so i actually first stopped at roswell before driving south to carlsbad, as roswell was along the way. i returned to roswell the next day, so i am going to talk about carlsbad first. i stayed in the town of carlsbad even though it is not even the town the caverns are located, but it is the biggest little town so it was easier to find accommodations. i checked in, ate at the denny's and then returned to the motel spending quite a lot of time killing a mosquito (they always bite me).
the next morning i left for the caverns, less than an hour away. because of covid, reservations are required and i am really happy that i made such an early appointment as the parking lot was crazy busy. the caverns are so large, so once you go through the mouth, everyone disperses. as you approach the park, you drive along the hillside with some pretty views. i was not expecting that, so it was a pleasant perk!
the cavern is one of 300 limestone caverns in the area. it is part of a fossil reef laid down by a sea about 265 million years ago. interestingly, natives use to make kitchens inside. i decided to do a self tour so i could control my own time. i did 2 trails - the 1.25 mile natural entrance trail that allows you to walk down into the cave (75 stories below) & the big room trail (also 1.25 miles) that winds in and out of the rooms. the big room is the largest cave by volume in north america. after, i exited via an elevator so i would not have to climb the steep 700 feet back up.
the mouth of the cave. there are seats outside so people can see the bat flights at night. i did not stay to see this, but i did see cave swallows everywhere at the mouth. people do mistake these for the bats. birds in the morning, bats at night. a very nice couple took a picture of me at the opening but it is literally the worst photo i have ever taken, so no posting :)
cave swallows.
there is no way to take a good photo. photos do not do it justice.
caverns with the flash
it was crazy how deep below ground you are (75 stories!), but it does not feel that away. i was a bit nervous as in the past i have declined opportunities to visit mines. i am not scared of heights, but small places underground (or with a lot of weight on top of me) are no bueno. i am also scared of the dark. i brought a head lantern just in case as one solo traveller told me that when she visited a week before, the electricity went out. surprisingly when i entered the cave i was not nervous. much of the cave is very open. it is also is a very sensory experience as the air is cool, it is pretty quiet (other than the noise of others & animals), and pretty dark. i really enjoyed myself. it felt serene.
it is crazy to think that each formation was made by individual dripping drops.
the day before & after carlsbad, i visited roswell. i knew this was a must as i love small towns & the supernatural / urban legends (and i really like the show roswell, nm). the town really focuses on selling tourists the whole alien thing as it is believed that there was a UFO crash in 1947 nearby; funny enough the incident is believed to have occurred 12 miles away from the town.
the day before, i stopped in roswell as i learned that much of the little town is closed on sundays. i decided to be brave & go to the UFO museum & research center. i did not plan it originally as i would be car-camping by myself in the area and did not want to spook myself out, but felt last minute bravery. it was not as spooky as i thought it would be.
me friends.
is the town super gimicky? hell yeah, but i enjoy small, eccentric towns with big character. it was fun to walk around & there are even a couple antique stores & historic buildings, including a cool federal courthouse. even though a stroll was fun, honestly it did not feel the safest to walk the streets during the day, especially when you start going away from the touristy main street and into the more commercial area with all the fast food places. random people came up and talked to me & not in a howdy neighbor way. nothing bad happened, but i was just mindful.
a very nice mom offered to take this photo for me.
aliens are absolutely everywhere, the street lights...
the gas station....
the dunkin' (and with a face mask)....
& the mcdonald's.
that night, i stayed at bottomless state park, only a 15 minute drive from roswell. it was a really pretty site with decent bathrooms, but unfortunately the mosquitoes were brutal. i asked the camp warden when i arrived, and he said there were none. he was very, very wrong. not only were there a ton, but they were monsters. i actually got bit through my pretty thick leggings. once setting up my bed & taking some photos, i locked myself in the car with the windows up to avoid the mosquitoes & murdered the ones that got in. luckily none survived the night & i slept soundly.
my site. the site was very spacious.
the pretty lake.
my luxurious set up.
