Day 6: Carlsbad Caverns

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Today I will be going hundreds of feet underground in the form of Carlsbad Caverns. One of my earliest memories was reading an entry in a fact book about Carlsbad Cavern. It is the deepest natural cavern in the world and was created when sulfuric acid dissolved the surrounding limestone. Native American artifacts have been found deep in the caverns so human beings have been exploring the caverns for thousands of years.

It is an 8 hour drive from Austin to Carlsbad so I left at 5:30AM. I stopped for breakfast at a small Texas town called Sonora which is also the name of the desert I was driving in as well. I must admit I felt out of place in a room full of Texans in their boots and big hats with me in shorts and sandals. Anyway going was slow because google maps took me on a tour of small Texas roadways. It was almost 2PM when I reached Carlsbad and the drive up to the caverns was beautiful. I parked in the large parking lot and paid the $10 fee to go into the caverns. This is much cheaper than other national parks so that was nice. I opted to walk down rather than take the elevator down the caverns. I walked down to the caverns and this was apparently not a popular choice because I was the only one walking down. I will admit it was scary walking in the dark with orange light barely lighting the way. At intervals there were park rangers who seemed to be just hanging around to help any tourists who have questions.

It is usually a 45 minute walk down to the caverns but I was really hustling so it only took me 25 minutes. When I got to the caverns at the bottom I felt the pressing weight of all the rock above me and I tried to remain calm as I wandered around the caverns. It is really impressive in the caverns and to think people explored these caverns without all the elevators, lights and paths that we have today. The caverns themselves consist of several large rooms and the paths will take you all through them. I spent about 2 hours in the caverns before heading up and buying some toys and gifts for family back up.

My next stop was Phoenix but it was 8 hours away and it would be past midnight before I get there. I opted to drive to Las Cruces which was 3.5 hours away. Driving through the desert was tiring but I made it late in the evening. Tonight would be one of my few motels of this trip. I was exhausted so I now know I am not up for hours of activity plus 12 hours of driving all in one day. Tomorrow would be Phoenix.

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