Today’s adventure was a walk through Carlsbad Caverns. The full round trip down to the caverns, through the Great Room and to the elevator is 2.5 miles with a descent of 750 feet. Some people walk back up, but we were ready to give our legs and feet a rest. So we opted for the elevator ride. Although we both have been there many times, we never tire of the beauty. We are in awe of the courage and ingenuity it took to first explore the caverns and then to develop them with safe, walkable paths. 

While the caverns were explored by Indigenous tribes, such as The Mescalero Apache and Zuni Pueblo, and the Spanish Conquistadors, it was 16 year old Jim White, in 1898, who observed millions of bats exiting the caves at dusk. He built a wire and slat ladder and climbed down the bats’ exit hole and began exploring the caverns. In 1923 after a US General Land Office survey and a National Geographic expedition, the the caverns were declared a National Monument. Congress declared the site a National Park in 1930. In 1995, it is recognized as a UNESCO World Heritage site. The above ground landscape and topography is equally as impressive as the caverns themselves. 

We finished our “walk” through the caverns at 4 pm. We had considered attending the ranger program and watching the massive bat exit at dusk.  However, there were some threatening clouds in the sky which meant that there was a good chance of thunder and lightning and the 6 pm program would be canceled. We decided that the odds were not in our favor, and we headed into the town of Carlsbad for dinner and lodging for the night. Steven’s Inn is extremely comfortable.

Best to all,
Wayne & Peggy