CARLSBAD CAVERNS
Journey to the Center of the Earth)
By: Mike Marino
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Jules Verne's "Journey to the Center of the Earth" was a delightful literary expedition into the realm of Jurassic science fiction. A journey into Carlsbad Caverns in the Chihuahua Desert region of New Mexico, however, is a real life Alice in Wonderland trek through a geological maze of amazement consisting of stalactites, stalagmites, underground rivers and more bats than Gotham City.
New Mexico is known as the Land of Enchantment, and for very good reason. The landscape is dotted with dormant volcanoes for hiking along with ancient lava flows and tubes visible along the highways and in the high country of ponderosa pines. Prehistoric ice caves and bizarre red rock formations add to the mystical flavor of the state. The crown jewel of this cactian kingdom however, is Carlsbad Caverns nestled in the shadows of the Guadalupe Mountains in the southeast desert region of this land of beauty of mystery.
The Caverns cover an area of 46,000 plus acres with a total of 113 known interconnecting caves and is only 23 picturesque desert miles south of Carlsbad, New Mexico just off Highway 62/180. Formed in a period when the region was an inland sea it eventually dried up and disappeared with the result that it left a 400 mile reef exposed to the elements. Water would seep into cracks in the surface, find their way underground beneath the reef picking up a passenger on the way in the form of naturally occurring calcite deposits that over thousands of years helped to shape and sculpt the artistic formations that exist today marveling the pyramids of Egypt for sheer eye and awe appeal.
Settlers first used the cave for commercial purposes in the late 1880's mining guano, yes, bat droppings. These batastic gems were used for fertilizer and an ingredient in gunpowder. It was a commercial enterprise of enormous undertaking and proved what spelunkers have been saying for years. Guano happens! Riding the range in those days could leave a cowpoke with plenty of free time on his hands unless he was in a saloon or a dance hall, and a young teenage cowboy named Jim White had other interests. He kept watching the sky darken at dusk at the cavern area as it filled with millions of bats heading south of the border for a nightlong binge at a bug buffet of mosquito's before returning at dawn to spend the day in suspended sleep back in the bat cave. Jim, being a curious cowboy, decided to explore the cave and the bat phenomenon in depth and in 1898 went where no cowboy had gone before. He used a handmade wire and rope ladder to descend into the dark recesses of the cave, lantern and candles in hand, and discovered a geological Guggenheim gallery of natural art in the form of calcite formations. People weren't too receptive to what they felt were Jim's tall tales, so he took a photographer with him to document on film what he had discovered. These were displayed in town of Carlsbad in 1915 and immediately caught the attention of the US Department of the Interior who came out to see this natural wonder for themselves. The die was cast, and by 1923 the caverns were declared a National Monument.
The seven mile long winding entrance road is itself an experience as the desert is displayed in all it's glorious eco-diversity as you climb the road to the cavern staging area. The parking lot includes spectacular vistas of the Guadalupe Mountains, as well as ample parking for cars, trailers, RV's and buses. Inside the renovated visitor center you'll find a gift shop as big as the caverns themselves with souvenirs, books and eco-oriented material of the area. There is also a restaurant with a mountain view and some of the best burgers in the desert, bar none. You can also participate in their Adopt A Bat program that includes a little bat doll and of course, you are helping a fellow member of a different species survive.
The tours last from 8:30 am until the last one of the day at 5:00 pm and include self-guided tours as well as park ranger led excursions answering questions and giving highlights of the geology of the caves for those with a penchant for learning more about it. The self guided tours are free of charge while the ranger tours vary in cost. Either way there is a park entrance fee of $6.00 for adults and kids under 15 years of age can get in for free. The best part is that the pass is good for a three day period. The free self guided tour of the 8.2 acre Big Room is easy to negotiate and is partially wheelchair accessible. On this tour you get to stop when you like to stand in silence and to be inspired by giant formations straight out of a Verne novel. The pathways are well marked and the formations are lighted in a subtle creative manner to add to the spiritual ambiance of the experience. The natural entrance tour is also self guided and more difficult due to the steep decline of the entryway and this tour is best taken when well rested and you feel up to the test, but once you have completed it you do have a real sense of accomplishment. Bear in mind, the last tour of the day for this one is 3:30 pm. The cave temperatures hover around 56 degrees all year so a light jacket or sweater is advisable along with a good sturdy pair of shoes for hiking the cave. Sandals don't make it here!
