Carlsbad Caverns

November 9, 10, 2016

From El Paso you drive through some not very exciting country before you hit the hills.  The biggest thrill was going through the border patrol checkpoint and that was only because the dog that sniffed my wheels was cute.  The border guy basically waved me through.  I guess there are advantages to driving something that no self-respecting smuggler would be caught in.

The hills out of that part of the country are significant and it was a long, slow climb.  I was going to stop at Guadalupe Mountains National Park to check it out but the hills as you pass them look pretty bare and I didn't want to subject my transmission to that.  Have I mentioned that it was kind of leaking again?  Yeah.  But I knew I wanted to see Carlsbad so I spent a chilly, drizzly night at a rest stop up in the mountains and set out for the caverns the next morning.

The cave entrance is (of course) at the top of a long hill.  I think I added some transmission fluid and did the long, slow pull to the top.  Once there you go through the visitors' center to get tickets and head down the path to the natural cave entrance.  It's a big hole in the ground.

But kind of cool-looking from the inside:

Not many pictures here because it's hard to get quality images in the dark without the right equipment but the formations are fascinating and it's a pleasant walk through the caverns.

I will have to go back because 1) the bats that fly out of the cave are only there in the summer and 2) there are several tours given by the park rangers but in the off season they only happen early in the morning.

I'll do better next time