The Secrets of Southeast Arizona

I raised my children in East Texas and almost every year we would take a trip to California and Oregon to see our relatives. Many times we would drive I-10 through SE Arizona and we would always stop at this rocky rest stop near Benson Arizona so the kids could get out of the car and climb rocks. I really never paid much attention to it's name or the area around it because the area seemed so barren, so desert, so nothing, except for for those rocks that I would later learn to be Texas Canyon.

Now years have passed and I find myself living in that "barren" land called SE Arizona and what I found was, yes, where I-10 goes through Arizona it is lifeless and dull. However if you go just a few miles any direction off the freeway you will find that the area is anything but lifeless or dull! I have now lived in the area for 2 years and pass by Texas Canyon at least twice a week. I even look at Texas Canyon differently, because the Canyon has at least two arches! It takes a keen eye but the largest arch can be seen from the freeway. I just wished I could find the picture I took of it. I have; however, found this picture of a much smaller arch in Texas Canyon.

So now let's look off the freeway 11 miles East of Wilcox in one of the most barren stretches of Arizona. It is this one off the ramp that simply says Hwy 191 Safford. The large lonely stretch of divided highway only goes North and seems to go nowhere! Why put in a 4 lane divided highway to nowhere? Not only that, but hwy 191 used to be called hwy 666 and there are many stories about this lonely highway. OK, so you head North to these medium sized towns down in the Gila Valley called Safford/Thatcher. Here you have such staples as a Walmart, Safeway, Home Depot and a sizable college called Eastern Arizona College or EAC for short. So now your some 36 miles off the freeway and you realize this is a sizable town in a farming valley complete with a year round flowing river. However, it's whats surrounding the valley that I really enjoy. First of all I want to say from the I-10 freeway you can see this giant mountain with what looks like a drive-in movie screen on top. Well this mountain with a "movie screen" towers above Safford/Thacher making a beautiful backdrop to the towns. The 10,720' mountain commonly called Mt Graham  is a beautiful summer hide-a-way for the locals, but most everyone else just drives by the mountain on the freeway not knowing about it's forest, caves, lake, trails, springs, meadows, and the world's largest optical binocular telescope, yep that's that movie screen in the sky.

Here is a link to a video about Mt Graham,the tours of the observatories and the museum below the mountain.....Discoveries in the Shadow of Mt Graham .

Besides the beauty of Mt Graham there's the slot Canyons at Clifton, The awesome beauty at Bonita Creek, explore beautiful Klondike, the cliff-side ruins in 4 mile canyon, the hoo-doos  of the Chiricahua National Monument, the adventure of caving in Coronado National Monument, birding in the San Pedro Valley, visit the wonders of Katchner Caverns, go hiking at the Cochise Stronghold, or see history in the towns of Tombstone and Bisbee. It is stunning how many beautiful places are just a few miles off of the barren I-10 Freeway, so make a point of getting off the freeway and enjoy the beautiful secret sights of SE Arizona. Look for the BLOG about Ramsey Canyon which is another beautiful place in SE Arizona to visit. Also continue to stick around as we cover in detail these different Parks in SE Arizona. Til next time remember "Don't Watch Life, Live It!"

#SEArizona, #Texascanyon, #Mt.Graham, #Mt.Grahamobservatory, #discoveriesintheshadowofmt.graham

Zion National Park Video

Have you ever wanted to go to Zion National Park, but never had the chance to go?  Would you like a taste of what it's like?  We had the chance to go.

 

It started out sunny when we got on the tour bus, but the rain clouds were forming.  The thunder clapped in the distance as the lightning flashed. We set out on the journey, and the rain drops started to pitter pat on the roof of the bus.  The roof hatches had been left open, as the humidity was almost unbearable, but as the sprinkles became a downpour, those of us on the bus quickly shut the hatches.  The dry, dusty rocks of Zion suddenly were wet. Within minutes there were actual waterfalls descending off the cliffs, in dramatic cascades.

