If you’re into exploring dark, dank, cool grottoes, spelunking may be just the ticket for a late summer’s afternoon.

Thanks to its volcanic past, Central Oregon is home to several spelunkable caves.

A hotspot of subterranean intrigue awaits adventurers southeast of Bend, out China Hat Road. The caves – Boyd, Skeleton, Wind and Arnold Ice – were formed about 7,000 years ago when a lava river from Mount Newberry flowed red hot and viscous in a channel. When the eruption ceased, the channel crusted over and drained, leaving a lava tube. The caves were discovered many years later when parts collapsed, creating entrances from above.

If you’re heading east on China Hat Road, the first cave you come to is Boyd; it’s worth a look. Right before the China Hat pavement ends, take the first road to the left and drive about a quarter-mile to the turnaround. There are no signs here, just a railing and a flight of stairs down into the cave. On a hot day, you’ll be struck by the cool as you descend. Boyd Cave is blocked by fallen rocks not too far from the entrance, but rattling around down there gives you a feel for spelunking.

Back up top, I drove back out to China Hat, turned left (east) and took another left about a half-mile up the gravel road (again, there is no sign). Skeleton Cave is about 1-1/2-miles down the road, next to a spacious turnaround.

Skeleton Cave is a whole lot bigger than Boyd; you can easily stand up and look around in the ”lobby.” The cavern goes farther than the distance I ventured; caves just aren’t my niche.

But they’re the perfect niche for the western big-eared bat, which hibernates inside the caves of the region throughout late fall and winter. Bats (almost a dozen species live in the region), an essential insect-eating part of the High Desert ecosystem, are easily disturbed when they’re chilling out and are extremely vulnerable, according to the National Speleological Society. Speleology is the scientific study and exploration of caves.

According to a section on bat conservation culled from the NSS Web site, it can take bats 30 minutes to raise their metabolism enough to escape their torpor and fly.

”If a passing caver is heard, or flashes a light” toward them, they can go into a ”slow panic,” according to the Web site. That may cause them to flee into the cold, winter environment in search of safer digs. The caves are closed to exploration from fall until spring to protect the bats. One final note on bats. Despite the spooky stigma attached to them, they’re not only harmless, they’re beneficial to the environment.

”They eat tons of mosquitoes and other insects,” said Kathy Wright, a wildlife specialist with The High Desert Museum.

According to www.batcon.org, a single little brown bat (common to Oregon) can catch and consume 1,200 mosquito-size insects in an hour.

Holy hibernaculum! Bats are our friends. They won’t get caught in your hair, are more closely related to primates than mice and rarely contract rabies, according to Bats4kids, an AOL Web site. Bats are wild animals and if we leave them alone, they’ll leave us alone.

There are two other caves east of Skeleton – Wind Cave is a tougher trudge and Arnold Ice Cave can’t be hiked. The entrance has frozen shut, but it’s an interesting place nonetheless. The cave was once used by Central Oregon pioneers as a natural ice storage chamber.

Possibly the best spelunking in Central Oregon can be found inside Lava River Cave, a 5,200 foot-long subterranean passageway about 12 miles south of Bend off Highway 97. It’s a fee site; the day-use fee is $5 and lanterns (a must unless you have your own equipment) are $3. Talk to the helpful staffers at the Lava River Cave entrance office and they’ll tell you all about the cave. The other caves out China Hat Road are strictly self-guided.

Before you go caving, make sure you have the proper equipment. Lanterns, big flashlights or lights you wear on your head are best. Each person should carry one. Sturdy boots are a must, given the boulders found inside the caves. And don’t forget to dress warmly. It may be 90 degrees where the sun’s shining, but it’s in the low 40s inside these caves.

As for me, I couldn’t wait to get back out in the sunshine.

Holy hibernaculum! Bats are our friends. They won’t get caught in your hair, are more closely related to primates than mice and rarely contract rabies, according to Bats4kids, an AOL Web site. Bats are wild animals and if we leave them alone, they’ll leave us alone.

There are two other caves east of Skeleton – Wind Cave is a tougher trudge and Arnold Ice Cave can’t be hiked. The entrance has frozen shut, but it’s an interesting place nonetheless. The cave was once used by Central Oregon pioneers as a natural ice storage chamber.

Possibly the best spelunking in Central Oregon can be found inside Lava River Cave, a 5,200 foot-long subterranean passageway about 12 miles south of Bend off Highway 97. It’s a fee site; the day-use fee is $5 and lanterns (a must unless you have your own equipment) are $3. Talk to the helpful staffers at the Lava River Cave entrance office and they’ll tell you all about the cave. The other caves out China Hat Road are strictly self-guided.

Before you go caving, make sure you have the proper equipment. Lanterns, big flashlights or lights you wear on your head are best. Each person should carry one. Sturdy boots are a must, given the boulders found inside the caves. And don’t forget to dress warmly. It may be 90 degrees where the sun’s shining, but it’s in the low 40s inside these caves.

As for me, I couldn’t wait to get back out in the sunshine.