CARLSBAD, NM

Feb. 12
We left Big bend National Park.  About 60 miles north of the Park entrance and 100 miles from the Mexico border, we went through U.S. Border Patrol.  We stopped and were asked a few questions like, "is there anyone else in the back of your motor home?"  I think while the nice officer was keeping us occupied asking questions, the drug sniffing dog made his rounds checking out our car and rig.  We passed inspection and were soon on our way to New Mexico.

The wind today was ridiculous!  I dont' know how people living here cope with these strong and gusty winds.

While driving past ranches, oil wells, and through gusting winds, we crossed the Texas/New Mexico border.  The topography quickly changed from flat desert, to desert with rolling hills.

Feb. 13 - CARLSBAD CAVERNS

We are staying in Carlsbad, NM.  Today we crossed another item off our bucket list when we visited Carlsbad Caverns, located in the Chihuahua Desert and Guadalupe Mountains.  The Caverns were designated a national Park in 1930 and a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1995.  This is a very special place of gigantic subterranean chambers with the most beautiful, natural, fantastic and extraordinary cave features we have ever seen!  We got a flavor of the Caverns by taking the elevator down 750 ft. to tour of the 1 mile perimeter of the Big Room.  The Big Room is the size of 6 football fields, and the paved trail as well as many of the beautiful features are well-lit.  The Big Room is just one of the many chambers of the Cavern to be explored.  Like the Grand Canyon, this is a place that needs to be seen to appreciate the enormity and beauty.

One more place to cross off the Bucket List. 
 

Beautiful stalactites and stalagmites.

Holy Crap, look at the size of those stalagmites!

These formations are enormous and it looks like a Fairy Land.

Delicate "soda straw" stalactites.

A few words about the famous Bat Flight; this phenomenon only occurs between May and October because the bats winter in Mexico (even they become Snowbirds!). I think if I had seen hundreds of thousands of bats, I may have been traumatized for the rest of my life.

Before leaving the Park, we took a 9 1/2 mile scenic drive through Walnut Canyon.

Didn't run into any rattlers.