We stayed at a KOA north of Carlsbad, NM. It was a pretty nice KOA except for two things – it was 45 minutes from the Caverns themselves, and the awful smell of the oil refineries at night. Blech…but we had a tiled patio with a swing, a fire pit, a BBQ and a gazebo! Not a bad start to this trip after a windy drive from Las Cruces.
I remember going to the caverns as a kid with my father and Beany/Eric, and thinking it was crazy to go so far down to see dripping rocks. And I loved watching the bats at sunrise and sunset. First off, the bats are migratory and not back yet, BOO! And secondly, there is an elevator that takes you down to the “Big Room” where you walk a 1.5 mile relatively flat pathway, and ride the elevator back up again. That is my kind of hike!! And because of COVID-19, you have to have reservations to go into the cavern so it was not crowded at all. Sorry to those who did not know it ahead of time, but nice for us.
As a lifelong Californian, I have issues being underground. What happens when the big earthquake hits?! What the heck, it is only 7 stories below the surface. Geez….arg…yikes…and all of those exclamations! It was very cool and so well run below, and everyone is hushed and polite when you see one another. Again, the feeling of being insignificant in this place is overwhelming. Nature beats us yet again. It was calming in the presence of these slow drips, depositing their minerals. Overall they are called speleothems as they form. Stalactites drip from the ceiling (hold tight) while stalagmites grow from the floor (they are mighty). I believe I remember the difference from that long ago trip with my family. They can form”pearls” or little balls, or popcorn which are knobby groups of circles. There are also straws and draperies. Overall, another great National Park visit!
