>> WE'RE GOING UNDER GROUND AGAIN WITH THE CAVE DOCTOR, PROFESSOR DAVE THOMAS AND THIS IS BAT CAVE NEAR CORD.

TO THE BAT CAVE ROBIN -- I MEAN STUDENTS.

>> VERY NICE, VERY NICE.

>> AND THIS CAVE WHAT WE HAVE MOSTLY HERE WHEN YOU GO THROUGH THE NARROW ENTRANCE IT'S A BIG SIZED ROOM AND LOT OF CRAWLING OVER BOLDERS AND RATHER INTERESTING.

>> [INAUDIBLE] >> MANEUVERING IN CAVES IS QUITE THE CHALLENGE.

THERE'S A LOT OF CRAWLING, SLIDING AND JUST WORKING YOUR WAY THROUGH AS BEST AS YOU CAN.

AS YOU CAN PROBABLY GUESS FOR DR. DAVE THOMAS SPELEOLOGY STUDENTS THIS BEATS THE HECK OF SITTING IN A CLASS LECTURE.

>> IT'S A PRETTY GOOD ADVENTURE LIKE THE FIRST CAVES WEREN'T THAT TOUGH BUT THE LAST CAVE WAS REALLY LIKE A LOT OF CARDIO AND REALLY STRESSFUL.

[LAUGHTER] >> LIKE THIS ONE?

>> IT WAS WAY WORSE THAN THIS.

>> OH YEAH?

>> AND CLIMBING UP AND DOWN SO WE WERE EXCITED TO GET OUT.

[LAUGHTER] >> AND WHAT ABOUT YOU?

>> IT'S BEEN REALLY COOL.

IT'S BEEN A DIFFERENT EXPERIENCE.

I NEVER BEEN IN A CAVE BEFORE UNTIL THIS CLASS.

IT'S REALLY AWESOME AND IT WAS VERY HOT, THE LAST CAVE, AND WE DIDN'T EXPECT IT TO BE THAT HARD AS WELL.

>> WHAT'S THE AVERAGE CONSTANT TEMPERATURE IN A CAVE -- 50 -- >> [INAUDIBLE] >> THERE YOU GO.

VERY GOOD.

>> THAT WAS REALLY HARD AND SWEAT AND NOT JUST BECAUSE IT WAS HARD.

IT WAS HOT.

>> NOW YOU'RE ALSO A CHEER LOADER AND YOU HAVE TO DO RIGHT AFTER THIS SO WHAT DO YOU LIKE BEST GOING CAVING OR CHEER LEADING?

?

BE HONEST.

>> CHEER.

>> THIS GETS YOU IN GOOD SHAPE.

>> WE HAVE ANOTHER ONE RIGHT HERE.

>> I REALLY ENJOY GOING DOWN AND SEEING ALL DIFFERENT STUFF AND THIS CAVE IS A LOT DIFFERENT THAN THE OTHER ONES WE HAVE DONE.

IT SEEMS LIKE IT IS DEEPER AND A LOT OF THINGS AND NOT CLIMBING.

>> [INAUDIBLE] SO THIS IS OUR SENIOR YEAR SO IT'S A GOOD CLASS TO TAKE AND THE NORM FOR US.

>> HAVE YOU BEEN IN CAVES BEFORE THIS.

>> YEAH, I HAVE WHEN I WAS LITTLE BUT NOT DEEP IN A CAVE.

>> OH MY GOSH.

>> OKAY.

>> WHAT CAN YOU TELL US JUST IN GENERAL ABOUT THIS PARTICULAR CAVE?

>> IN RELATIVE TERMS IT'S GONE THROUGH SEVERAL STAGES IN ITS LIFE SO TO SPEAK SO YOU CAN SEE RIGHT HERE THIS GUY AND THIS IS AN OLD STALAGMITE AND THIS COMING DOWN AND [INAUDIBLE] AND ALL DRIED OUT HERE AND ERODED SO THIS MEANS SOME TIME IN THE HISTORY OF THE CAVE IT WENT FROM A PERIOD OF OPENING UP THE CAVE SO IT WAS DISSOLVING ROCK AWAY AND THEN INTO A PERIOD OF REDEPOSITING MATERIAL HERE AND NOW GOING BACK IN THE OPPOSITE DIRECTION HERE AND ERODED AWAY LIKE YOU SEE HERE.

