Carlsbad Caverns

We arrived at Carlsbad RV Park and Campground after a long days drive.  Got set up and relaxed a bit while Mark & Jan searched for a Windshield repair service.  We ended up getting together and going out for supper before retiring back to our respective RVs.  

Sunday morning we headed to Carlsbad Caverns which I had heard a lot about and we certainly were not disappointed.  The history of the caverns dates back some 250 million years when plant and animal remains formed a limestone reef along the edge of an inland sea.  60 million years ago hydrogen sulphide gas from deep oil and gas deposits combine with water to form sulphuric acid which dissolved cavities within the limestone.  As more limestone dissolved cavities enlarged and 3 million years ago water levels dropped leaving the air filled caverns.  Ground water drips through the limestone laden rocks forming stalactites, stalagmites and other cave decorations.  So there you have it.  250 million years of history condensed into one paragraph.  What you see below will not come close to conveying the immensity and awesomeness (are those really a words) of Carlsbad Caverns.

We took the elevator down 750 feet from the Visitors centre on the surface.  There are numerous caves and caverns, some still unexplored.  One cavern, called the Bottomless Pit, goes down another 140 feet.  There is a natural entrance to the caverns.  Walking down would have been fun (we took the elevator) but no way I would walk up.

The caverns have a lighting system that includes more than 1,000 bulbs and 19 miles of concealed wires.  The lights are designed to reveal the cavern’s natural colours.  Without the lights we would have been in total darkness.  Unable to see even the hand in front of our faces.

The Big Room is the largest known natural limestone chamber in the Western Hemisphere.  Floor space in the Big Room is estimated at more than 600,000 sq ft.  Think 14 football fields.  That would be US size football fields but still pretty big.  Keep in mind that in addition to the 600,000 sq ft the dome is 230 feet above where we were walking.  The pictures in no way convey the vastness of the caverns.  

Many of these caverns are filled with bats.  In the evening they make quite the show as they exit the caverns in the thousands for their nighttime hunting.  We were too late in the season to see the bats as they have gone into hibernation.  

The main caverns do not have any bats in residence anymore.  Probably too many tourists. 

Drip, drip, drip and a few thousand years later....

Sometimes the Stalactites and Stalagmites meet to form a column.  

Reminds me of some of those sea creatures from Pirates of the Caribbean. 

“Soda Straws” are thin, hollow stalactites formed by dripping water.  They are so delicate.  Almost like lace made of rocks. 

Note the Stalagmites at the bottom of the picture.
The smaller ones are called Popcorn because of the rough popcorn like surface.   

The walkways are all asphalt with handrails.  See lower right.
Easy to navigate however not level so still have to watch your step.  

Reminds me of frosting on a cake.  Must be getting hungry. 

Some of the formations have an interesting shape.
I will leave it to your imagination. 

Stalactites are formed from the ceiling by sediment and minerals left by dripping water.

So very delicate.  

Pools of water from ongoing drips.
 Was very humid which make it feel warmer than the constant mid 50's temperature 

Draperies are similar to Stalactites except they are shaped differently.  They look more like, you guessed it, draperies.  Also called ribbons.  When the minerals leave long brown yellowish stripes they are called Bacon.  

Stalagmites are formed on the ground from water dripping down from 

the ceiling leaving mineral deposits.  

Another few million years and we will have columns.

The ladder was installed in 1924 as part of a 6 month exploration of the lower caves.  Obviously not in use any more. 

Cave Explorers. 

We drove up from the plains below.  The caverns are directly below us. 

A beautiful sunny day up above.
Jan was having a bad hair day so despite my requests the hat and sunglasses remained in place.

And now for something completely different.

A comment on the performance of my new Sony A7iii camera.  I love it.  These caverns were a true test of its low light and auto-focus capability.  Despite the dark environment the focus almost always locked on and did so almost instantly.  Most of the pictures were shot at 1/30th of a second (the slowest I dared go for handheld) and at f4 (wide open for my lens).  To get any sort of picture in these dark conditions I pushed the ISO up to 12,800.  If I’d brought my tripod, which they allow, I could have slowed my shutter speed further and reduced the ISO.  Despite the high ISO and some post processing the noise is quite acceptable, especially when displayed on a computer screen.  Not sure if the quality would hold up in print but I seldom print pictures anymore.  My old Canon 60D would have really struggled in these conditions.  Does it sound like I’m trying to justify spending a months pension income on a camera.  Perhaps. 

Next up White Sands National Monument.