This morning we left Santa Fe in good time and made our way to Carlsbad. We didn't stop for many breaks but it meant we got to Carlsbad nice and early. Before going to the campsite we went to the Caverns in Carlsbad and enjoyed a long walk underground exploring the caves. It's probably one of the most beautiful things I've ever seen, the caves are lit up dramatically by strategically placed lights. The result looked almost computerised! Looking deep into the vast cave really made me pause and take it in, it felt like I was watching a David Attenborough program! Going into the cave to get away from the thumping heat was a welcome break!
The walk took almost two hours. It was a paved path all the way round the caves, and there was always a hand rail within reach. This made exploring the caves much easier but took away the excitement. That's why I preferred Waitomo in New Zealand! Waitomo didn't need lights to illuminate the way, it had glow worms! I think if Waitomo was more commercialised it would have taken away all the fun! So Carlsbad was a beautiful cave and very impressive but no where near as fun!
After exploring we went back up into the heat and drove to our campsite where we set up. We had a little snack to eat to keep us going before heading back to the caves. We waited just outside the cave entrance for sunset. Just before the sun went down, hundreds of thousands of bats left the cave at once, the rising column looked almost smoke like. It was great to watch and the talk given by one of the rangers was equally impressive.
We headed back to the campsite in the dark and started frying chicken for our fajitas! Was really great but nothing beats the Markham fajitas!