>> WE COUNTED QUITE A FEW BATS IN THE AREA.

>> YEAH, WE HAVE BEEN IN THIS CAVE SINCE 2008 AND I THINK WE'RE SETTING THE RECORD FOR A BAT COUNT THIS YEAR WHICH IS A GOOD THING BECAUSE I HAVEN'T FOUND ANY [INAUDIBLE] IN THE BATS YET AND THAT IS GOOD AND WE HAVE TWO OTHERS IN THE AREA AND WE CONFIRMED WHITE NOSE SYNDROME SO HELPING THIS.

>> 125 BATS WERE COUNTED IN ALL AND THAT'S NOT TOO SHABBY.

>> [INAUDIBLE] >> TOTAL HORIZONTAL DISTANCE MAYBE A QUARTER MILE IF YOU'RE JUST LOOKING AT DISTANCE ACROSS.

IT JUST FEELS MORE AND GOING THROUGH THE STUFF.

>> A QUARTER MILE FEELS LIKE 5-MILES.

>> YEAH, THERE'S ACTUALLY MORE BEYOND THAT.

WE CAN'T GET TO IT TODAY.

WHERE WE USUALLY STOP THERE IS A BIG PART THAT GOES ACROSS THE CAVE AND YOU NEED TO DO ROPE WORK TO GET DOWN AND THERE IS NO PLACE TO ANCHOR THE ROPE SO THAT IS STILL UNEXPLORED BY US.

WE'RE TRYING TO FIGURE A WAY TO DO IT SAFELY AND DO IT.

WE'RE GOING TO GO UP HERE.

THIS IS CALLED THE "OVER PASS" AND SOMEONE BUILT TRAILS HERE.

>> REALLY EASY CLIMBING.

>> YEAH.

>> [INAUDIBLE] [LAUGHTER] >> THAT'S PRETTY EASY.

>> THE STUDY OF CAVES IS SOMETHING THAT IS NEVER ENDING AND ALWAYS FASCINATING.

TAKE FOR EXAMPLE MICRO CAVE ORGANISMS THAT FEED OFF ROCK.

>> ONE OF THE THINGS THAT WE LOOK FOR IN THIS CAVE AND COBRA GROTTO AND THESE DEPOSITS AND RUFTDY LOOKING STUFF ON TOP OF THE STONES AND SUCH AND IN BOTH CASES WE'RE LOOKING FOR MICROORGANISMS THAT WERE UTILIZING THE METAL ATOMS IN THE ROCK AND GET ENERGY FROM THAT SO THOSE COMMUNITIES COULD BE COMPLETELY ISOLATED.

>> SO WITH THEIR SAMPLING KITS THE STUDENTS TOOK SAMPLES FOR FURTHER STUDY DISBLSES WE WILL DO BOTH OF THEM AND IN HERE IT'S UNDISTURBED AND RIGHT UNDER THERE SWIRL THAT AROUND, YEAH, JUST LIKE THAT.

>> [INAUDIBLE] >> I WILL GIVE YOU THE NUMBER.

WE STICK THEM IN HALFWAY -- SO HOLD THAT TIGHT.

THAT WAY THE PART I AM HANGING ON TO DOESN'T GET INTO THE STERILE AREA.

>> [INAUDIBLE] >> FARTHER ALONG WE STUMBLED ONTO MORE CAVE LIFE, BABY SALAMANDERS.

>> IT'S HARD TO TELL THE TYPE AT THIS STAGE.

GIVEN THE POPULATIONS IN THE CAVE THEY'RE ONE OF TWO KINDS OF SALAMANDERS AS THEY'RE SWIMMING ALONG IN HERE AND HERE.

IT'S ONE OF THE THINGS YOU DON'T HAVE TO BE BE SOMEWHERE IN THE CAVE.

THIS IS THE FIRST TIME WE HAVE SEEN THEM IN HERE.

>> (INAUDIBLE).

>> WELL, NOW FOR THE ADVENTURE BACK.

