Rebecca Traviss
Nature's Superb Artistry: Angels Camp

As we have seen, there are many different viewpoints regarding the reasons people participate in tourism. Yet, even though scholarly research is very helpful and educating, there is no substitute for asking real people questions about tourism. I have found that the most insightful, honest and sincere information for why people do the things they do, come from the people who are actually doing it. With this knowledge, I began asking tourists why they came to the caverns. Interestingly, the majority of questions centered around three main ideas. Several people implied that they came to the caverns to experience something new and different. This experience allowed them to escape from their everyday, banal lives and experience adventure. Others wanted to participate with nature in a safe, controlled environment. Another objective for many of the tourists was to be educated and learn new information. Surprisingly, the majority of the answers I received were very similar. In fact, there were no contradictions or variances at all. The tourists at the cavern simply had three objectives that they wanted to fulfill on their trip.

Many people feel that their lives are missing something and they use tourism as a channel to experience new and unique things. The Cave and Caverns Directory brochure touts the idea that caverns "arouse our creativity and sense of adventure" (C&C brochure, 1999, p.2). Most of my interviewees said that they came to the cavern to help stimulate their body and mind in one way or another. One man from Modesto commented that in this era there is much more of a focus on the present and people rarely stop to take it all in. He went on to say that he enjoyed the caverns because they were something new and out of the ordinary which took years to make. A five-year old girl from Stockton, reaffirmed this need for something that was new, she said that she liked the spiral stairs because they were "funny" and different than anything else she had ever seen. A man from Vallejo was fortunate enough to have rappelled down to the bottom of the cave. He said it was his favorite thing "cause he had never felt anything like it before." He experienced a floating sensation and loss of control. By rappelling into the cavern he was participating in something new. One article agrees that caverns present a new experience, in fact, the article refers to the caverns as a type of "Disneyland of dazzle," one of "nature's secrets" (Schwartz, 2000, p.1). Through examining the entirety of these comments, one can conclude that people like to experience newness because it enhances their sense of self and enables them to feel fresh and real. These new experiences remind them that they are alive and it allows them to escape from their banal lives.

Each one of the tourists I interviewed appreciated the way in which the caverns allowed them to experience nature in a safe and controlled manner. They actually expected the caverns to be commercialized to ensure their safety. One article defines nature tourism as "tourism that consists of traveling to undisturbed or uncontaminated nature areas with the specific objectives of studying, admiring and enjoying the scenery" (Luzar, 1998, p.48). The information I collected during my interviews seemed to support this idea partially, in that the tourists had objectives of admiring and enjoying nature. Yet, they didn't feel that they were visiting a place that was totally undisturbed or uncontaminated. They realized that stairs and lights had been put in and a store had been built on top of the hole. However, these modern conveniences didn't bother them. They appreciated the caverns exactly the way they were. One tourist remarked that he would not have gone down the hole in a bucket as men many years ago did. He was glad that the cavern was designed in a way to make nature accessible.

Also, it seemed as though people expected the cavern to be run by a privately held business. The manager commented that because of the technology era that we live in, people anticipate things to be commercialized meaning, they want Pepsi, disposable cameras, postcards and t-shirts to be readily available. He also alluded to the fact that in order for the cavern to be a safe type of nature, money has to be made. When asked if the cavern was pure nature, the manager stated that it is, but there are compromises you have to make if you want many people to see it. Every one of the interviewees wholeheartedly agreed with this viewpoint. One Vallejo man didn't mind paying to visit the cavern if it meant that he would be provided with a tour guide, lights and stairs. He wanted his safety to be ensured and guaranteed, so that he could set his mind at ease and appreciate nature. He also commented that the caverns are the only form of safe nature that he knows of. In fact, he doesn't think there is anywhere you can go and experience nature in a secure way, unless it has been commercialized. Other tourists liked seeing nature that took many years to create. It enabled them to feel a connection with the past, as well as a link to mother nature. Overall, there were no negative feelings regarding the commercialization of nature. In fact, it was expected and deeply appreciated.

A large group of tourists came to the caverns with their families because they wanted to learn something and be educated. A cavern tours brochure exemplifies the fact that people who visit the cavern, will learn about history, cavern lore and geology. Another brochure is very proud that the cavern in Angels Camp had the oldest human remains in North America. In fact, the tour guide mentioned the remains and several interviewees commented that they enjoyed learning about this. It gave them the sense that they were visiting something special and obtaining new knowledge. One little boy from Modesto said his favorite thing was hearing about how the stalagmites were formed. His father also appreciated the way that the tour guide educated the tourists on the do's and don'ts of cavern exploration. For instance, you aren't supposed to touch the walls because it stops the growth of the formations. A Stockton man gave a long list of the things he felt he had been educated on, including; rappelling, nature that takes years to form, how the cavern was found, the caverns depths and how it got its name. He felt that he could leave the caverns knowing that he had learned something new that he could take with him. It was interesting to discover that even the young children, who often complain about school and education, enjoyed learning about the caverns. It was obvious that one of the main objectives of the interviewees was to learn something new and leave the caverns with newfound knowledge.

