Day 2: Carlsbad Caverns and drive to Roswell, NM
/Carlsbad Caverns opens at 8:30am. I was showered and out the door by 9am. Checking out of the Days Inn was easy since I pre-paid for the room. All I needed from them was a cup of coffee. They offered a free “hot breakfast” but upon further inspection, I think they meant the toaster...even though there was no bread. Oh well. I grabbed a cup of coffee and had Brody wait in the car.
The sun was bright and the sky was clear. Everything seemed in place. Driving to Carlsbad Caverns from the city of Carlsbad is simple -- you go straight down the 180 for the bulk of the short drive and connect to the 62 to enter the park. It’s about a 25-minute drive and a very pleasant one.
Driving in New Mexico, in general, is a unique experience. The roads are exceptionally wide, only enhanced by an even bigger sky. On this drive to Carlsbad, the sky was the brightest blue I'd ever seen and the few clouds that permeated it were completely flat, yet incredibly textured. A quick google search taught me this phenomenon is called High Clouds. They almost have the appearance of a thousand planes cutting through them in unison.
Sometimes it’s hard being a solo road tripper when all you want to do is look out the window and admire. Still, the view was amazing behind the steering wheel.
There were very few cars on the road and immediately after leaving the town of Carlsbad I became immersed in New Mexican desert scenery -- yellow grasses, reddish-brown dirt patches, and sagebrush littered the highway shoulders. There is little to no greenery. Everything is a beautiful shade of yellow, orange, and brown -- I wondered if it looked the same in the summer. There aren’t even many billboards or signs obstructing the view. In either direction, the land goes on forever. The mountains in the distance look like mirages.
This drive on the 180 is completely scenic with the exception of one old Native American Trading Post. It was perched on the roadside right before turning onto the 62 which enters Whites City. The shop had a charming Native American statue out front proclaiming its treasure inside and was painted a bright yellow, both standing out and blending in with the scenery. "Native American jewelry, pottery, and more!", the sign read. I was intrigued, and it was hard for me not to stop. I love these types of gift stores and given that they are almost always operated by Native residents on Native lands (where most of the national parks seem to be in the West), I also like supporting them. But I had to get to the Caverns and knew these types stores were aplenty in New Mexico -- I had many more days to shop.
Whites City appeared immediately after turning on the 62. It’s the closest town to Carlsbad Caverns. Though, I think calling it a town is quite generous, I’m not even sure people actually live there (update: Google says 7 people live there). Really it’s just a small grocery store, an RV Park and a potentially creepy motel. Everything is styled in Adobe and Western fashion -- very kitschy, and uniquely cute. The “town” took literally a minute to drive through. Tip: If you need gas, get it now.
After passing the one block that is Whites City, I was met with sudden and prominent hills carved with rocky ridges. They resembled some of the landscapes of Arizona that stole my heart a few years ago. Except unlike Arizona, this dirt is brown more so than red. For the first time since entering New Mexico, I’m also getting my first glimpses of bundled cacti varieties -- all of which were propped up in a seemingly planned pattern along the rocky mountain ridges. It was absolutely beautiful, with something new to admire at every turn.
As the road twisted through the mountain range, it started to reveal itself more. It didn't take long for Whites City (and the plains that have dominated my drive thus far) to disappear from my rear-view mirror.
To my left, I saw a sign marking an “exhibit” which I quickly realized was an overlook pullout. Something told me I just had to stop. Right when I got out of the car, I noticed some unusual movement ahead of me. A small family of four Rocky Mountain Bighorn Sheep were impressively traversing the incredibly steep mountain in front of me, no more than 100 feet away. I’m talking they were walking up a straight faced cliff -- "Life...finds a way". I had arrived with perfect timing. Another tourist family was already down near the stream-bed taking pictures. Whenever any of us talked, all the bighorn sheep froze in position and waited until we went silent to start the trek again. They were unexpectedly quick, to the point that even taking a proper photo was difficult, as the moment you zoomed in to snap a photo they’ve already moved on several feet ahead.