IF YOU WOULD LIKE TO GET INTO SOME CAVE EXPLORING THERE ARE LOCAL GROTTO CLUBS THAT DR. DAVE STARTED CALLED THE COBRA GROTTO.

>> THIS STANDS FOR THE CAVES OF THE [INAUDIBLE] REGION OF ARKANSAS AND MAINLY WITH COLLEGE STUDENTS AND WANTED A COOL ACRONYM FOR THE NAME.

WE'RE A BRANCH OF THE NATIONAL SOCIETY AND HAVE GOOD RELATION WSES THE PRIVATE CAVE OWNERS HERE.

IF PEOPLE WANT TO COME TO THE CAVE THE OWNERS JUST DON'T WANT PEOPLE WANDERING IN HERE BUT THOSE THAT WANT TO DO THIS TYPE OF EXPLORATION DO CONTACT US AND WE ARE ON THE WEB AND YOU CAN FIND US.

[INAUDIBLE] >> YOU WENT DOWN THERE?

>> YEAH.

>> OUR TREK BACK WENT A LITTLE QUICKER AND BEFORE WE KNEW IT THE LIGHT AT THE END OF THE TUNNEL LITERALLY.

WAIT FOR ME!

OH YEAH.

ANOTHER SATISFYING DAY EXPLORING ARKANSAS, RIGHT.

>> SULPHUR SPRINGS ROAD IN HELENA OR GRAVITY HILL AS IT'S KNOWN WHERE VEHICLES SUPPOSEDLY ROLL UPHILL WHEN LEFT OUT OF GEAR.

>> I WAS 19 YEARS OLD.

IT WAS DARK THE NIGHT THEY CAME AND WE PULLED UP IN A TRUCK AND THEY PROMISED ME IF WE STOPPED THE TRUCK WOULD CONTINUE TO ROLL AND IT DID.

I DIDN'T KNOW IF THEY WERE PUSHING THE GAS OR IT'S REAL AND YEAH IT'S KIND OF SCARY.

>> NOW SUPPOSEDLY WHEN YOU COME HERE TO THE STOP SIGN AND PUT YOUR VEHICLE IN NEUTRAL YOU WILL START ROLLING UPHILL, SO WE WILL SEE.

AND WE ARE.

WE ARE ACTUALLY ROLLING BACK UP THE HILL.

THIS IS PRETTY NEAT.

HUH HUH?

SO IS IT FOR REAL OR IS IT AN OPTICAL ILLUSION?

THE LOCALS OF COURSE GET A KICK OUT OF SHOWING OFF GRAVITY HILL TO OUTSIDERS AND HAVING THEM EXPERIENCE IT.

>> WE'VE HAD SEVERAL PEOPLE STOP BY AND SEE IT AT A GAS STATION AND "CAN YOU TELL ME WHERE GRAVITY HILL IS?"

AND WE HAVE WORKERS FROM ROMANIA EVERY YEAR AND TRAY TRIED TO FIGURE IT OUT AND POURING WATER ON IT AND NO ONE CAN FIGURE OUT AND IT'S ALWAYS INTERESTING AND PEOPLE ALWAYS ASK ABOUT IT.

>> I WAS BORN AND RAISED HERE IN HELENA AND KNEW NOTHING OF GRAVITY HILL, DIDN'T HEAR ABOUT IT.

I WENT AWAY FOR A NUMBER OF YEARS AND CAME BACK TEN YEARS AGO AND DISCOVERED IT.

THAT WAS THE FIRST I HEARD OF IT AND I AND MY GRANDSON AND OTHERS HAVE VISITED MANY TIMES TO EXPERIENCE THE ILLUSION OF GOING UPHILL IN A CAR WHILE IT'S IN NEUTRAL AND IT'S AN INTERESTING PHENOMENON.

>> THERE HAVE EVEN BEEN CLAIMS OF MAGNETIC OR SUPER NATURAL FORCES THAT WORK HERE BUT THERE ARE ACTUALLY HUNDREDS OF GRAVITY HILLS IN 25 STATES AND AROUND THE WORLD AND THAT'S BECAUSE THE LAYOUT OF THE SURROUNDING LAND PRODUCES AN ILLUSION OF SLIGHT DOWNHILL SLOPE APPEARING TO UPHILL AND THE OTHER FACT IS AN OBSTRUCTED HORIZON AND WITHOUT AN HORIZON JUMPING THE SLOP OF A SURFACE IS DIFFICULT.