Ranger and self guided tours are diverse so it's best to read up on them in the brochures first, as each has something just a little different included on it to appeal to different tastes and interests. Examples range from the Hall of the White Giant Tour which costs $20 for adults and $10 dollars for kids and seniors. No one under the age of 12 is allowed. The Left Hand Tunnel Tour is the bargain basement excursion at $7 for adults and $3.50 for kids and seniors with the cavern caveat that no one under 6 is allowed on it. Other tours are offered between these price ranges so check with the Information Desk before hitting the happy cave trails.
An elevator takes you down 60 feet into the caverns and even has an underground snack bar and souvenir shop. When you've finished your underground ramblings, there is plenty of hiking and back country camping opportunities in the area that will appeal to the adventurous and ardent outdoorsman or woman. Rustic camping is allowed west of the Rattlesnake Canyon Trail which has a trail head just off the Desert Loop Scenic Road that begins it's long and winding journey just before you hit the parking lot. Back country permits are required and are available at the visitor center.
When you go to Vegas you make tracks to see Wayne Newton. When in Carlsbad Caverns you head for the amphitheater at dusk to catch the biggest show around. The graceful Baryisnikovian ballet flight of millions of Mexican free tail bats who are resident of the Bat Cave from early spring until October at which time they head south and like any rich tourist, they winter in Mexico. The stone benches of the amphitheater resemble the seating arrangement at the Roman Coliseum and fill with eager tourists waiting in anticipation of the nightly flight of bats who race from the mouth of the cave, first three or four, then more, soon, millions filling the sky above and darkening it in a swath that looks like an oil slick from a tanker spill. You can hear their wings by cupping your ears and their guidance system leads them off to the Pecos and Black River valleys to feed on mosquito's all night long until just before dawn when they return the same way they came. This ultimate choreography of natural flight is a real rush but a few rules do apply. No talking during the almost 2 hour extravaganza and absolutely no cameras or videos. The flash or the slightest mechanical whirring sounds of video equipment can distract the bats natural flight instincts.
The caves are one thing, but did you ever think you would find a pirates paradise in the middle of the desert? No, you won't run into Johnny Depp as Captain Jack Sparrow but at the entrance road to the caverns is Whites City Resort and Waterpark, the only waterpark in New Mexico! Yes, there is a pirate ship for the kids to board and has water squirting cannons on the scale of giant super soakers that come in handy on hot summer days in the desert. The waterpark has five splash pools and two 150 foot waterslides for a cool refreshing dunk in the drink.
Whites City is the tourist version of heaven on earth. Souvenir shops line the boardwalk selling everything from tee-shirts to bat bric-a-brack. A grocery store fully stocked for a quick food fix or provisions to get you through the day while camping. Those with a sweet tooth will find relief at Mrs. Whites Cream & Butterfudge shop or at the Mrs. Whites Ice Cream Parlor. P.T. Barnum would applaud the Million Dollar Museum and it's 16 rooms filled to the roof with over 30,000 items from antique European dollhouses, cars, guns, and oddities including numerous 7,000 year old mummies. Don't fooled by the name Million Dollar Museum either. Adults can get in for $3.00, seniors for $2.50 and kids 6-12 just $2.00.
The Cavern Inn Motel and the Walnut Canyon Inn have spacious rooms with all the amenities so you can relax in rustic luxury and while the kids splash around the pools, you can relax in the spa. Cuisine is a desert art form and only here will you find an Italian restaurant in the middle of the desert. The Velvet Garter serves up a variety of badda bing badda boom pasta platters along with other fine fare for dinner. Breakfast and lunch is a no brainer, you can feast like royalty at Jack's Restaurant.
