Viewing The Carlsbad Caverns.

Our Location today is at the White’s City RV Park, Carlsbad, NM.

Click on the pictures to Enlarge.

After a restful night’s sleep I was up and trying to get caught up on my Computer reading by 7:30 MST. I thought for certain that it wouldn’t be a problem catching up on the Hundreds of Posts that I missed while we were making tracks to stay ahead of the S#@w and Freezing Temperatures. I actually had just enough time to read my E-Mails and check the Weather when Kathy came downstairs.

Nothing like a bowl of Hot Cereal and a Hot Drink to start the morning. Kathy was unfortunately having a problem. With all the hours of sitting while we traveled, it seemed that her Knee was acting up and now quite tender. With breakfast over she was determined to do what we came here for, so we strapped her Knee with a Brace we carry and set up her Walking Stick before making our way out the door.

We slowly made our way up to see the Carlsbad Caverns. The drive up was breathtaking in itself as Kathy used the camera along the way. Even when we arrived at the Main Building the Vistas were unbelievable.

Inside we were asked if we had a National Parks Pass which I vaguely remembered in my wallet. It was still good from last year when we went to visit Montezuma’s Cliff Dwelling and Well so our entrance today was Free. In that case we paid to each have our own Electronic Tour Guide which meant we would be certain to hear all the important details we might otherwise miss.

Because of Kathy’s Knee we chose to take the Elevator. There we met Barry and Carol from Waterloo, Ontario. They had also traveled to the area with their Fifth Wheel and were now staying at the former KOA Campground in Carlsbad. They had tried to tour the Cavern yesterday but the Elevators were all down so the tried the Walk-Down. They only made it about a quarter way down the steep incline when they realized they still needed to climb back out. They turned around at that point and came back today.

It didn’t take long for the Elevator to descend the 800 Feet to the Cavern Floor. When the doors open you only see a small opening to pass through but once you are beyond that arch you stand in awe at the greatness that you are witness to.

Listening to your Electronic Tour Guide you are given a History Lesson that teaches you how the Geography of the planet Earth changed over 28 Million Years Ago. The Tour Guide explained how the Caverns were discovered and how the different Formations were given their names. They encouraged you to let your imagination run wild while preserving the Natural Beauty you were surrounded by. Another thing the Electronic Tour Guide did was to explain the differences in these Formations as compared to those found in other Caverns around the world.

It also explained how just our presence inside was affecting the deterioration of the brilliance of the colours because without trying we are carrying in Mud, Dust and Pollen from the outside down in the Caverns. Presently there is no longer any additional formations being formed because of something else Man has done. Eight Hundred Feet above is the Parking Lot that was Paved which means that moisture in the form of Rain and Snow no longer gets down into the rocks. There are plans to remove the Pavement in the near future.

Even though we were walking on a Paved Trail throughout the Big Room there was lots of ups and downs, twists and turns. With Kathy’s Bad Knee and my taking pictures, it took us nearly Two Hours just to see this wonder. Fortunately at the end of the tour there are Restrooms, Snack-Bar and Souvenirs available downstairs or up at the Park Center.

Before saying Safe Travels to our newfound Canadian Travelers we had a chance to tell them about our going “Off the Grid” like many others in the desert. They were planning on visiting friends in the area before heading to Florida.

We had a Sandwich to eat at the Snack Bar upstairs before heading out because Kathy was so tired from all the walking. We even forgot to look around the Information Center because we just wanted to get back Home. Kathy said that means we’ll just have to see it again another time.

That's the road we are traveling.

We would really encourage anyone that is interested in seeing the Beauty of Nature to visit the Carlsbad Caverns. We only had Split Pea Soup for supper tonight. Thank you for following along and feel free to leave a comment.

Be Safe and Enjoy!

All the pictures of the Cavern Formations were taken with the intent of showing their beauty but add Lighting and Shadows there are Faces visible in each of those pictures. Someone in Special Effects would have a field day photographing these Caverns.

It’s about time.

Krackers

Words of Inspiration

Perseverance is a great element of success. If you only knock long enough and loud enough at the gate, you are sure to wake up somebody.

Henry Wadsworth Longfellow, American Poet