SO TO FIND OUT WHAT EXACTLY IS GOING ON HERE WE'RE GOING TO USE THIS LEVEL AND IF IT'S AN ACTUAL UPHILL SLOPE THEN THE BUBBLE WILL BE ON THIS SIDE, BUT IF IT'S A DOWNHILL SLOPE THEN OF COURSE THE BUBBLE BETWEEN WILL BE TOWARDS THE OTHER END AND LET'S SEE AND SURE ENOUGH IT'S AT THIS OTHER END MEANING IT IS ACTUALLY A DOWNHILL SLOPE.

BUT DON'T LET THAT KEEP YOU FROM COMING TO HELENA AND EXPERIENCING FOR YOURSELF THE MYSTIQUE AND MAGNETIC AURA OF GRAVITY HILL.

>> BEFORE IT WAS THE WAX MUSEUM THIS BUILDING ON CENTRAL AVENUE IN HOT SPRINGS ACROSS FROM BATH HOUSE ROW WAS THE OLDEST ILLEGAL CASINO IN THE SOUTH.

BUILT IN 1893 THE SOUTHERN CLUB OPENED IN 1894 WITH THE PRIMARY PURPOSE OF A CASINO NIGHT CLUB AND NOT A COMMON SALOON.

DURING THOSE EARLY YEARS OF HOT SPRINGS THE CITY WAS CALLED THE MONTE CARLO OF AMERICA, WELL ON ITS WAY TO BECOMING A MAJOR HEALTH RESORT AND GAMBLING CENTER.

IT WAS THE BEGINNING OF KEEPING STATE AND LOCAL POLITICIANS HAPPY THROUGH GENEROUS PAY OUTS TO KEEP THE ILLEGAL GAMBLING GOING.

IT WAS SAID THAT UPON OPENING THE SOUTHERN CLUB WAS AS FINE AS ANY NEW YORK OR CHICAGO ESTABLISHMENT.

BEING AN ENTERTAINMENT FACILITY AS WELL THE SOUTHERN CLUB ATTRACTED STARS LIKE ANNE MARGARET AND HENNY YOUNGMAN AND THEN ON THE OTHER HAND IT ATTRACTED GANGSTERS FROM NEW YORK AND CHICAGO SUCH AS AL CAPONE WHO WAS A FREQUENT POKER PLAYER AT THE CLUB AND SAT AT AN ELEVATED TABLE COMMANDING A CLEAR VIEW OF THE ROOM.

SO WHAT DO YOU DO IF YOU'RE A GANGSTER AND THERE'S A RAID ON THE CASINO?

WELL, APPROPRIATE MEASURES WERE IN PLACE IN CASE THAT EVER HAPPENED.

ONE OF THE INTERESTING FEATURES WITH THE SOUTHERN CLUB WAS THE ESCAPE TUNNEL.

AFTER COMING DOWN THE STAIRS THE TUNNEL WOULD THEN LEAD YOU OUT UNDERNEATH THE STREET WHERE YOU CAN COULD MAKE A CLEAN ESCAPE.

DUE TO CITY REGULATIONS THOUGH THIS AS FAR AS THE TOUR GOES UP TO THIS OBSERVATION WINDOW.

THROUGHOUT THE YEARS CHANGES IN THE SOUTHERN CLUB OWNERSHIP USUALLY MEANT CHANGES IN THE BUILDINGS' EXTERIOR APPEARANCE.

THE EARLY 1960'S WERE GOOD YEARS FOR THE SAKENOS AND SOME OF THE ENTERTAINERS IN VEGAS PERFORMED HERE BRINGING IN LARGE CROWDS AND GAMBLING PROFITS WERE COMPARABLE TO VEGAS AT THE TIME.

BUT AS ALL GOOD THINGS OR BAD THINGS MUST COME TO AN END SO IT WAS WITH THE REIGN OF ILLEGAL GAMBLING IN THE SPA CITY.

AFTER WINTHROP ROCKERFELLER WAS ELECTED GOVERNOR AND COULDN'T BE BOUGHT OFF THE LAST ROLL OF THE DICE AT IN THE SOUTHERN CLUB WAS IN 1967.