The RVer and car camper will find an oasis of desert bliss at the Whites City RV Park and Campground that features over 60 sites with full hookup, and an additional 46 sites with water and electricity only. The tent camper can choose from 25 available sites in the shade and listen to the coyotes at night howling at the moon under the starts. Pets are welcome but must be kept on a leash at all times. There are grills on site and admission to the Waterpark is included in the site fee.
The intricate eco-diversity of the desert can best be experienced up close and personal in the town of Carlsbad at the Living Desert Zoo and Gardens State Park, located just 2 miles north of town on Highway 285. The self guided tour takes approximately 1.5 hours as you take in the sights and scents of a variety of plants and animals indigenous to this particular desert region.
The walk through aviary has winged predators such as hawks and eagles along with the enigmatic roadrunner, Wiley Coyote's worst nightmare made famous in Warner Brothers cartoons, but is also the official state bird of New Mexico. No tigers, but lions and bears, oh my, also roam the wildlife preserve and don't be surprised when you hear the I mean business growl of a bobcat or mountain lion as it looks you as though you were a Happy Meal. Other mammalia on display are the hooved heavyweights such as bugling elk, mule deer, antelope and bison.
In the film "Dances With Wolves" the wolf is a protector. At the Living Zoo and Gardens, the roles are reversed and the zoo is the protectors of the endangered Mexican Wolf. These wolves are being reintroduced throughout the state of New Mexico and along with the wolf recovery program at the Wolf Spirit Sanctuary southwest of Albuquerque, the Living Zoo is doing it's part in aiding the survival of this magnificent animal.
The pathways of the zoo are lined with cholla, juniper, creosote, prickly pear and a whole smorgasbord of cacti to add to the visual stimuli as you make your way to the gargantuan greenhouse that is an lush oasis of succulents and cacti from around the world. Displayed are everything from small barrel cactus to the giant Saguaro, usually seen as the definitive backdrop in western films as the good guys in white hats chase the bad guys in black hats all the way to Tombstone. Small cactus plants are for sale and available in the Visitor Center Gift Shop.
Art comes in many forms, and there is animal art on display in the visitor center where they feature the "paintings" of Maggie the Black Bear. Yes, a black bear. Maggie didn't study under the great masters of Europe, but she does specialize in abstract paintings and hundreds of her watercolors have been sold to a hungry art buying public to art lovers across the country. Maggie was rescued in Georgia at the age of one in a condition that would have spelled death to her in very short time and placed in an animal rescue rehabilitation center. Today, at three and a half feet tall weighing in at 122 pounds she is the Andy Warhol of the desert. Her paintings sell from $15.00 to $60.00 and the proceeds go to the Friends of Living Desert Zoo and Gardens so they can use the money for care and rescue operations for other animals in similar situations.
The town of Carlsbad hugs the shore of the Pecos River and has riverboat rides, swimming, bike and hike pathways and outdoor opportunities of all kinds. The Pecos River is spanned by a causeway that lets you walk across the entire expanse to enjoy the river view and the fountain built into the middle of the river. South of Carlsbad a short distance is the Guadalupe Mountains for hiking and camping while you take in the ruins of an old stagecoach stop and the ghosts of the wild west. If you are planning a visit to the area, in addition to White's City, Carlsbad had a large selection of motels and campgrounds nearby to help you make your desert base camp as you set out to explore all the desert has to offer. Carlsbad Caverns may not be Gotham City, but it does have a bat cave Bruce Wayne would die for. Surrounded by silent mountains that stand guard over a realm of desert delights, it is an enchanting land that offers excitement and invites exploration. Besides, we all have a little Jules Verne in us, so pack up the family to visit Carlsbad Caverns to experience your own magical mystery tour and journey to the center of the earth.
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