Carlsbad Caverns, Part 2

As uncomfortable as the heat was, it seems we all got some sleep (though sometimes interrupted by imagined creatures coming to get you, right YoManBob?). We rose fairly early Saturday - Dennis at daybreak, me at coffee break - and, after checking the local weather forecast (afternoon thunderstorms), decided it would be best to break camp and head straight to our next site after visiting Carlsbad Caverns (this time to enter the cave).

See how close Teams Alpha and Gamma's tents were?

YoManBob had his camp packed in 5 minutes. The advantages of

Team Me. Team Gamma did an excellent job for first-timers and I expect they'll improve daily. Dennis and I have done this so much, it's down to a fine art.

As soon as camp was broken, we headed to Carlsbad Caverns. The day before, we had only used the van, since we knew it would be dark returning to camp and we did not want to be dodging cattle and critters on the bikes. Yes, cattle. To get to the state park you have to cross 5 miles of grazing land. There's cows on the side, or in the middle, of the road almost every time.

The caverns' entrance sits on a mesa at the end of a winding road. This time, on the bikes, it was great. It would have been awesome if they didn't have those pesky speed limit thingies.

We humans use the same entrance the bats do. During the day, they stay hidden in inaccessible areas and we were free to take as many photos as we liked. Unfortunately, unless you have a high end camera, pictures inside the cave are way too dark. Camera phones fall under the "not-high-end" category and that's all we had. 

Actually, YoManBob's camera phone did take some decent low-light pictures, but he did not figure that particular setting out until we were at the very bottom of the cave. Can't blame him, though. He's only owned that phone for almost two years! So we only have four or five decent pics. I'll post them as soon as I get them from him.

Irene about to walk down into the cave... with a jacket!

It is over an hour's walk from the mouth of the cave to the "Big Room" at the bottom, 756 feet below ground. The cave is a constant, chilly 56° and very humid. It is also steep and slippery so that, although it's all downhill, it is very taxing. Good thing there's an elevator to bring you back to the surface!

Peekaloo showing off her CASA t-shirt while we goof off

One thing I would like to remind all readers is that I am keeping this blog in the hopes of raising money for CASA of SoLA. Please go to the info link, see what they are all about, then go to the donation link.  The kids that benefit from this appreciate it more than you can know - unless you volunteer. Then you see it first hand!