There were some new rides that year.  The runaway mine train, The log flume and others.  I didn't know much about any of them and I was determined not to ride any of these new scary things.  Our little click found ourselves in the line for "The Cave".  What was that?  No one knew.  The cueue house had nothing but the letters on top THE CAVE which looked to be carved out of rock.  The entrance to the cueue house was a large opening framed by rock.  We could not see the ride and did not know if it was in fact, a ride.  We finally got close enough to see the loading area.  I saw people in these little boats disappear deep into a dark rock tunnel.  Scared me nearly to death!  I backed out of line.  My friends stayed and I waited at the exit for them to return.  Or would they return?  They finally came through the exit.  "What is that ride?", I asked.  "It's neat!  You really gotta get back in line!", they replied.  "No, not now" was my decision, still apprehensive.  I did ride the runaway mine train, though, as well as the usual stuff to do.  No cave.  "It's time for you to ride the cave", my friends picked at me.  We met up with some adult chaperones in the group and they explained to me what was inside the cave.  My "friends" would never tell me up to that time.

So, here I am again, in line for The Cave.  I'm on the steps crossing over the loading area.  I'm next in line for the next boat.   I'm in the boat, my heart thumping heavy.  The boat is freed into the water and here I am, heading into that dark abyss.  It's sooooo dark!  BUMP!  Around a curve in the river and around another to form a light-trap, then this mysterious music is heard, then, wonderful glowing colors, weird creatures...............and that's all I will tell you for now!  It was love at first ride!  Upon exiting The Cave I reacted much the same way most visitors did regardless of their age.  What was this that just happened?  A very strange experience.   I returned to the park at least once per year between then and 1973 then less frequently.  I rode The Cave as many times per visit as I could although I enjoyed other attractions, too.  No mater how many times one would ride The Cave, they would exit feeling as if they had been to another world, another place, enchanting yet still a strange experience, I sometimes heard one-word comments such as "weird", "refreshing".  One thing most would agree on, this attraction had cast a magic spell on them and they loved it.  There are currently a huge number of fans who want this ride back; the way it originally was built.

Each modification that was imposed on this ride over the years took away much of it's magic.  I regard this attraction as a work of art and the creators' original "as built" design was correct.  There is currently a movement to return The Speelunker's Cave back to the park in it's original configuration.  If this happens, those of you who have never experienced the Original Speelunker's Cave are in for a real treat.  Get ready for the magic!

Above photos courtesy of amusementpark.com

FYI

Ok, since this has been brought up a few times in the reminiscing about The Cave, I will confess as I advanced into my teens, I shared this ride with a girl or two that I was acquainted with at different times.  I was really torn between where I wanted to focus my attention.  Yep, I still remember the cave well.  What was that girl's name? :-))

A description of The Speelunker's Cave from a 1968 Six Flags pictorial guide:

The Cave --- This is a dark, water ride and is located on the border between the Texas and confederate sections of the park.  Guests ride in fiberglass boats propelled by the force of the water running through the ride.   Spee-Lunkers frolic and play along the banks of this eerily lighted "underground river."  The "river" opens on the coast and there is a wild storm in progress, lightning, stereophonic thunder and rain amaze the passengers in the boats as the current takes them through the hull of the wrecked sailing ship.   This ride is the only one of it's kind in the world.  It was developed, engineered and built by SIX FLAGS.

COULD I BECOME A SPEELUNKER?   The photo below shows my attempt at cross-culturalism: