We hit Tucson in the early evening, planning a quick breakfast reunion with Brant's cousin Jeff and his fiance Michele. We spent the night in a cozy Safeway parking lot, watched over by an RV die-hard, trucker-turned-lot-guard man in his sixties. He left his perch to come visit us several times, telling us of his days on the road. His wife had become ill, so he'd had to return to work from retirement, but he looked forward to the opportunity to get on the road again...he was sure it would come, and it surely will.
Over bagels in the pleasant desert morning, we caught up for a bit with Jeff and Michele before she headed off to the airport to return to San Diego and he hurried off to class to give a presentation in his fine suit. We made quite a foursome: three of us in tattered shorts and tanks, Jeff refined in a perfectly groomed double breasted.
From Tucson we headed out on that amazing line of asphalt called I-10. Into New Mexico, we were shocked to find the southern part of the state so green and beautiful. We avoided El Paso by way of White Sands, ultimately destined for Carlsbad Caverns. In the midst of the missile testing zone, these dunes of gypsum snow rolled randomly in the desert. The wind had texturized the white anew, and our bare footprints on the crystalline sand were virginal. In the areas where there are no shrubberies growing, the gypsum looks so much like snow we were tempted to pull out the snowboards and try it out. But the thought of lacing up significant boots in the 95-degree straight sun sqelched that idea. It was more than enough just to wander around the wonder.
The white beast in the white sands.
We spent the night in Lincoln Forest, New Mexico, an area that boasts acres and acres of spread green, a ski resort, winding creeks and vast ranches at 8,000 feet. In the morning we headed on towards the national park we'd heard so much about, and we turned a bend in the highway and were abruptly back in the desert. As signs let us know we were nearing the caverns, we began to wonder aloud at the unchanging scenery. All around us were simply rolling hills of desert chaparral. Nothing gave away the presence of the underground magic. Imagine how many undiscovered caves there must be, when the topside looks so unmarked?
The huge expanse of the Big Room, 750' underground.
We had called ahead to get on one of the guided tours of Lower Cave. For $20, we got to explore off the main path with two rangers and just seven other people. Considering that the main area is a cave large enough to fit 14 football fields, accessible entirely by elevator, and navigatable along paved walkways, the Lower Cave tour was more akin to spelunking. However, both Lower Cave and Big Room shared several things in common. Both maintain a constant temperature of 56 degrees, the air is completed circulated with the outside every 24-36 hours, and both areas are so incredibly beautiful and unbelievable that words cannot even begin to describe it.
The inital descent into Lower Cave.
Donning hard hats and headlights, we descended 750' by elevator and nearly another 200' by ropes, ladders and foot power. Very few chambers were smaller than the entire camper, and although we didn't see any dwarves or hobbits (Brant was hoping), we did see scenes that definitely would fit in a magical world. Complete with translucent pools, delicate limestone structures and the drip drip of seeping water crafting new formations in the dark.
Two happy spelunkers.
Just shy of four hours after our initial descent, we climbed back up the ropes and in the elevator that lifted us back to our world. In the stark desert landscape, we could hardly believe that beneath the chintzy gift shop lies a subterranean wonderland...and Carlsbad Cavern is only one of 89 caves in the national park, 15 of which are open for public access. We left the area to continue our trek to the Gulf, but we were well aware that we had only seen a small fragment, and that we would have to return to explore more sometime.