The entire exhibit view was breathtaking. Looking out onto the small alcove of the cliff, there was a dried up stream-bed at it's basin and surrounding it was the same dessert brush and cacti I've been admiring all morning on my drive. I took too many pictures. After the sheep disappeared behind a ridge, I walked around the small exhibit area and then went back to my car towards the caverns. The day was starting out wonderfully.
The drive from the exhibit to the caverns was only a few minutes long. Following the signs to the Visitors Center, I turned right into the main parking lot and gathered my things. I had Brody with me because I read online that while dogs aren’t allowed in or around the actual caverns, they do have a kennel for a small $10 fee. Having been to many national parks with Brody I was sincerely thankful for this - very few parks accommodate travelling pet owners.
(Side Note: Someone could make a *killing* renting a couple of huge air-conditioned Trucks and setting up mobile dog kennels near the national parks. #MillionDollarIdea)
The kennel was easy enough. There is a giant sign right next to the parking lot pointing to a door behind the Visitors Center. While the sign is obvious, the entrance to the kennel is not, so it took a bit of trial and error. But eventually I found the entrance and admitted Brody to the kennels for the day. It’s important to note these kennels are air-conditioned and they do provide water, but you should bring a bed or blanket for comfort. They also don’t walk the dogs, so it’s up to the owners to do so accordingly. Regardless, this is exactly what I needed to enjoy the caverns, so I was happy to know Brody was safe and close.
When I entered the Visitors Center I was welcomed to my right by the guest services desks, which is where I bought my pass to the park. There wasn’t a line so I got my pass as well as an audio tour device that resembled an old cellphone from the 1990s. Sadly, I only used the audio tour for a few stops. Not because I didn’t learn anything from it, but because you literally had to hold it up to your ear and manually enter stops to listen. I got tired of the mechanics of it. I'm a solo traveler and needed my hands free for photos. Overall though, it was cheap - $12 for park entrance, $5 for the audio tour.
The gift shop and restaurant is to the left of the Visitors Center entrance and the walk to the main cavern is to the right just passed the ticketing counter. In between guest services and the cavern opening is a small room explaining the cavern history and a theater, directly adjacent to the museum, was playing a short Carlsbad Cavern documentry. I walked around the museum section but didn’t stop in for the movie, mostly because I thought I’d watch it afterwards, but alas I forgot.
To get to the caverns I had to walk out onto a completely paved sidewalk and follow a designated path to the cavern amphitheater. A nice park ranger met me right before turning into the amphitheater and explained the general visitor rules and guidelines. There are two ways to enter, one way is by elevator which takes you straight down to the bottom of the “Big Room,” the other is to walk down a series of switchback paved paths for 1.25 miles. I chose the walk down. Surprisingly, I was also the only person in sight.
The cavern entrance is intimidating. It’s so huge I couldn't even get it all in one photograph. The seating in front of the cavern is the amphitheater and its purpose is for visitors to watch the spectacle of thousands of bats flying out of the cavern from mid-April to mid-October every year at sunset. Obviously being there in January, this wasn't something I'd get to experience this time.
The sidewalk into the cavern is completely paved and descends comfortably into darkness. At first I was afraid I would be a bit paranoid being alone in a dark cavern, but I was immediately impressed with the quality of this experience. The NPS has managed to make this park completely wheelchair accessible and totally safe and enjoyable for all visitors. The entire walk down is even-surfaced and paved and bound by guard rails. Furthermore, the most spectacular stalactites and stalagmites (two words I learned the difference between thanks to the audio tour) were well lit without embarking on the dark cave experience. Oddly enough, with the way they lit up certain rock structures on the paved trail, it at times felt like waiting in line at a Disneyland ride (think Indiana Jones). I don't know if that is a compliment to Disney's set designers or an insult to God. Regardless, this is a must see natural wonder.
The walk down was easy and only had a few steeper sections as I got near the bottom. Every new rock sculpture had me in awe. After two or so hours, I came to a fork in the road that was telling me I'd made it to the bottom of the cave. A post with arrows and signs helped guide me further. The “Big Room” was to the right, the elevators and bathrooms were to the left.
Of course, I eagerly went to the right.
OH. MY. GOD. I take back my previous thoughts, Disney set designers need to step it up.
