Womancation Day 2: Carlsbad Cavern

Wow. As I'm reviewing pictures from our hike through the caves, I realize how poorly such things are captured in photos. Some sites simply need to be seen to be appreciated. I was expecting the cave to be somewhat small - I had expected it all to take about an hour. Boy was I wrong. We wandered this enormous cave for roughly three hours, down to what felt like the depths of the earth before enjoying an elevator ride back up to daylight (thank heaven!). After a brief jont back to town for a treat we returned in time to see hundreds of thousands of bats fly out of the cave. Again, something that must be experienced. Cameras and recorders weren't even allowed at the bat flight but even if they were, I'm not sure how it could've been captured. They swarmed out of the cave and from a distance, it looked like smoke pouring out of the cave and disappearing on the twilight horizon. We watched them take flight for over half an hour at which point we left not because they were done but because it was too dark to see them. So incredible. Such an unexpectedly unforgettable destination! 

And a magical Womancation event - we accidentally missed the turn to the caverns and ended up in Texas! Luckily it was only about 15 minutes beyond the caverns. That's two new states for me this weekend - New Mexico and Texas.