More than 1,000 years ago Native Americans were in Carlsbad Cavern and left behind some mysterious drawings on the walls near the entrance. In the 1800s, settlers discovered the cavern, drawn to it by the hundreds of thousands of bats rising up out of the natural entrance in the evenings. Some stayed to mine the hugh deposits of bat guano (Yes, that is bat poop!) in the cave and sell it as fertilizer. One such man, Jim White, became fascinated by the cave and spent hour after hour exploring it. After pictures were displayed in the town in 1915 people suddenly clamored to see the marvelous cave for themselves. White took them on tours that began with a 170 foot descent in a bucket. (Don't worry, they now have walking tour, so the bucket is no longer used.) Finally, in 1923 Carlsbad Cavern was proclaimed a national monument. White, became its first chief ranger. Seven years later Carlsbad Caverns National Park was created to protect the cave. I won't bore you with the geology or how the caves were formed, but as you can see the formations are amazing. 
The most exciting thing to see is the evening flight of the bats. First, a talk is given at the cavern entrance by a ranger. The starting time of the talk varies with sunset. The bat flight talks are scheduled from Memorial Day weekend through the end of September. In late October or early November the bats migrate to Mexico for the winter, they return in April or May depending on the weather.
The best bat flights normally occur in August and September. The daily pre-dawn return of the bats is different from the evening exit flights, but are just as impressive. Early risers can see the bats as they re-enter the cavern with spectacular dives.
Here is what one of our little friends looks like up close. As many as seven types of bats roost in the cavern, but most are the Mexican Freetail. It flies south to Mexico for the winter.The second stop is The Trinity Site, which is about 220 miles (3 and 1/2 hours) from Albuquerque.
On July 16, 1945 the world changed with the explosion of the first atomic bomb. This is the official landmark of where that happened, which is on what is now White Sands Missile Range.
This is the most spectacular thing to see. It's sand! It's amazingly beautiful sand, but yes, it is just sand.
Our final stop is The Four Corners. It's 320 (5 hours) miles north west of Albuquerque. It is the only spot in the country where four states intersect at one point. You can be in the four states all at once, by placing a foot in Utah, a foot in Colorado, a hand in Arizona and a hand in New Mexico. I hope you have enjoyed your trip. Next week will be the last part of our tour. You will see the Puye Cliff Dwellings, The International Balloon Fiesta and The Sandia Peak Tram.
2 comments:
I have ALWAYS wanted to go to the caverns, I have this thing about wanting to see caves and I never have.
Oh, I love the caverns. It's been awhile since I've been...Ricardo and I went shortly after we met.
Great NM tour!
Post a Comment