The world below
750 feet underground in Carlsbad Caverns National Park lie the caverns. When we visited a couple of decades ago we didn’t think that much of them. On June 14th of this year we took the 1.25-mile self-guided walk through what’s called the Big Room and found its formations quite impressive. The caverns haven’t changed in 20 years. It seems we have.
© 2017 Steven Schwartzman
Portraits of Wildflowers 
Definitely impressive. But I am not sure I would have coped with a 1.25 mile underground walk. I did a short underground walk near Nelson once, and I couldn’t wait to get out.
Gallivanta
August 23, 2017 at 6:20 AM
Ah, so you prefer your gallivanting to be of the outdoor and above-ground variety. Even so, you might have been okay with the walk we took. The Big Room is aptly named. According to Wikipedia, this “largest chamber in Carlsbad Caverns [has] a floor space of 33,210 square meters.”
Steve Schwartzman
August 23, 2017 at 6:33 AM
Hmmm…….maybe that would be okay.
Gallivanta
August 24, 2017 at 12:04 AM
Wonderful geological formations, Steve!! 👍
Indira
August 23, 2017 at 6:51 AM
They are. I don’t know how much people have heard of Carlsbad Caverns in India; over here it’s well known. It became a national park in 1930.
Steve Schwartzman
August 23, 2017 at 7:03 AM
Not much…. I looked up google after reading your post 🙂
Indira
August 23, 2017 at 7:10 AM
I hope you’ll get to visit it someday. It’s just a half-hour drive from Guadalupe Mountains National Park, which is in Texas.
Steve Schwartzman
August 23, 2017 at 7:17 AM
Try the Caverns of Sonora sometime when you are in the area. MUCH smaller in scale than Carlsbad but oh so beautiful–best caverns I have ever visited!
Jeri Porter
August 23, 2017 at 6:52 AM
A decade or two ago we did the Caverns of Sonora as a day trip from Austin. We enjoyed the smaller scale you mentioned, especially in comparison to Carlsbad Caverns. In recent years we’ve passed quite close to the Caverns of Sonora on our trips to and from the Southwest. It’s high time to visit again.
Steve Schwartzman
August 23, 2017 at 6:59 AM
Intriguing and mysterious with a salute to nature’s wonders.
lensandpensbysally
August 23, 2017 at 8:00 AM
Intriguing and mysterious indeed. Hope you get to visit there.
Steve Schwartzman
August 23, 2017 at 8:05 AM
When I was at Carlsbad, I didn’t visit the caverns. I still have a touch of claustrophobia (I’ll stick with snorkeling rather than scuba diving), but now I’d be willing to give it a go. I do remember visiting Mammoth Cave with my folks when I was a kid, and that may have influenced me a bit. It was the early 1950s, and I remember single lightbulbs dangling from cords, rickety metal steps, and wet, drippy walls. But, the formations were wonderful.
shoreacres
August 24, 2017 at 6:57 AM
I think you’re right in your new willingness to give the Big Room a go. The path is easy and rarely narrow. The lighting is good. On the whole it’s quite different from what you describe at Mammoth Cave 50 years ago.
Steve Schwartzman
August 24, 2017 at 7:10 AM
I haven’t been to Carlsbad, but I have been to Mammoth Caves a long time ago, and took the 6 mile hr underground crawling cave tour. These underground chambers, and formations, are spectacular no matter where they are.
Lavinia Ross
September 3, 2017 at 6:18 PM
Right. Still, I’m happy to have done an upright exploration rather than a crawling one (of which there are some at Carlsbad as well).
Steve Schwartzman
September 3, 2017 at 8:36 PM