It looked like an underwater castle lit up with slightly dulled crystals. There were chandeliers hanging from every corner, sculptures protruding from every surface, and giant buildings of beautiful stone surrounded by glowing light. The horseshoe-like walk around the Big Room had my face in full agape -- I don’t think I closed my mouth and took a real breath until I made it to the elevator to go back up.
I cannot emphasize enough how spectacular the cavern was. This is probably one of the coolest places I’ve ever visited. I will be back as there are many more caverns to see in this park.
I made my way towards to elevators which takes you on a separate pleasant walkway as you exit -- swerving through more cavern art forms, none alike and all breathtaking. One of the prettiest spots right before I got to the end, was an area of sitting water surrounded by crystallized rock that was so pure and clear you could see straight to the bottom. It was so inviting I wanted to jump in.
Finally, I made it to the elevators which are at the bottom of the caverns near the cavern gift store (not to be confused with the Visitors Center's gift store). This was the coolest gift store in the world as it's in the middle of another cavern and looks like a secret government alien hideout (I’m going to Roswell tomorrow and clearly have aliens on the brain). The gift shop has t-shirts (“I survived hiking the caverns...”) and even a little cafe that looks adorable. There was one attendant near the t-shirt stand but no one seemed to be at the cafe so I don’t think it’s open year around. I bet this place is wild in the summer. This would make a bad-ass bar. I exited via elevator and within minutes was back at the surface. I missed the caverns already.
Getting back to ground level I realized I was super sweaty from the humidity inside the cavern and probably shouldn't have brought my insulated vest. Interestingly, the cavern stays a consistent 56 degrees year around regardless of weather outside on the surface. I think that’s fascinating. The air inside is also incredibly still which is jarring never really experiencing that before. There is no sign of bugs or animals inside, so you hear nothing but a sporadic drip of water, which sets an interesting tone as you descend deeper into darkness. I also had the unforgettable experience of doing this alone with no other tourists around obstructing my view or creating noise or light pollution. If I had to recommend a time to visit, this would certainly be it even if you can't stay for the famous bat flight. The experience is not affected by weather outside, yet the time of year still keeps tourists away, and doing it solo is a very unique memory I will always treasure.
Back at the visitors center I went to the gift shop and walked around. It's small, but as mentioned early, I love gift shops. Connected to the gift shop is a restaurant. It looks more like a cafeteria so it took me a minute to understand how it works - the menu is mostly Mexican and set up like a high school Chipotle bar. After talking with the attendant at the counter I settled on something I’ve never heard of before - pork adovada. It’s a marinated pork in "red" chile sauce with vinegar and oregano very similar to al pastor. They served this over Mexican rice and topped it with taco style veggies (romaine lettuce, cheese, tomatoes, etc). It’s plated much like a burrito bowl and the portion is massive. It was good. I’d give it a 4 out of 5, mostly because I’ve never had this before, not because I'd eat it again.
There is no WIFI in the Visitors Center, so I just ate and looked around. I’m glad they don’t give WIFI access at most national parks, as I’m sure if they did, I'd of been glued to my phone (we're all such slaves). At this point, it was almost 1:30pm. I decided to walk around the park a little bit before picking up Brody and heading out. We’re heading to Roswell next, but I wasn’t in any rush as the only other plan today was to get to Roswell, which is only a two hour drive away.
The view from the Visitors Center alone is stunning, not withstanding the magic that lives below it -- rolling desert hills for as far as the eye can see. The Visitors Center was surrounded by interesting looking palm trees that resembled yucca trees (or commonly called, Joshua Trees). I walked around for a bit, taking in the big skies and rolling hills once more, then picked up Brody at close to 2pm to begin our next leg of the trip.
Exiting the parking lot put me on highway 7 “Carlsbad Caverns Highway”. Minutes after getting on 7 I saw a sign to my left that pointed down a dirt road and read “Scenic Byway 9 Miles”. I decide to take it since it was still early in the day. The road is a bit rough but generally well maintained. Since it hadn’t rained in this area for weeks, it was completely dry and safe for my little Nissan Sentra. This road is called Reed Top Circle and I HIGHLY recommend adding it to your next trip to the caverns. It was a highlight of my day (after the caverns, of course). I was just planning on getting to Roswell and hanging out at the hotel, and I couldn’t be more pleased with stumbling upon this road.
