Saw a turkey at a rest stop along way to Carlsbad Caverns
Saw a Texas size moth at another rest stop...bigger than my fist
View from parking lot at the National Park...very nice
Some basic information about Caverns
Marilyn and Clinton
Clinton and I at the Carlsbad Caverns National Park Registration and Information Center
Park Ranger Dave
Beginning the hike to the natural opening of the cave
Temperature outside about 93 and slight humidity.
Dedication to man that laid foundation of National Park system in U.S.
The outdoor theater where you sit to watch the bats emerge from the cave
First look at the cave opening
There are swallows flying in and out of the opening while we were going into it. The rangers call them "the day shift".
This picture gives you scale
Park system has installed a nice path/trail all the way down into the caverns.
At about the second row down in this picture you begin to feel the temperature drop as cool air is coming out of the cavern.
Quite a procession
Now inside...looking back up
History
Not Batman's bat cave
Further inside...leaving the lighted world behind.
Last glimse of light.
OOooohh...play the music Rod Serling.
Ummmm....
Stalagmite
Eeeuuwww
Nice and cool inside...dampness causes condensate to form on my mustache. Mmm water to drink.
At about 150 feet in depth...700 more to go.
Nice
At about 300 feet in depth
Wow
No that's not rain. Condensate on lens.
Looking up at about 500 feet in depth
No flash...here's what it looks like
blurred...darn. No autofocus and longer exposure without flash
ditto
explanation
At least you can read that it's Iceberg Rock...illustration shows that it's basically a large rock in caverns that fell down
Hard to see...but there it is.
Occasionally path goes into crevices.
New term...read up.
no flash picture again
At 850 feet depth.
You are here.
Worth the extra hour plus hike to go around this room.
Lions tail stalactite
this had no sign or caption....none needed...womans breast
au naturale....lighting that is.
The Chandelier
rope ladder to lower cave...not for tourists.
some womans behind....that's all I can see in this picture.
Active speloethem....whatever that new term was.
Someones hand?
Gott an hour and half wait on these stone seats
What we learned from Ranger...some species of bats can pollenate some plants...like bananas, avacados and even the Surarreo that huge cactus with the arms up in the air.
When bats come out we have to be very very quiet..we are in their habitat. No cameras, video cameras, cell phones...anything that emits radio or infrared frequency as bats use sound frequency to locate and help them fly in groups...hence this is last picture (sorry). Was an amazing site to witness. They flew out in a vortex and then took off to find water and food.
