I first visited Carlsbad Caverns National Park as a kid on a family road trip. Back then, I remember going on a couple of interesting ranger-led tours, but nowadays, most visits to the cave are self-guided. There are 119 caves within the national park, but the average visitor is limited to touring Carlsbad Caverns, the massive show cave that the park is named for.
Carlsbad Caverns relief map
The Natural Entrance Trail into Carlsbad Caverns is 1.25 miles long and descends 750 feet in 60 sharp switchbacks to the cave's Big Room. Alternatively, you can take an elevator. We were both sore after yesterday's Guadalupe Peak hike, but entering via the Natural Entrance was well worth it. The descent was quiet and surreal, with spectacular views and very few other people.
Natural Entrance Trail
Entering the cave
On the way down
Fancy formations
Carlsbad's Big Room is the largest cave chamber in North America, approximately 4,000 feet long, 625 feet wide, and 255 feet high at its highest point. The path around the Big Room is another 1.25 miles and passes by flowstone, stalactites, stalagmites, and cave formations of all kinds. The room is massive! There's even a snack bar and bathrooms down there, I kid you not.
Flowstone and stalagmites
Ladder used by early explorers
Spooky down there
Fairyland
Not being idiots, we took the elevator on the way up. After all, we'd already walked 2.5 miles on sore legs. The self-guided tour through the cave took about two hours, and we were on our way north through the Chihuahuan Desert by 11:30.
It was a few hours' drive to Santa Fe, and worthy stops were again few and far between. Vaughn, NM, is an almost ghost town sitting at the intersection of three major highways. Once a bustling railroad hub, Vaughn now has a population of around 200 people living among abandoned motels and crumbling buildings. It's still possible to spend the night here, but I think I'll pass.
Once-bustling Vaughn, NM
As we crossed I-40, we made an interesting, unplanned stop at Cline's Corner Travel Center. Yes, it's just a truck stop, but the kitschy décor and souvenirs were hilarious. It was like an old Stuckey's, only weirder. They made much ado of their location on Route 66, even though this particular section of 66 is completely buried beneath the interstate.
Cline's Corner, NM
Zoltar, the fortune-telling robot
On the southern outskirts of Santa Fe lives Ethyl the Whale – a little out of place in landlocked New Mexico. Ethyl is a life-sized blue whale made out of re-used “single-use” polyethylene plastics. The sculpture was purchased from the Monterey Bay Aquarium and moved to Santa Fe to spread some kind of environmental message. I wonder how much fossil fuels it took to ship this thing...
Tom and Ethyl the Plastic Whale
While we were in the neighborhood, we also stopped to see a Brontosaurus family living on Dinosaur Trail. They were behind the fence on private property, so we couldn't get too close, but you probably shouldn't get too close to dinosaurs anyway.
Friendly dinosaur family
Less-friendly dinosaur
Lodging: Econo Lodge, Santa Fe, New Mexico. Surprisingly nice for an Econo Lodge. Clean, comfortable, good breakfast, great value. The owners obviously take pride in the place. We'll be here two nights.
New Mexico Mexican food is the best Mexican food of all! Tonight, we ate at a little hole-in-the-wall called El Comal. I had the enchilada adovada (marinated pork) with green chile sauce, and Tom had roast beef enchiladas with red chile sauce. Spicy hot and awesome!
Delicious New Mexican food