CARLSBAD and THE CAVERNS

Arriving in Carlsbad, New Mexico and going to The Carlsbad Caverns National Park, was very exciting for both of us. For me, the last time I was here I was about 10 years old. For Rowan, she has never seen this place. The Caverns are truly something to behold. I remember when I was little, it was all so enormous and beyond my comprehension. Now that I understand how this place was created and the time it took, Oh my goodness! I feel like such a spec in this huge universe we live in. Rowan, and the scientist in her, was just awe struck and wanted to find the answers to all of it. We walked the mile and a quarter down from the entrance to the cave instead of taking the elevator down. We just had to see ALL of it. Plus, we wanted to see where all of the bats live during the spring and summer months. They are currently not in residence (they winter in Mexico). We are very sorry we missed them. I mean, how exciting to be in the bat cave! :o) We highly recommend a stop to see this wonder if you are ever in southern New Mexico.

We took well over a hundred photos. I will only post a few of the best here, which of course don't even come close to how incredible this place is in person.

A very brief history of the cave: Over 250 Million years ago the area was a coastline for an inland sea. The area was basically a huge reef. Hence, the huge caverns were created. Go here for the full story:   https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Carlsbad_Caverns_National_Park 

Jim White was the crazy 16 year old who braved going into the cave for the first time with a homemade wire and wood ladder and a kerosene lamp in 1898. I would have been grounded for LIFE if my mom ever caught me doing something like that! And, he went by himself the first time! ACK!

The natural entrance to the cave. This is where, in the spring and summer, you can watch the hundreds of thousands of bats come out for their early evening feeding (they say that 300 of these bats can hang in 1 square foot of space!). Just imagine the shit (guano) that would cover you with that many bats flying overhead. Holy Crap is an understatement! We walked in this way.

The temperature in the cave is about 56 degrees year round with 90% humidity.

As we started to descend, it took about 15 minutes for our eyes to adjust to the darkness. This is the last photo I took with a flash. From here on out we used the very low lighting that is provided in the cave.

So can you find the image of the saint in this photo? This is a natural rock formation.

They have named these formations lions tails. Most of the rock formations you see in the cave are stalagmites and stalactites. If you go to the Wiki page, it will explain all of the minerals that make up these celestial formations and how they are created through time. It is fascinating information.

Mother Earth (for obvious reasons)

 To us, this looked like a grove of trees. It was about 30 feet tall.

 Wow! It is really hard to find words to describe what a wonder this place is. What a treat!

 Us just outside of The Caverns main entrance. It is amazing to think all of that crazy geology is going on just under our feet. This part of the country is truly amazing and so diverse.

We found a couple of our extra terrestrial friends standing guard in front of a little group of shops on our way out of the national park. We told them our next stop is in Roswell to see their friends, so they didn't beam us up to their mother ship...YET!

Thank goodness, because we were able to stop at a taco truck for dinner tonight.

We were in heaven, which is almost like outer space, right?

Maria made us chili rellenos, chicken tacos, pinto beans, rice and all the fixins. YUM!

This made Jenni VERY HAPPY! 

 Get Ready. Roswell is next. Beam me up, Scotty! :o)