Continental Inn Carlsbad

... they tested the Atomic bomb. They also had stealth fighters at the air force base. So of course I was keen to camp on the dunes as it was ok with a permit from the ranger. Unfortunately the rangers are a bit strict, like harder than nails. He said if you camp you have to be set up an hour before sun down. We had got there late after driving all day so had to move on to Oliver Lees State park to camp after having a quick walk while the sun slipped behind the ...

... to go out to the caverns to see the night bat flight. You sit in a large outdoor amphitheater right out side of the main natural cave entrance. Around dusk, the bats begin their nightly trek outside the cave for insects. It was cool to watch, and Bri and I gasped occasionally when they flew uncomfortably close to us.<br><br>Tomorrow we'll tour the caves.

... the "bottom" however, where the elevator ends, the stillness is quickly quashed. The elevator and natural cave entrance both empty into a massive subterranean cavity that has huge stalactites, stalagmites, columns, and more otherworldly features. We take our time and explore the many parts of the big room as well as a few of the paths that venture off and away from the main cavern. We stop in at Carlsbad for a quick bite to eat ...

... tent from around 8:30pm to midnight. With the wind came silt from the high desert that blew into our tent. It was a dusty, exhausting night. Poor John was continually up and down, in and out of the tent, trying to better secure it. In the end, our little tent was unscathed, just dirtier than it's ever been. While the winds had died down by morning, we decided to leave and move on to Carlsbad, first the ...

... seven is quite impressive and being out of a place by eight thirty for us, very impressive. So we were on the road again.....not for long....oh yes, that's right in order to run a car you need gas, which we RAN OUT OF on highway 285 going to Durango Colorado. Thank God for Triple A because I'm telling you we were stuck in the middle of NO WHERE. It wasn't intentional; of course, we thought for sure that there would be gas on a main highway? Not a fat chance in New Mexico....

... was pitch black, and not having anticipated such a late finish we didn't have a torch with us. So a very tense sprint back to the bus ensued, followed by another nail-biting trip to the shower block and back with our not so adequate torch. It could turn out to be quite useful glowing in the dark! <br><br>Miles travelled: 0 <br><br>Total miles travelled: 6737 <br><br>Days on road: 56 <br><br>States visited: 11 <br><br>National Parks visited: 11

... of the Chihuahua Desert to attract investment. Nonetheless it is worth the day or two visit to see some of the most varied natural underground geologic formations in the world. These caverns are actually part of a mountain range that millions of years ago was a reef beneath the sea. The caverns were cut not by wind or water, but by sulfuric acid, which adds to their uniqueness. You can take the self-guided tour through the Natural Entrance and then ...

... s been in other caverns and they don't look as "dirty". The Ranger explains that this cavern is different because of the type of soil above the cavern. The dissipation of the moisture onto the limestone causes that colour. I found the Ranger's explanation misleading. In my pictures you can see when I don't use the flash the natural colours of the limestone come out. What our eyes perceive in the dark as grey matter is actually green in colour ...

Wow. Dad - you were definitely right that we didn't want to miss this one. We were awestruck in the Caverns, and it was a nice little getaway from the HOT New Mexico sun. Not much else to say as we were speechless with the whole 2-mile walk 750 feet underground. Enjoy the photos. Kristen