes have been in place for a long time and should not be used. One especially challenging climb is getting up into the Racoon Room, this large room in the mid level of the cave gives access to most of the middle levels of the cave. Pettyjohn Cave is divided up into three levels, the entrance room which is high and mostly dry, the middle levels which are dry passages making up about 1/3 of the known cave and reaching under the mountain to the north. A difficult climb from this northern section is up into the Echo Room, the largest room in the cave. A 100 by 200 foot room with high ceilings. And the lower stream passages which make up the largest portions of the cave.

The waterfall climb leads to a second waterfall that is much easer to climb and an up stream passage called Schreiber's Extension that is yet to be completely explored.

Challenging Passages

From the main entrance room there are many ways to go deeper into the cave and at the start of each of these passages you will have a challenge. The Pancake squeeze on the way to the waterfall, some tight squeezes or hard climbs, depending on which route you choose, to get to the Volcano Room. Each route from the Main room is like a cave of its own. If you like maze's try The Labyrinth in the southeast lower level of Pettyjohn. If you are looking for real adventure, explore the extreme northwest section called The Outer Limits. And for a good technical climb, explore the rooms above the Double Echo Domes.

Waterfalls

If you like underground waterfalls, you will love Pettyjohn Cave. There are two good size waterfalls on the way to Schreiber's Extension. A loud waterfall about 4 feet high just beyond the Chute and on the way to the Outer Limits. And another one that you have to climb over to enter the Labyrinth.

Formations

Formations are scattered through the cave. The Entrance Room contains the largest in the cave. The Signature Room and the passage to it are well worth seeing for the formations. And there is a beautiful formation room just before you get to the Volcano Room. Other nice formations will surprise you along the routes to the many sections of the cave.

Intriguing Passages

The Worm Tube is a long 150 feet crawl that is very tight and leads to the Echo Room and beyond. The Z-Bends is an interesting alternative to the Pancake Squeeze when going to the waterfall or the Racoon Room. There is a down sloping squeeze that is a real challenge to climb back up when you visit the East Stream passage and Crowell Domes. The small hole leading from the Bridge Room to the Mason-Dixon Passage is neat. And the stream canyon passage on the way to the waterfall is fun.

Extreme Places

The extreme places are for the hard core cavers that like fourteen hour trips and want to be pushed to their limits. Pettyjohn Cave offers four such areas. The Labyrinth, which I have only visited the start of.

The Discovery Room above the Emerald Pool that you have to use the old existing rope or do a hard technical climb. An extension pole was first used to reach this area. And I understand that there is much to be discovered beyond the Emerald Pool.

The Outer Limits which I am not even sure at what level you reach. I have explored the stream passage to tight muddy squeezes that finally turned me back and high dry passages that could also be the way. These were ten hour trips and I still had not found the Outer Limits. I meet Richard Schreiber once when I was leaving the cave and he was excited about getting back under the mountain and I believe that he was referring to the Outer Limits. I have a copy of most of his survey notes but I think that I am missing one that describes how to get there.

Schreiber's Extension is a long stream passage with many leads and places to climb up into along the way. The end is a low stream passage which has been dug out and pushed to a second low room blocked by another low stream crawl. This passage continues around the edge of the mountain and takes in water from along the mountain side. The cave is still lower than the valley but under the edge of the mountain.

Possibilities for New Discoveries

The most promising area that I feel could be developed is to the East. There are many sink holes along the mountain east of the entrance and Crowell Domes is the most eastern portion of the cave with the exception of the Labyrinth and Screech Owl Cave. There is a possible lead from the Echo Room that I would like to push some day, but it would require some rock removal. There is also a large sink on the top of the mountain east of Pettyjohn that the water has I believe been traced to the sump below the Entrance Room in Pettyjohn. Pettyjohn provides drainage for most of this side of Pigeon Mountain until you get to Ellison Cave which drains the north end of the mountain. Recent discoveries have been made in Schreiber's Extension, Discovery Room, and the Anamatosis Room. I have 36,117 feet of level survey plotted, almost seven miles (6.935 Miles) and a total survey length of 7.127 Miles.

Good Mud

Pettyjohn Cave is known for its mud. There are some places that you will loose your shoes in the sticky stuff. Crawl ways that you just slide through in the mud with two slots for your knees from all the traffic. I have seen the lower level flood with the water backing up from the stream canyon passage which is narrow and can restrict the water flow. Always check out the weather forecast before going to the main waterfall. You can read about cavers getting lost in the waterfall area for days and explore parts of the cave by clicking on pictures within the cave by visiting my web page. I also have other links to stories about Pettyjohn on the main page.

