Some dads build their kids tree houses, but in the treeless desert of southeastern Utah, Albert Christensen’s only possible alternative was a cave. A badass dad that he was, Christensen blasted the rocks off a sandstone cliff face near U.S. Highway 191, so that his sons could sleep at night. He continued drilling and expanding the cave for 12 years until it was large enough for both him and his wife to move in in 1952. The 5,000 square foot subterranean home is equipped with 14 rooms arranged around huge pillars, a fireplace with a 65-foot tall chimney and a deep bathtub built into the rock. Albert was building a 100-foot tall staircase when he died. The stairs would have cut up to the top of the rock, where his wife would have arranged a rock garden. After her husband’s death, Gladys continued to develop the property, opening a gift shop and giving tours of her home until she passed away in 1974.

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