2009 April 22nd: Today was great! I got everything packed and loaded easily this morning and then rode away headed for Carlsbad Caverns. I got up to the Park early and got my park pass and also a guided tour. As soon as the gates opened I started my hike down the Natural Entrance to the cave. The hike was about 45 minutes to get down to the main cavern. After I got down to the main cavern, I was early for the guided tour, so I strolled the along the self guided tour for a ways. I was getting tired and I was feeling weird until I remembered that I had not eaten anything. I quickly went to the elevators and then went out to the bike for some jerky and peanuts. I got back on the elevator to go back down and made it in time for the tour.
The tour was very full and with so many people taking pictures, I had a hard time taking timed exposures due to so many flashes going off. I thought that if I waited until most everyone was gone then it would be easier. It was good at first but then the guide said that we had to go and she wouldn’t let me take anymore pictures until we caught up with the rest of the group. I was upset at first and then I remembered that she had a job to do and I was trying to bend the rules too much.
When the tour was over I went back and strolled through the rest of the self guided area at my leisure. I spent time talking to a lot of the guides and other visitors. I took well over 100 pictures; I will post a couple of the good ones. I spent over 5 hours down in the cave and I had seen all that I came to see.
I got geared up and took off on the bike towards Guadalupe National Park. This was only about 45 miles away from Carlsbad Caverns NP, so it was a short ride.
When I got to the Park, I went to the visitor’s center and stamped my passport. It was at this moment that I realized that I didn’t get the passport stamped for Carlsbad, darn it. My passport does have a stamp for Carlsbad from the last time I was there, so oh well.
I ended up talking to the rangers there for quite a while, and had asked them if I could charge my laptop. Somehow it was unplugged during the early morning without me knowing it.
I went up to the campground and picked out a site. I unloaded most of my gear and placed it on the picnic table and then grabbed the laptop and went back to the visitor’s center. The center closed at 4:30 so that gave me a little over an hour to charge the battery and get started on today’s blog. When they closed down, I went back to the campsite and setup.
The weather was very hot when I left Carlsbad, but by the time I left the visitor’s center, the temperature had dropped dramatically. It was very comfortable. Without cell phone service or internet, I ended up talking to several of the other campers for quite some time.
When it started to get dark, I went up to the restrooms and brushed my teeth. I went back and got in the tent and read some of the material that I have gathered.
Tomorrow my plan is to head on down to Big Bend National Park and camp somewhere there. I have less than 300 miles to the entrance of the park, but who knows how far to a campground.
The tour was very full and with so many people taking pictures, I had a hard time taking timed exposures due to so many flashes going off. I thought that if I waited until most everyone was gone then it would be easier. It was good at first but then the guide said that we had to go and she wouldn’t let me take anymore pictures until we caught up with the rest of the group. I was upset at first and then I remembered that she had a job to do and I was trying to bend the rules too much.
When the tour was over I went back and strolled through the rest of the self guided area at my leisure. I spent time talking to a lot of the guides and other visitors. I took well over 100 pictures; I will post a couple of the good ones. I spent over 5 hours down in the cave and I had seen all that I came to see.
I got geared up and took off on the bike towards Guadalupe National Park. This was only about 45 miles away from Carlsbad Caverns NP, so it was a short ride.
When I got to the Park, I went to the visitor’s center and stamped my passport. It was at this moment that I realized that I didn’t get the passport stamped for Carlsbad, darn it. My passport does have a stamp for Carlsbad from the last time I was there, so oh well.
I ended up talking to the rangers there for quite a while, and had asked them if I could charge my laptop. Somehow it was unplugged during the early morning without me knowing it.
I went up to the campground and picked out a site. I unloaded most of my gear and placed it on the picnic table and then grabbed the laptop and went back to the visitor’s center. The center closed at 4:30 so that gave me a little over an hour to charge the battery and get started on today’s blog. When they closed down, I went back to the campsite and setup.
The weather was very hot when I left Carlsbad, but by the time I left the visitor’s center, the temperature had dropped dramatically. It was very comfortable. Without cell phone service or internet, I ended up talking to several of the other campers for quite some time.
When it started to get dark, I went up to the restrooms and brushed my teeth. I went back and got in the tent and read some of the material that I have gathered.
Tomorrow my plan is to head on down to Big Bend National Park and camp somewhere there. I have less than 300 miles to the entrance of the park, but who knows how far to a campground.
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