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| The main reason we came to this area was to visit The Carlsbad Caverns This is part of the 7 mile scenic drive from the main highway to get to the Caverns..... |
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| Our truck at one of the many viewing points...... |
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| This is The Natural Entrance to The Carlsbad Caverns In 1915 pictures taken by the main explorer, Jim White, created a sensation, people clamoured to see it for themselves and descended 170ft in a bucket once used to haul bat guano ! There are still thousands of bats living in the cave........their evening flight is one of the visitor attractions.... |
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| The descent to the main cave area is now either by lift/elevator or the route we took which is a one-mile, self guided, steep, winding and narrow paved trail descending 750ft into the earth...... |
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| Hard on the knees and calf muscles but absolutely fantastic an amazing descent, the cave is huge really high "ceilings" some formations but those are mainly in the main cave the "Big Room" It took the best part of an hour to get down to the Big Room |
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| One of the formations in the Big Room, I have just a few of pics as I left my small "cave" lens back in UK, it's still packed after moving house !!! |
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| One of the many and varied formations in the Big Room, another one-mile self guided route, some steep areas and steps, which took us approx 1 & 1/2 hours. The Big Room is immense at 8.2 acres. We hadn't realised the enormity of Carlsbad having visited Mammoth Caves in Kentucky we thought these would not compare but they do. They are totally different although both are awesome and I use that word in it's true sense, Mammoth is wide low tunnels and miles and miles of them "stacked" upon each other whereas Carlsbad is so immense and has far more formations a fabulous day and once again we can't praise the Rangers and the National Parks enough...... |
Hi Sue & Michael,
ReplyDeleteHope you took the lift or should I say elevator to get out of the cave,that seem like some walk to enter.Big room etc look spectacular.Did you see the bats evening flight? We think bats are fascinating and get to see a couple in the garden in "summer"
Cheers,
Ann & Dave
We did whimp out and took "elevator" back to the top, that was some ride !! No we didn't stay on for the bats although we're sure it would be a great spectacle. We like bats we had at least one resident bat in our garage at Rivendell and like you would always watch them flying around the house on a late summers evening
ReplyDeleteHope you haven't got more snow, we hear it's started again in Essex...
Take care
M & S
I'm refraining from any comments about bats in the belfry... Cant say they are my favourite creatures but maybe its me. Great photos Sue, now that is what you call a cave. Trust the Yanks to do it bigger and better. So nice to see that blue sky, M and I just had a week-end away in Somerset, at Dunster, really lovely but sooooo cold! Ah well, March this week and soon be Spring. Take care travellers!!!
ReplyDeleteAlan and Maxine
Not sure if we told you but we once had a bat in our bedroom at Rivendell, we had just a small window open but he found his way in, luckily we managed to get him out without any problems to him or us !!! He did hit heads with YorkieMan as he pulled back the curtains to see what the noise was so perhaps the poor little chap was scarred after all !!!!!
ReplyDeleteWell you'll like to know that it is sooooo very cold here too, we are 40 miles from Tucson where they had snow at the Match Play last week !! BUT the locals say it will be 81F by the weekend ! That's after we went shopping today and bought some cold weather trousers for my boy !
Glad you had a good weekend
Sue x