Here is a link to a relaxing video of our Zion National Park trip of September 2015: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VfxkWaNA3dk&feature=youtu.be.  You'll notice in the beginning there is a little starting and stopping, as the bus is picking up people.  You'll also notice the little sprinkles.  As the video continues, watch for the beauty of Zion to reveal itself! It is on our new YouTube channel Best's Natural World. Please subscribe if you like it and we have more videos in the works.

#Zion National Park, #Bestsnaturalworld, #naturalbeauty, #waterfalls

Kids, Nature, and Travel

 Our son John Best.











                                     Our son Mike Best.

Nothing captures a child's imagination like putting them in touch with nature.  Our sons were home schooled for various reasons.  We live by the theory that everything should be a learning opportunity, and the whole world offers occasions for taking in knowledge.  With this in mind, we decided that we would take one summer and make it an epic adventure by seeing how many National Parks we could go to.  We picked up one of the "passports to your national parks" books and started out on a summer vacation (now keep in mind that our oldest was severe ADHD and hated spending long times in the car, so we had to be creative).  That summer we went to Arches National Park:

Yellowstone National Park: 

Carlsbad Caverns National Park (back when they still served the lunches in the cave):

And Redwoods National Forest, but I can't seem to find the pics for that part of the trip!  We had many other stops along the way, and this isn't the exact order we did it in (we actually started with Carlsbad and ended with Yellowstone).  By the time we were done our kids had been underground, they'd seen geysers, taken pictures of moose, been "extremely close" (way too close for comfort) to wild bison and wild bear, and had been at the helm on the open ocean going out to Channel Islands National Park(see the post Paradise Within 90 Minutes of Los Angeles? Am I Crazy?).  They had even had the opportunity to pet wild dolphins (not that we're recommending that!)!  

What's the point?  The point is that they grew up knowing and appreciating nature.  Our oldest now lives in Colorado.  He works long hours, but whenever he can he gets away to the mountains to appreciate nature.  

We live in a cyber world, that's a fact!  Kids today have to have some kind of knowledge of computers and smart devices just to get by, but they shouldn't loose touch with the natural world around them.  

Our boys are grown and out of the house now, but we do have the opportunity to have our grandson, Ruben every year (Mike's son).  Here he is just learning to drive a boat in Newport harbor when he was four.

  

He's seven now, and he's really into nature.  In fact, every time we see him we get an update on what new sea life they've found in Marianas Trench (if you don't know, that's the deepest part of the ocean - his favorite topic)!  This year, we're taking an epic adventure with him.  We will be seeing how many National Parks we can go to in the two weeks we have him.  I can't post on here which ones we are planning on going to, as they are a surprise for him, but we'll follow up with what we've done after the trip!!

In the meantime, if you are planning a family vacation with kids, keep it fun.  Plan car games.  See how many animals you can find along the way.  Remember to reward good behavior.  Bring lots of non-sugary snacks (the sugar brings on car sickness and antsy britches, LOL!) - for us goldfish crackers, apple slices with peanut butter (but let them pick their favorite apples and spread on the peanut butter), oranges, water, and orange juice were great!  There are also a lot of road games that are fun for the road.  We found one called "Rubberneckers" that we still have in our car to this day. Our kids just loved that game and it kept us all busy for hours.  I was surprised to find you can still buy it today.  Amazon has it at this link: http://www.amazon.com/Rubberneckers-Everyones-Favorite-Travel-Game/dp/0811822176/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1457308431&sr=8-1&keywords=rubberneckers.  And when you plan a trip, take into account the age of your kids.  Just because you can go eight hours without stopping, doesn't mean they can.  Check the map and find a nice place to stop every couple of hours.  Even if it is just a 20 minute stop.  Treat it as a bathroom break/learning opportunity.  See what kind of nature is around and learn about it.  Don't ever be afraid to tell your kids, "I don't know."  Get out your smart phone and learn with them. Asking questions is the only way any of us learn and they will respect you more in the long run.  We have told our grandson "I don't know" a couple of times and had to look it up to find the answer.  This last year he announced to his parents that "GPa and Nana are the smartest people in the world."  While it was flattering, we realize the only reason he thinks that is because we take the time to find the answers for him. Give the kids a map.  Let them see where you are and where you are going.  They may not be able to navigate yet, but it will keep them busy and they can learn some skills!

Wishing you all, happy travels!

#travelingwithkids, #kidsandnature, #nationalparks, #travel, #travelwithyoungkids, #travelwithkids

Paradise within 90 minutes of Los Angeles? Am I crazy?

Los Angeles, a smoggy, crowded, and traffic nightmare of a city, that many still call "Paradise". Hmmm? The fact is I was born and raised in the LA basin, but even as a child I longed to be in Yosemite or Lake Tahoe.  Any place without freeways and stoplights (which, by the way, isn't the case at Lake Tahoe anymore). So before I had a drivers licence, I was looking for places of solitude around LA. One of my favorite places was Millard Canyon outside of Pasadena. But for a real experience I would hop on my fathers sailboat in Marina Del Rey and go out on an adventure; bear in mind as a youth in the 70's we had a lot more freedoms then youths today. Out on the ocean I escaped Los Angeles by leaving that thick brown fog in my wake as I silently became one with nature. Both my Dad and I loved those sailing adventures, but soon we would separate. I headed North to Oregon and he bought a bigger sailboat so he could live aboard and headed slightly North to Oxnard. Years would pass and we got together every few years and go sailing and talk about our past adventures.

Then there was the unforgettable adventure of summer 2001 by now I had a family, 2 sons and my wife.  We went to Oxnard to meet up with my Dad for another sailing adventure. This one would

be the adventure of a lifetime! We were heading out to the Channel Islands!

We were only 90 minutes from the hustle and bustle of  LA yet out on that open ocean we felt we were in some South Pacific adventure. It all started when we a few dolphins came into view in the distance. I was saddling the bow sprint with a video camera in hand as more and more dolphins continued to make there way up to our boat. Hundreds of dolphins, everywhere for as far as we could see surrounded us! Many of them were frolicking in the wake made as the bow pushed forward through the water.  We had good wind in the sails and were making nice time. My oldest decided he wanted to pet one of these amazing creatures, so he leaned over the side of the boat.  His mother in a panic, grabbed his feet just before he went over the side!  She patiently held his ankles as the dolphins would jump up to him so he could pet them. Now I'm still on the bow video taping the event, giggling like a school child, with a high pitched voice and turning the camera every which direction so the camera really doesn't focus on anything. Needless to say I can only watch the video with the sound off, LOL. Now I had been videoing the dolphins jumping in our wake underneath me for awhile, when I thought, "If I continue to tape this then I will not be able to get footage of Anacapa Island." So I take my camera down into the cabin and go back to the bow sprint. Well that was a dumb thing to do...it wasn't a few minutes later when this very large blue whale surfaced right beside us! She was over twice the size of my dad's 40' sailboat!  As she blew it sounded like a Yellowstone geyser as the water was forced from the blow hole of this shinning grey surface of an island. To think that this living, breathing creature with a heart, lungs, a brain, and feelings can actually hear and see us, it was so surreal. Well I decided to run for my camera and fell on the non-skid deck and skinned my knee, by then the blue whale submerged never to be seen by us again.

As we sailed Southwest to Anacapa Island we continued to see the rich wildlife such as the beautiful, but dangerous jellyfish pulsating by the boat just below the surface of the sea.  As we approached Anacapa Island you can hear the Sea Lions barking and playing along the shore of the island, even coming to the boat in hopes of a handout (Keep in mind this is a National Park and has all the rules of any other National Park which is Do Not Feed the Animals!). As we approach the Island the first thing we see is Arch Rock the most recognizable landmark at Channel Islands National Park. 

During our adventure we also got to see the caves along the seashore of the islands, something I would like to explore yet, but for now I get to have all the fond memories of that adventure of a lifetime just outside Los Angeles.