As we have seen, scholars have several different views regarding tourism. Some scholars perceive tourism in a negative light stating that it is artificial and it ruins the authenticity of a place. Others feel that tourism is innocent and is a type of pleasure or play. On the other hand, scholars believe that tourism is formed around the never-ending search for the sublime. Interestingly, the only scholarly viewpoint that partly matched the opinions of the cavern tourists is the idea that tourism involves pleasure or play. All of the tourists had the same innocent motive for visiting the caverns-having fun. The majority of them wanted to experience something unique, that they had never done or seen before, something that engaged their mind and was enjoyable. Many wanted to participate in exciting nature activities, in a safe, controlled manner. Others focused on the need to learn and be educated on one fascinating part of California's history. From the interviews of the cavern tourists, I am now able to generalize that all tourism is not as bad as it is made out to be. It is different than in the past and things have changed and become more commercialized. Yet, this seems inevitable. As with most things in life, tourism changes and adapts to the society of which it is a part. Therefore, if we live in a culture of Pepsi and postcards, perhaps it is normal for tourism to become commodified. In fact, this commodification is expected and if it were absent, people would be disappointed and unfulfilled.

Before doing the interviews, I figured people would be angry that the caverns had been turned into a type of business. I thought that tourists would think that something was lacking and that the caverns weren't pure, real nature. I, along with many scholars, was wrong concerning the motives of some tourists. The people that I interviewed, were grateful that the caverns had been commercialized; they counted on it. They were glad that someone was taking an active part in preserving and protecting nature and they didn't mind paying the ticket prices to ensure that their grandchildren would someday be able to visit the same cavern. These tourists didn't feel the need for a more heightened, sublime experience. They were content with their visit to the cavern. They didn't feel that the caverns were artificial or unauthentic. In fact, they believed that the commercialization of the cavern created the only way that people can enjoy caverns safely. Perhaps, future research needs to reexamine tourism and its affects on people and places. Due to the responses of my interviewees, tourism is not always harmful or detrimental. I know that in some cases, tourism can change places for the worse. The cavern just didn't seem to be one of those places. Therefore, instead of thinking in concrete black and white terms, scholars need to branch out and discover the goodness of tourism. Perhaps, many scholars haven't taken the time to actually ask the tourists what they think.

As for future research, I believe that it is important to not only look at tourism in a bad light, but acknowledge its attributes as well. As we have seen, certain types of tourism actually enlighten and encourage people. Hopefully, the positive experience of these tourists, will become contagious and help make our world a better, more friendly place. It would be interesting to research the contributions made in society by tourism and tourists. Nature tourism has become one of the few tools that, in some sense, preserves and protects a place. Conceivably, this type of tourism actually adds to our world, instead of taking away from it. The people I interviewed certainly agreed with this claim. Therefore, if scholars are to be objective and involved in public discourse, they must look at tourism from all sides of the spectrum. Also, if scholars were to research many different tourists at various types of tourism spots, I believe it would greatly add to the larger conversation regarding tourism. In the future, scholars should not limit their research to purely scholarly ideas, but also ask real tourists, real questions. Furthermore, it might be that the positive views of tourism are simply subject to nature spots, where great care is put into preserving and protecting the environment. The same admiration for nature tourism may be quite different from that of other types of tourism. As we have seen, commercialization of nature tourism is expected and in a sense required. As a result, future research could study this ideology and try to discover whether it is truly harmful, or just a result of a changing society. I believe that there are many possible areas for future research and I hope that these areas will be explored in much more depth.

As I have discovered through writing this paper, there are many different views of tourism and tourists. I began this paper writing process believing that everyone knew and completely accepted that tourism was fake and harmful. Much of the research I encountered agreed with my ideas and made claims that tourism is artificial and causes a place to lose its authenticity. Other researchers assert that tourism is simply a search for the sublime. Another school of thought felt that tourism was a fun type of pleasure or play. I believe that in order to truly find out about something, you must ask the people who are doing it. Therefore, my research question was simply, why do people come to the caverns? I began interviewing the tourists and was shocked by their answers. As a matter of fact, by interviewing the people at the caverns, I found that the majority of the scholarly claims do not account for all tourist's views. Moreover, the cavern tourists had nothing but positive things to say about the commodification of the caverns. They saw nothing wrong with it and didn't feel that it ruined their experience or made it less authentic. Without even knowing it, these tourists completely debunked the majority of scholarly claims regarding tourism.

Although many researchers claim that tourism is harmful, many real-life people feel very differently. For these tourists, the caverns were a chance to escape, learn something new and experience nature. They loved it and deeply appreciated their experience. Consequently, as with many things in life, there are many opposing views regarding tourism. Future research regarding tourism must broaden its scope and not only review scholarly information, but also ask tourists what they think and why they are participating in tourism. As we have seen, there are many different views regarding tourism and its effects. Therefore, I suggest that people of all spectrums try and increase their awareness regarding the dangers and harms of tourism, but also acknowledge its goodness.

Works Cited