It turned out to be a bit longer than 9 miles (or maybe it just felt longer). I had to drive at around 10-15mph since my car was not meant for such roads, but it was worth the extra 20 minutes added to my drive to Roswell. Reed Top Circle loops around a bit west of the caverns and eventually meets back up with the 7 (almost in a circle -- you end up right near where you started). It takes you through pure desert beauty and through two different canyons - Rattlesnake Canyon and Lechuguilla Canyon.
They were mesmerizing. I stopped constantly and took a ton of pictures.
I even took Brody out on a small half mile trail at the Rattlesnake Canyon Trail-head. We didn’t walk the whole thing, which is five miles long (I was tired from the Caverns), but I will certainly be back at some point to do so. This road had a number of other trail-heads along the way that I’m sure lead to more spectacular views. The highlight of this short detour was the various desert vegetation that encircled the whole road. I imagine this road is much busier in the high seasons, but for this particular point in time, it was just me and Brody and we wouldn’t have it any other way.
Finally, at the end of the scenic road, you are connected back with route 7 and I headed back down the canyon to meet up with 62 E. I took this road for about 20 miles until it turned into 524 W. I only had to be on this highway for about 15 miles before turning onto 284 N, which is the highway that takes you straight to Roswell. The entire drive from leaving the Visitors Center, to taking the scenic loop, and heading to Roswell with no stops was around two hours and twenty minutes.
The drive to Roswell once out of the Carlsbad area is pretty monotonous, but still desert and still pretty. Going to Roswell takes you back into New Mexican plains and brings you back to that big blue sky. Admittedly, I was a bit tired at this point and was ready to chill in my hotel bed. Luckily the drive is quite short. Within no time I was in Roswell.
When you enter Roswell there’s a sign welcoming you that depicts an alien invasion of sorts. It made me chuckle. They also have another welcome sign not long after the alien scene that proclaims Roswell is the "dairy capital of the Southwest"...interestingly, I never saw one cow on my drive. I think they're going through an identity crisis. Outside of alien mania that has made Roswell an internationally recognized city, this is just like any other small town I've seen in New Mexico - a bit impoverished but full of character and charm. I added Roswell to my trip because it's something I've always wanted to see, even if it turns out to be a bit of a dud. I’m an X-Files nerd, I loved Signs and War of the Worlds and Arrival and the Roswell TV Series. Of course, I've also driven 20 miles out of my way on a road trip which took me through Kansas to see the worlds largest ball of twine, so I guess this isn't too far off character for me. Plus, I'm pretty sure I saw a flying saucer when I was 20 and recently the government basically admitted to (alien) UFOs, so this was one roadside attraction that I knew I had to see.
My hotel was easy enough to find, I’m staying at the Holiday Inn. It’s the nicest hotel so far on my trip, but surprising the cheapest...though I guess I’ve only been to one other place, so we’ll see how the rest goes. When I checked in, the attendant was incredibly nice. I informed him that I had a dog and he tells me that as long as he (my dog) doesn’t cause a bother, they won’t charge the additional $25 pet fee. That’s nice. The hotel itself is really nice and clearly very new. It has a stylish lounge and restaurant as you enter and a cute snack bar right at the elevators behind the guest services desk. It’s probably the nicest Holiday Inn I’ve ever stayed in and funny enough it’s in Roswell, NM. My room was on the fourth floor. I got settled in, fed Brody and took a nap.
About an hour later I woke up and it was dark outside. Hungry, but not in the mood to go out, I ordered in and got some "just below mediocre" chicken strips from the restaurant downstairs. I would not order from there again. About an hour after that, I went down to the bar to get a drink and use their computers in the lounge. My Chromebook that I brought just wasn’t working for what I was trying to do (edit this blog). I worked on my blog until I finished my drink then went up to bed for a good night's sleep.
Today was beautiful and unforgettable. Tomorrow is aliens. What a week.