My Favorite Cave, Pettyjohn Cave

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My Third Most Favorite Cave, Tumbling Rock

Of all the caves that I have explored, Tumbling Rock Cave in Alabama ranks number 3 on my list of favorite caves. I have made many visits to this famous and Alabama's most visited cave. Tumbling Rock Cave is over 6 miles long and is mostly walking passage. At one time it was referred to as Blowing Cave. There is a stream that flows almost the entire length of the cave and forms a spring just below the entrance. This is the only cave that I know of that contains oil, the Asphalt Ooze occurs in Allens Alley near the back of the cave and covers the floor with a layer of dust hiding it. It drips from the ceiling and flows down a long slope to the floor of the cave. I keep a sample of it in a bottle labeled Alabama Crude!

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After a visit with the owners and paying our parking fee, we climb a short distance up the side of the mountain, open the gate and crawl through the three-foot high entrance. The first room, Ante Room, is large walking passage that crosses over the stream. Care must be taken from the start, if you eyes have not adjusted to the dark, you may step into the crevasse that crosses the path. This is a three foot wide drop that you step over. You then follow the stream to the Saltpeter Works. These are large Civil War vats which have long rotted away leaving the square mounds of dirt remaining.

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My first visit was in July of 1971 with the Dogwood City Grotto and it was on this trip that I meet John Wallace, a long time friend and caving partner. John shared that when he was dating his wife, Youlanda, he spread out a table cloth near the Saltpeter Works, and set up a candle light dinner that he had carried into the cave.

A short distance from the Saltpeter Works we climb up out of the stream passage and into a large room with two large formations called the Elephants Feet. If you climb up to the top of one of the feet, near the ceiling one can enter a small crawl that goes up above the ceiling and over the stream passage into what is now called Vujade' Extension.

Continuing up stream we climb over the Wildcat Rockpile and pass the Little Hall of Mysteries. There is Formation Grotto off to the left and we have explored The Sewers to a 15-foot drop. We then returned to the stream and went through the Wind Tunnel to the Totem Grotto, Craters of the Moon. Chucks Music Box is in a side passage to the left and well worth the visit to view the tall then columns. At this point you need to be with someone who is familiar with the cave in order to locate the Hidden Door, if you miss the Hidden Door on the way back out of the cave one ends up in a dead end stream passage.

Just beyond the Hidden Door and just before entering the Great Hall of Mysteries, is the Kings Shower. When the upper passage to the Topless Dome and the lower passages were mapped it was found that there were only inches between the two. So a sledge hammer was used to make a short cut up to the Topless Dome. The stream from the Dome now runs down and drops through the hole creating the Kings Shower. Pulling up through this hole and going a short distance to the right brings you to the bottom of the Topless Dome.

The Dome is 396 feet high and was climbed by Don Davison and Cheryl Jones around 1979 over a two-year period. The climb is 555 feet long, which makes it the longest underground technical route in the United States. Read about Topless Dome Revisited in the October 1982 NSS News.

For a long time the Great Hall of Mysteries was the end of the cave. Now there are two passages to continue to the back of the cave. Both are challenging, I will describe the Blue Crawl first as it was the first to be discovered. Straight across the room, to the left of the Christmas Tree formation and up the mud slope, is Johnstons Junction, a short squeeze into the Emperors Room. Cross the Emperors Room and climb up in a crevice and into a 75-foot long round crawl that one must decide which arm goes first at the start. Because you cannot change positions again until you emerge out the far side of the Blue Crawl. When exiting the Blue Crawl it is a narrow ledge and in order to get your body out of the hole one has to extend out over the ledge. I have made the crawl one time, but never again. However I think that everyone should try it once.

Exiting the Blue Crawl and into the Inter Sanctum breakdown room and on the far side climb down and under the Surprise Waterfall into Allens Alley.

The second route that was discovered or I should say was dug open is the Suicide Passage. Back in the Emperors Room climb down and along the right side of the Christmas Tree formation to the stream level. Follow the sandy crawl along the left side of the stream until you can climb up into the rock pile. After several tight bends and climbs one enters Allens Alley. This is a shorter route and is usually preferred to the Blue Crawl.

Allens Alley is a nice long canyon passage with the stream flowing down below. About half way through one has to climb up near the ceiling and crawl through a two-foot restriction. It then opens back up again into a huge long room. Watch out for the Asphalt Ooze along the right side, which crosses the path.

The reward at the end is the Pillar of Fire, and it is well worth the climb up Mt. Olympus. This large bright red formation sets at the top of a mud mountain called Mt. Olympus. This is were most cavers stop after a four-hour trip in and another four hours to get out. If one wants to see the bitter end, Terry's Tiger Teeth, then just before climbing Mt. Olympus, go over to the right side of Allens Alley and look for the D-T passage. This is a tight break down crawl for about 300 feet. After emerging back into walking passage again in Grants Tomb, the stream is down and to the right, called Grants Pool. Terry's Tiger Teeth is on ahead to the left.

The cave continues, though the passage may not be discovered, more than the length of the known cave to a small cave called Timber Cave on the far side of the mountain. Dye tracing of the water entering Timber Cave was traced to Tumbling Rock Cave. If you are looking for a good eight hour wild cave trip, then I would recommend Tumbling Rock Cave.

My Third Most Favorite Cave, Tumbling Rock

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