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We were in no special hurry this morning, but even then we were hitched and gone by ten. Amazingly, Balmorhea is scenic compared to the flat dusty desert we drove through as we headed for Carlsbad Caverns. Pecos,Texas was covered in a film of pasty white dust stirred up by the near constant stream of tanker trucks. As we moved out of town, we were a little disappointed that we didn't see Pecos Bill waving goodbye. On every compass point, the flat landscape was dotted with wells (Some moving, some not), assorted oil storage tanks, and probably not so incredibly, signs saying, "Fresh Water for Sale". Also, traffic was quite heavy considering we were out in the desert, but oil exploration is going strong in the area. The country may be in an economic slide (If you listen to Fox news), but out here in the Texas wilds, it looks like things are booming. It's about forty miles from Balmorhea to Pecos and another forty to White's City, which is slightly bigger than my expectation of three buildings. There are actually around thirty buildings if you count the sheds they call cabins at the RV park. The town exists only because it guards the entrance to the caverns road. However, the RV park is surprisingly comfortable, the people are friendly, and for an over night visit, we've seen less hospitable places. After unhitching and a little bit of lunch, we drove the seven miles pretty much uphill to the caverns where we spent three mind blowing hours walking 750 feet below the surface in the near dark. Of course, for drama's sake, they have the stalagmites and stalactites and whatever they call the other geological wonders all lit up. The guy who brought the caverns to national attention also named each attraction, so it's pretty cool. My favorite was Fairy Land, which is a field of stalagmites huddled together like strangers waiting for a bus. Wikipedia has the entire list, as well as some background information. According to my calculations, Judy and I were the forty-one million, seven hundred sixty-three thousand, seven hundred and thirteenth visitors all time to the caverns. About 365,000 people a year come through. Before we descended into the bat cave (Natural entrance), we talked to a young ranger named Daniel. He reaffirmed our decision to boondock in the Guadalupe Mountains at Pine Springs campground tomorrow night (At least). This means we'll have to go back to Texas (Hi, Y'all), but as Daniel said, "When you wake up, you'll be able to see a tree." After all, we're up around 5,500 ft. The weather seems favorable: Just under freezing at night and in the sixties during the day. We can handle these conditions with the trailer, and they're perfect for hiking, since the sun will be bright and the sky will be blue. I'm starting to bore myself with this travelogue approach to blogging, so I'll retell a joke I heard one of the pickers say in Luchenbach (Remember, he's a Texan). "What's the best thing to come out of Oklahoma?" Answer: I-35. Good night Y'all, and remember, life is good especially today.
The Bunny was ready to go before the moon set this morning.
What a view!
The Guadalupe Mountains, tomorrow's destination. Imagine crossing this land in a covered wagon.
No butts about it.
The view of our shade here in White's City.
Daniel, a very friendly and efficient ranger.
We didn't realize that bats migrate, but if they were here, they would fly out from down there.
It took us an hour to walk this continual switch back trail to the Great Room, which is 750 feet below the surface and 600,000 square feet. Regardless of the numbers, it's immense.
Bat's eye view.
Stalagmites grow from the ground. That's almost all I know geologically.
She didn't even 'bat' an eye when I flashed her.
This place had a name, but I'll be a stalactite if I can remember it.
Column of the Giants.
Judy remembered these from when she was nine. She said,
Wow, they've grown a whole centimeter!"
Who knows? By now I'd enjoyed about as much of this as I could stand.
And, thanks to the government's use of electricity, surprisingly colorful.
Imagine climbing down here on your rope ladder armed with a small lantern. Holy Moly, Batman!
A not so rare Cashalagmite. Here you can buy a soda, a sandwich, a key chain, a T-shirt…you get the idea.
The entire commercial district of White's City resides in one block long building, divided as it were by walls. After hours RVers just register at the Rodeway Inn across the street.
Fric and Frac all set up for the night. Sweet water, constant power, good TV, and strong Wifi, and even a tree outside our window. Life is good.
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