The girls and I spent several hours at Carlsbad Caverns this afternoon before getting back on the road to Oklahoma. It was definitely worth the extra trip segment, and I think the girls had a great time, with the possible exception of a couple complications. I took lots of pictures, but most didn't turn out very well. I put a few in the album, but I'm working with some others to see if I can make adjustments. Also, other vacation pics are forthcoming.
We did the full two mile self-guided tour of the caverns. That first mile is tougher than it seems at first. It takes an hour to do (while still seeing everything), but it's like walking downhill (75 stories!) continuously for an hour. Even if you're in good shape, you have to sit or stop periodically to give your legs a rest. The second mile was mostly flat, so not too bad.
One of the complications was that the girls were REALLY cold. I planned appropriately and brought jackets for everyone (which we made good use of), but I didn't put the girls in jeans, though I had jeans in the suitcase. I didn't think it was THAT cold myself, and there were many others in shorts, even other kids. So the fact that the girls were cold was a bit of a distraction at times.
Another complication was that Darby was a crap head. No, literally. I mean, her head was crapped on. By a bird. Seriously.
They don't tell you that, while at night the cave entrance is filled with bats, during the day, there are birds EVERYwhere, practically swarming around the cavern entrance. I was rather worried that one of us would get hit by ambient fecal matter, and I was right to be worried about it as it turns out. Just moments from being out of bird dropping range, Darby had a glob of it land smack in the middle of her head. I felt so bad for her. But very unfortunately, I had nothing to use to clean her head with. I had hand sanitizer, but no tissues or napkins or baby wipes. AND, the nearest bathroom was a mile away. Ugh.
Gratefully, Darby handled it VERY well. She was calm and practical about it, which I appreciated. Shelby would have been hysterical. Instead, Darby ignored the complication, enjoyed the first mile of the tour, and when we got to the rest area, she went to the restroom and removed the yuck herself, and even washed her hair with hand soap. I wish she handled ALL of life's complications that way. I gave her a big hug and thanked her for not freaking out.
My big regret is that we didn't have time to stay to watch the bats leave the cave at dusk. We left Tucson so late that we had to drive straight to the hotel on Tuesday night, and then get up Wednesday to do the caverns. With some better planning, we could have gotten to the caverns earlier Tuesday night to observe the bats, even if we still didn't do the tour until the next day. Oh well, I guess this gives us more reason to come back.
So, my recommendation summary for a good Carlsbad visit... Definitely bring and use jackets/sweatshirts; Put the kids in jeans, even if they complain it's too hot outside; Bring some napkins or wet wipes for dropping removal, maybe even wear a hat as you enter the cave; Eat a large meal before starting the tour, as you'll work it off with all the walking and still be starving after the hike; Bring shoes with good traction as the first mile of the tour is quite steep; Make time for the bats at dawn or dusk. Oh, and do make time for the gift shop. It's quite extensive, and surprisingly affordable. I've been to some gift shops with $27 t-shirts, but at the cavern gift shop, there were many rather nice shirts below ten bucks.
A travel note... after ~350 miles of non-interstate highway driving the last couple days, I've come to have a fresh appreciation for the interstate system. We tend to take it for granted, and though the state and US highways have their charm, that charm fades after a couple hundred miles, and we find ourselves wishing for something that strongly resembles the robust interstate system we've had for the last fifty years now. Once I finally got to I-27 in Lubbock, it was like a huge weight of stress was lifted from my shoulders, and from then on, the driving was much nearer to worry-free.
No comments:
Post a Comment