Carlsbad Caverns

I know everyone says it… but the Carlsbad Caverns were breathtaking!

I'll let the photos tell most of the story. But, here are some fun facts to enjoy:

• It is documented that the first person to explore this cave system was Jim White in 1898. (conveniently erasing the Native Americans who lived on this land and left drawings in the caves dating back to 14,000 years ago.)
• Carlsbad Caverns was once part of an ancient underwater reef called Capitan Reef.
• There have been fossils and bones found the National Park dating from the ice age.
• The caverns were forged by sulfuric acid, salt water and fresh water. It is said that the Sulfuric acid is the architect and the waters is the artist.
• In the 1880s, people didn't go into the caves to admire them. They were there to mine for bat poop!
• The bats here are in the caves are Mexican free-tail bats and as many as 300,000 of them fly out of the caverns each night. (We did not stick around for that)