Beginning at 8:30 this morning we spent seven hours in the caverns. It is interesting that the caverns were first discovered by 16-year old Jim White about 1898 who thought the cloud of bats coming out the the cave was smoke from a fire and he went to investigate. We are here just a little too early to see the thousands of bats emerge at dusk. There are only a few so far of the huge number that return each spring from their winter migration to Mexico. The main tours only cover a fraction of the caves and we don't plan to take any specialized tours requiring flashlights and knee pads. However the ranger-guided King's Palace Tour was well worth the time and admission price for information as well as scenery. It was just a little harder to take the time and get clear of people to get good pictures. However, the Natural Entrance and Big Room Tours were self guided with "talking sticks" to explain numbered features along the way and we got some beautiful photos, took our time and truly enjoyed the incredibly beautiful, and colorful cave scenery. The Big Room is so huge it is hard to even describe. The winding drive up Walnut Canyon leading up the the caverns is also a very scenic 8-mile drive. We tried to trim over 200 pictures to just these. It was not easy!
Drive from Whites City to the Visitors Center:
the Natural Entrance:
the concessions area 750 feet below the surface (elevators, rest rooms, etc.):
the Kings Palace:
the Big Room:
Glad you got there and have enjoyed being in the caverns that sound amazing. I have been thinking about you as you travel and are on your way home. Keep safe and have a good trip.
ReplyDeleteWow. Amazing. So happy you got to go visit such a wonderous place. Love you.
ReplyDelete