Opposites do Attract

This excursion has sometimes been about opposites attracting; no, I don’t just mean the two of us!  When we were at Lone Pine in the Owens Valley of California, we happened to be camped a few miles from Mt Whitney, highest elevation in the 48 contiguous states.  The lowest point in the country is only a bit more than an hour’s drive to the east in Death Valley.  Many times we’ve been in dry, high desert only to discover lush green landscapes over the next ridge.  The past several days have, again, found us in a land of contrast.  Separated by a mere 35 miles, a state line, and time zones are two completely different National Parks. 

We camped at Guadalupe Mountains NP, site of the highest point in Texas.  It’s a dry landscape that happened to turn green while we camped because of heavy rains a few days before our arrival.  We hiked the trail up to Guadalupe peak along with scores of other day trippers from El Paso, Las Cruces and places in the southwest.  It’s a six to eight hour roundtrip climbing to the 8,700 foot top and back, totaling 8.4 miles of “moderate” hiking.  Pleased to report we, who are not in the least climbers of this caliber, made it to within 700 feet (elevation) of the top.  We calculated the time necessary for us to finish and get back to camp and found we’d be to our “tiny home” after dark…. not good.  For us, a hike of 6.4 miles climbing more than 2,500 feet of elevation and returning alive, with all joints and such in working condition is a victory; not to mention a challenge to return one day and conquer the peak!!!

Now the contrast.  We visited Carlsbad Caverns NP, a half-hour drive crossing the New Mexico border and the Mountain Time Zone.  Unpretentious in appearance, the visitor center beckons from atop a ridge of 300 or so feet in height.  We showed our Access Pass (one of several easily available for free admission to NP’s) and reserved space on two tours for the day.  The first was called the King’s Palace and takes you to caverns different from those in the general Big Room, which we also enjoyed seeing between our tours.  We were told to meet our guide in an area at the bottom of the elevator… 750 feet down, more than 400 feet below the floor of the desert we had just driven over to get here.  Thankfully they are fast; I have to admit to more than a touch of claustrophobia.  We stopped at the bottom seconds before the scream escaped.  The door opened to a darkened, cool lobby with concessions and seating spread around.  The tour was a good one with our Ranger, Josh, joking and educating us on a myriad of facts surrounding the geology and time involved to create the amazing things our eyes beheld… like Carl Sagan and his “billions and billions”.  I was just glad they were big spaces!

The second tour was called the Left Hand Tunnel; innocent enough name.  Lee, our Ranger guide for this one, met us back up in the visitor center (another fast ride up, thankfully) and really “made my day” by handing me a lantern with a single stub of a candle in it.  His and Diane’s were both loaded with a full, 6 inches of wax and wick.  Mentioning this, Lee chuckled and said “It’s fine, that one will last at least three hours.”  The walk was to last half as long.  Diane and I were surprised and a bit nervous to be the only two on this tour; which could prove an advantage.  There would only be two witnesses to my hyperventilating, screaming and clawing to get out of the dark.  Seeing the cave by light of a single candle brings you back to what the first visitors experienced with kerosene lanterns; I like that.  Truthfully, I recommend everyone take this tour; you get into a cavern rarely traveled and have many up close and personal contacts with the unbelievable features of Carlsbad.

Before leaving the Park, we experienced the “Bat Flight”.  Even without Michael Keaton, Christian Bale or even Adam West, this is not to be missed.  The sun was setting, shadows were just covering the Natural Entrance to the cave and a Ranger was speaking about bats (did I mention my phobia about winged mice).  As if on que first one, then another few, then a rush of bats… hundreds and thousands of them, came out in a swirl (counter clockwise to be precise, no one knows why) and continued into the gloaming sky for more than an hour.  Watching them flying, evading the attacks of an opportunistic Red Tailed Hawk, was a thrill.  At least that’s what I’ll credit with the chill bumps up and down my spine.  The perfect ending to a great visit to just one of the 59 National Parks we are blessed with.

Now we are approaching the middle of Texas; limitless horizons, no trees and plenty of room for this guy to stretch his arms wide and let go a heartfelt “Yippee”… I’ll let the locals finish with the “Kiii Yaay”.