AFTER THE BUILDING WAS SOLD IN THE EARLY 70'S AND TURNED INTO THE WAX AND GAMBLING MUSEUM WITH MORE THAN 100 FIGURES FROM ELVIS TO EINSTEIN, WINSTON CHURCHILL, JFK, NEIL ARMSTRONG AND JOHNNY DE PP AND THE LAST EDITION ON THE ESCALATOR BELIEVE IT OR NOT.

>> SNOW CAP MOUNTAINS IN ARKANSAS?

YOU BET YOU.

MOUNT MAGAZINE, THE STATE'S HIGHEST PEAK, 2753 FEET.

IT'S ALWAYS BEEN SAID THAT IT'S GOT ITS OWN CLIMATE UP HERE AND THAT'S TRUE, GREEN GRASS IN THE VALLEY AND 10 INCHES OF SNOW UP HERE.

MOUNT MAGAZINE'S YEAR ROUND TEMPERATURE IS USUALLY TEN TO 15-DEGREES COOLER THAN THE VALLEY BELOW AND DURING THE WINTER MONTHS THAT COULD BE A BIG DIFFERENCE BETWEEN RAIN OR SNOW.

CALLED AN ISLAND IN THE SKY BECAUSE OF ITS ISOLATED DOMINANCE OVER THE SURROUNDING LANDSCAPE MOUNT MAGAZINE'S ALTUDE, GEOGRAPHY AND CLIMATE COMBINED WITH MAGNIFICENT VISTAS ATTRACT THOUSANDS OF VISITORS EVERY YEAR.

THOSE TIMES IN THE WINTER WHEN THE REST OF THE STATE IS TOO WARM FOR SNOW THERE COULD BE QUITE A BIT HERE ON TOP OF THE MOUNTAIN AND THAT BRINGS FAMILIES UP FROM THE VALLEY TO ENJOY A WINTER WONDER LAND AND ALL THAT COMES WITH IT FROM SNOW BALL FIGHTS TO MAKING SNOWMEN.

>> WELL, WE HEARD ON THE NEWS THERE WAS ABOUT TEN INCHES OF SNOW UP ON THE MOUNTAIN SO WE DECIDED TO KIND OF TAKE A RAIN CHECK ON SCHOOL AND PLAY IN THE SNOW.

>> OH NO, WE WON'T TELL THEM YOU'RE PLAYING HOOKY.

>> WE ARE HOME SCHOOLED SO WE CAN DO THAT.

>> OH OKAY.

>> AND WE DID A SNOW MEN AND 7-FOOT OR SO.

>> I THINK YOU DID A GOOD JOB.

A GOOD LESSON IN SNOW MAN MAKING 101.

>> YEP.

>> ALSO AFTER A GOOD SNOWFALL LIKE THIS THE MOUNT MAGAZINE SCENIC BYWAY THROUGHS IT'S A BEAUTIFUL DRIVING EXPERIENCE AROUND EVERY BEND IN THE ROAD.

TAKING THE SCENIC BYWAY ALLOWS ONE TO ENJOY ALL THE SNOW FROM THE COMFORT WAS A WARM COZY VEHICLE.

OF COURSE IF YOU'RE INTO PHOTOGRAPHY ESPECIALLY WINTER PHOTOGRAPHY YOU WILL WANT TO STOP AT THE SCENIC OVER LOOKS FOR FANTASTIC SHOTS TO DOCUMENT YOUR OZARK MOUNTAIN HIGH MOUNT MAGAZINE SNOW DAY.

SO IF ALL YOU WANT TO DO IS ENJOY THE SNOW FOR TLE LITTLE WHILE AND GO BACK TO SNOW SNOW MOUNT MOUNT IS A PLACE TO GO IN THE WINTER TIME AND TO VISIT THIS OR ANOTHER ONE OF OUR OTHERS VISIT US AT AETN.ORG/EXPLORINGARKANSAS AND DON'T FORGET TO LIKE US ON OUR FACEBOOK PAGE AND WE WILL SEE YOU ANOTHER TIME FOR ANOTHER EXCITING ADVENTURE OF "EXPLORING ARKANSAS".