Carlsbad Caverns National Park

in travel •  5 years ago 

Part Two: The Big Room


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Read Part One Here!

After an hour and a half of winding our way down an asphalt path full of geological wonders, we finally arrived at The Big Room and big it is, stretching almost 4000 feet long and over 650 feet wide. The size of the place is massive and quite honestly my eyes didn't know where to focus at first.

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The path that meanders around the big room is a pretty easy stroll, complete with places to divert off into so as to study the various formations. Honestly, there is so much information available about the caverns, both historical, geological, and visual that I feel it could take multiple visits just to absorb it all.

We had one of the audio docent handheld devices that you can get before you descend into the caverns from the Park Service. When you see a number you just type it into the keys and you'll get a super National Geographic-like lecture on whatever the numbered feature is. It was like having our own tour guide.

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Something that drew my notice right away was the placid little pools of water that stood in various places throughout the cavern. They had an almost other worldly stillness about them, which I suppose makes sense as there was no wind to toss the water about a bit. Occasionally a drip would launch itself off of an icicle-like stalactite and ripple one of the pools of water. It was such a mind grabbing sight. Of course it was then that I noticed all the penny signs.

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Apparently people have been so conditioned to chuck change into pools that they feel the need to throw coins into the pools of the caverns, even though there are signs everywhere about how damaging the coins are to the fragile ecosystem. You can not miss the Do not throw coins into the pools signs and yet there was various coinage everywhere. Sigh.

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That little bit of annoyance aside, I returned to my cavern viewing trance and meandered around The Big Room's loop. The place's slightly left in the washer too long sock smell tickled my scent receptors as I wandered from formation to formation letting my imagination run a bit wild. We spent at least an hour and a half down there, and I am pretty sure if it had just been my husband and I we would have spent at least an hour more, the place is that amazing!

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After spending half a day in the caverns, it was time to ascend and eat some lunch! We wandered over to the line for the elevators, and after a couple of minutes found ourselves squished into one of the gleaming silver elevators. Faster than you can say "Wow my ears popped!" we were stumbling out into the main visitors center ready to buy some tourist detritus. I'm not gonna lie, I was sort of sad to leave the caverns. That space was just so magical, like being on another world. I really would love to wander through it with no other people around.

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We all sauntered back to our truck and trailer and were soon hurtling up the road to our night's destination, Roswell, New Mexico, another otherworldly destination. There was mutual agreement in the truck that Carlsbad Caverns National Park is definitely a national treasure, and I for one plan on returning for a visit again some day in the near future.

Cavern Picture Overload Section!


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And as most of the time, all of the images in this post were taken on the author's spelunking and not a coin to be tossed into a cave pool iPhone.


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wow

@tipu curate

Upvoted 👌 (Mana: 0/25 - need recharge?)

Carlsbad is pretty amazing. I got to go when I was a kid. Also went to the Moaning Caverns in the Sierras on a field trip in 4th grade. Caves are so intriguing and feel like a primal part of humans.

There are caves 2 hours from you. Crawford State Park is right on the Canada border north of Metaline Falls. While NOWHERE close to the size of Carlsbad, it is FAR closer to home.

I'm so sorry I fell off of the face of the Earth, been a pretty rough couple of weeks, lol!

Crawford sounds intriguing! And you are so right, much closer to home! I can sense a mini road trip coming on!

Just down a windy little road from my Grandma's house in Washington is a blocked entrance to an ice cave inside a little cavern, I loved that place! No matter how hot it was you could step into the cavern and it would be like a refrigerator. Caves are seriously awesome!

Thanks for the photo overload! Those are amazing pictures. The only caverns I've been in were the Lewis and Clark Carverns in Montana, long ago.

Glad you enjoyed, sorry it took me so long to get back to ya, life really got in the way! So happy you made it home from the warm lands safe and sound:)

Yaaaay!!! MORE caverns, more caverns!

Thanks for the pictures and the memories!

"I really would love to wander through it with no other people around."

Oooh, take me! Take meeeeee!

😄😇😉

@creatr

Well, of course I would assume you would be there too, fellow cave enjoyer, lol!:)