We wandered along submarine-like corridors filled with all sorts of pipes used to carry the water recovered in collectors and re-circulate it to the upper reaches to be recycled. The final destination of these corridors was a fascinating building called the lung. From the first, the engineers realized that a hermetically sealed building would need some way to allow for the expansion and contraction of the air within. As a result they created two sealed buildings they called lungs that were attached to the main building by tunnels. When the air in the Biosphere heated and expanded it would rush down the tunnels into the lungs. Inside the lungs were large plastic bags that each had a large aluminum disk on top of it. When the air came into the lung it would cause the plastic bag to expand and raise it, along with the aluminum disk. Then as the air cooled, the weight of the aluminum disk would forcibly push the air the other way down the tunnel back into the Biosphere. Clever huh? Upon completion of the underground tour, we began to explore the five different eco systems supported under the glass. The first one was the ocean. That's right, there is an ocean right in the middle. Complete with a beach, coral, and yes, waves. It is teeming with all kinds of fish. Twenty-five feet deep at one end, it was made of over a million gallons of water, 10 percent of which was actually trucked in from the Pacific Ocean. It is a paradise lagoon in the middle of the desert. An unbelievable sight. Both soft and hard coral grow along its bottom. It is still used for environmental experiments. The next biome, as they are called, that we visited was the rain forest. A steamy hot place with broad leaf plants stretching all the way to the 90 foot ceiling. Moisture clings to everything, in a room which is overcrowded with leaves, vines, ferns and flowers. Over 300 species of plants vie for space and sun in the tallest part of the entire biosphere. There are three different habitats, a lowland forest, a flood plain and a cloud forest perched atop a sandstone mountain that also supports a waterfall that cascades down the mountainside echoing through the forest as it splashes into the pool below. There is also a Savanna straddling the cliff and running lengthwise through the structure. It is a complex ecology of plants from Africa, South America and Australia. Further on there is a Marsh, modeled on the subtropical mangrove-dominated estuary in southern Florida. 700 different trees make their home in this biome. There is even a desert displaying its own 125 variety of plants adapted to higher levels of humidity so as to coexist with the nearby ocean. But the ultimate biome, the one that made it all worth while, the one that everything was created for, was the human habitat. Here in the center of the structure, built into a compact but versatile area were spaces for 10 people to live and work. Everything from metal fabricating to medicine was needed, as well as dentistry, woodworking, farming, mental health. If you can think of it, they needed to do it on their own with nothing more to work with  than the material on hand and the tools laid in from the beginning. The 10 apartments were split into two story dwellings. The living quarters were on the bottom and the bedroom was on the top. Each person was allowed to decorate his or her domicile in whatever way they wished. Some became libraries while others were turned into art studios. The first physician was Dr. Roy Watford, who kept a constant check on everybody, giving physicals every 8 weeks. The medical lab was designed to minimize byproducts that caused environmental pollution, which would contaminate the sealed system. For this reason chemicals that harm the air and water were not use for tests. Not all was fun and roses. In the beginning all was well but in time, personalities grated and domestic bliss was stretched. One of the psychological logic's was to place all the reading material, including all reference books on how to make a part or heal a sick plant in a library located high in a central tower requiring the residents to make a concerted effort to climb to get the information they needed. The theory was that it would keep them in shape with much needed exercise while learning what to do in solving the many problems that would be facing them. A glass floor was installed so that those who accomplished the climb could look down at their accomplishment. What was first conceived as an exercise and learning program, quickly became a chore. This disintegrated to an impossibility as food and oxygen decreased in the final stages. Such was the fine tuning required to make the project a success. Not everything works perfectly the first time. So much was learned, so much was tried. Still, today all remain great friends and two have since married each other. It was without question, a noble endeavor by very courageous and foresighted people, the likes of which has never been tried before, or since. For those who would malign the lack of pioneers on our suburban streets, sit down for a while with Ed Bass and talk to him about adventure. We had to rush a bit towards the end because we hadn't gotten there until about 1 p.m. I would say if anyone wanted to go, they should allow a full day to see everything at a leisurely pace. They have a nice snack bar and restaurant, if you get hungry along the way. One thing I thought was very interesting is that the Biosphere II building is under quarantine by the state of Arizona. The reason for this is that they have brought in exotic plants from all over the world that are not native to Arizona. They are not sure what would happen if these plants got loose in the desert environment. So, everyone who goes in the building goes in through an airlock and on exiting must step into a foot bath that has disinfectant in it. A little smelly but not bad considering it is to safeguard their local flora and fauna. We found out that this is the only facility in the U.S. that is a research facility, teaching facility and tourist attraction. As we learned, they have added an addition to that list. It seems that William Shatner was there, filming a sci-fi movie as well. As we wended our way to our truck at the end of the day we were tired but really felt that we had gained a lot from our visit. If you ever get out this way be sure and stop. It was great!

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