Overpowered by Carlsbad Caverns

by Lana Gramlich
(Abita Springs, LA, USA)

My husband and I were on a road trip across the American Southwest, hitting up most of the major (and some minor,) stops. One place we'd decided we had to see was Carlsbad Caverns National Park. As a photographer, I made sure I brought the required equipment--my tripod, a remote shutter, etc.
Finally down in the caverns, I stopped to take my first photo--only to realize that (somehow,) I'd forgotten the shutter and the piece that connects the camera to my tripod way back in the car.

My husband offered to go get them, but the lure of the Great Room was too much. I told him I'd just try my best (our entry tickets were good for 2 days, anyway--we could always come back.)
On the orientation in the elevator down, the ranger explained that they request silence while in the caverns. Now standing at the entrance of the Great Room, the combination was amazing. Ahead of us was a magical, surreal space, in which one could fit over 6 football fields.

The accompaniment of silence transformed the dimly and selectively lit space into a massive, underground cathedral. We were both filled with a reverence, a spiritual awe that no human construction could ever inspire.

Of course, it was much cooler underground than in the sun-baked desert, above. It was a welcome relief! We took our time exploring all of the fantastic formations in the cavern, stopping frequently so I could balance my camera carefully on my tripod and snap some pictures. A park ranger we met along the trail lit up some nearby features with his flashlight. I thanked him and mentioned how lucky he was to have his job. He agreed completely.

Throughout our slow meander through the cavern, my brain--normally pretty astute and observant--struggled to make sense out of what it was experiencing. Sometimes my eyes couldn't see enough at once, and they darted here and there, taking in cave bacon, stalactites, mirror pools and still the scale of it all. As we reached the end of our mile-long trek, it dawned on me that my feet were killing me. We'd walked a mile and a half at a different, Carlsbad attraction earlier that day and I just wasn't used to it. I was surprised, however, that I HADN'T EVEN NOTICED.

Overwhelmed by the majestic, overpowering beauty of Carlsbad Caverns, my already struggling brain had clearly decided that we'd worry about my aching feet later! To rest my barking dogs for a few minutes, we enjoyed an interesting and informative presentation in a theater back on the surface.

For the rest of our road trip, my husband and I compared notes; What's been your favorite stop so far? In the end we were both unanimous--nothing beat Carlsbad Caverns National Park. Not the Painted Desert, not Horseshoe Bend, not the Grand Canyon. Nothing. If you get the chance to go, we insist that you take it--you won't be disappointed! (By the way, despite my forgetting some of my photography equipment, most of my photos came out just fine anyway.)