Carlsbad Caverns National Park – Carlsbad, New Mexico
BATS!! Not a fan but excited to view the bat flight at the opening of the cavern. Sitting on the stone steps of the amphitheater, listening to the ranger give us information on the bats, many visitors were eagerly awaiting the flight of the bats. About 1/2 hour before dusk, thousands of bats (approx. 121,000) leave the cave to hunt for insects to feed their young and themselves. They travel more than a mile and a half from the depth of the cavern. The first group of bats could be seen against the contrasting color of the rocks before they took flight into the sky. It was amazing! As time passed, it became more difficult to see as they came out of the cavern, but the ongoing swarms of bats flew into the discernable dimly lit sky was an indication more were to follow. Occasionally, a group of bats would fly above our heads, and you could hear the flapping of their wings and their distinct smell. This exodus continued for over 45 minutes until we could no longer see as the dark sky of nightfall was upon us. The ranger said they usually return around 4 in the morning. Easily heard but not seen, droves of returning bats make their way back to the caverns. The bats repeat this nightly until the end of October, when the bats migrate to Mexico.
As the night sky darkened, we went to the visitors center as we had reservations for the ranger-guided Starry Walk. Armed with red light headlamps and mats, we strolled along a gravel road. Once at our viewing area, we laid back on the mats to gaze at the multitude of stars above us. The ranger began to point out the various stars and planets and their mythological stories behind them. Living in metropolitan areas, the Milky Way is usually not seen due to all the city’s lights. Here, the Milky Way is easy to spot. The big treat of the night – shooting stars. Unfortunately, these are not stars but meteorites coming into our atmosphere.
THE BEST PART………. THE CAVERN
The following day, we were at the caverns at 9:00 am since our reservation time slot was from 9:30 to 10:30. Presented with an option of taking the elevator down to the Big Room or walking it down, we opted for the more adventurous journey – 750 ft down we go! We entered the cave the same way the bats came out last night. The unique rock formations, stalactites, and stalagmites made the steep climb down worth it. Forty-five minutes later, we were at the beginning of the Big Room, where those who chose the elevator landed. We have been to many caverns, but this was by far the largest and far-reaching one we had visited. There are over 119 caves and so many picture-worthy sights. Throughout, we compared this to the Kartchner Caverns. Carlsbad is enormous, but Kartchner is more pristine. Kartchner colors on the formations were opaque, and appeared to be still growing. The draperies were beautiful blends of gold, brown and yellow. In Carlsbad, the formations are impressive, but it seemed they were older and had a color of stone rather than the opaque bright color. It didn’t look like this cavern was still growing. We left the cavern at noon in awe and would recommend a visit if in the area.
