Carlsverygood Caverns!

On Thursday, June 11, we went to Carlsbad Caverns National Park in Carlsbad, NM. We saw many barren deserts on our way to the caverns. We watched cliffs go by with mini caves. When we got to Carlsbad Caverns, we walked in through the Natural Entrance. This is where Jim White first went in to explore the cave after he saw a huge cloud of smoke rising up from the mountain, but when he got closer to the cliff, he realized that the cloud was actually a swarm of bats! We went really deep into the cave and saw the Big Room, Bottomless Pit, the Rock of Ages, and many other rock formations. The last time we went into a cave was when J.T., Gradma, Mom, and I went to Ruby Falls in Chattanooga, TN but Mom and J.T. didn’t see the falls. They couldn’t breathe very well down underground,:(, but when we went to the Natural Entrance we didn’t have to worry because air circulates naturally down in the cave! :) Later in the afternoon we went to see a bat flight. At about 8 o’clock the bats took off. While the bats were spiraling out of the cave I asked the ranger that was directing the program how big the bats were. He said that their bodies were about as big as his thumb and their wingspan was about a foot long! He also said that each bat weighed about the same as three nickels! After the bats had all left our sight, we adopted a bat for five dollars! :) We didn’t get to take our bat home though. :( We named our bat Santana and the money we spent on him goes to research funds to learn about the bats! :) I got to take a bat home, but not a real bat! I took home a stuffed animal bat. Tomorrow we’re going to Albuquerque, New Mexico! :)