Now you may be thinking that sounds like an awesome trip alright, but I don't own a boat.  How do I get to go to Channel Islands? This is the great thing about this trip! You don't need to own or even pilot a boat to enjoy the Channel Islands National Park, because there's a Visitors Center on the mainland to tell you all about the Islands history, like a ship that sank full of Gold and the last built lighthouse on the West Coast and much more. Then make reservations to take a boat to visit the islands and you may even come across a super-pod of dolphins or even a few Blue and Grey Whales. Here is a link to Channel Islands National Park and the boat that you can go on at http://islandpackers.com/. So if you live in the LA basin and want to get away from the hustle and bustle then go West and enjoy nature at it's finest.

#ChannelIslands, #sailing, #dolphinsuperpod, #NationalPark

Spring is Upon Us - Let's Not Forget Our Pollinators

The first, sweet bite of a perfectly ripened watermelon on a hot, summer day is something many people enjoy.  Others favor the smell of spices in a warm house on a cool fall day as they take their first bite of hot pumpkin pie.  Or what about the perfect zest and spice of jalapeno peppers in a delicious burrito? Maybe letting a perfectly smooth piece of chocolate melt on your tongue is your idea of heaven.  Then again, unwinding after work with a margarita may be essential. What do all of these things have in common?  Watermelon, pumpkin, peppers, chocolate, agave (the plant that tequila is made from) and so many more are all plants that are dependent on pollinators!  Even your morning coffee requires a pollinator to get the job done!  It is estimated that 75% of the world's crops are dependent on pollinators.  The bad news for us is that the majority of our pollinators are in either a steady decline or in downright danger of extinction!

So who are our pollinators?  Let's meet the crew:

1. The honeybee - the above picture gives a good picture of this little guy.  Who knew that they could be so important!

2. The bumblebee -

3. Many species of bats - The one pictured here is the Mexican Long Tongued Bat -

4. Butterflies - 

Monarch

Painted Lady

5. Moths -             Sphinx Moth

6. Beetles - This is the largest group of pollinators on the planet.  Beetles are responsible for pollinating approximately 88% of the flowering plants on the planet; however, they aren't listed as number one on our list, as they are more likely to pollinate things such as magnolias, crab apples, goldenrods, etc.  They are really into flowers, but not the biggest pollinator of food producing plants.

7. The Mosquito (yes the male mosquito is a pollinator (actually, even the female is, although she is also the one who bites us for our blood for her young; however, they are also pollinators - now please don't take this the wrong way - we are not in any way stating that we need to save the mosquito - they are also the most deadly creature on the planet (outside of man, of course) in that they take more lives by spreading disease - but they still belong on the pollinator list).

8. Other pollinators to keep in mind would include ants, certain types of flies, and wasps.

So why are they disappearing and what can you and I do to help?  Well the first part of that question, why are the pollinators seeing a decrease in numbers is very complex.  In the case of the honeybee, the main issue is called CCD or colony collapse disorder. There is dispute over what seems to be causing this, however.  The best research seems to show that CCD is probably caused by the insecticides used on crops.  For the butterflies, several other issues come into play (see our blog post, "Where Have All the Monarchs Gone").  Bats take a hit because of the reputation they received from Hollywood and the phobia people have developed, along with pesticides.  Beetles, ants, flies, wasps, etc., all are affected by societies overuse of pesticides and herbicides and a lack of food.

Now we come down to what you and I can do to help!  Find alternative ways to get rid of pests and weeds.  Long before there were pesticides, farmers found ways to get rid of unwanted pests.  Here in the Gila Valley of Arizona, the farmers would go up to what is called Lady Bug Saddle of Mt. Graham and gather thousands of lady bugs to let loose on their crops here in the valley.  The lady bugs would rid the crops of aphids.  We can do the same today.  When we lived in Texas we had a terrible problem with fire ants one year, so we got chickens.  Chickens are one of the few predators of fire ants.  Prevention is also the key.  Instead of spraying everything for mosquitoes, we can work hard to not have mosquitoes in the first place.  Don't leave anything out that will collect standing water where mosquitoes can lay their eggs.  We have a little wading pool for our dogs, but we check it every two to three days to make sure that there is no mosquito larvae, and if we see even one, we dump it, let it dry in the sun, wipe it out and refill it.  If you have a pond, fish or frogs are great to have to keep the mosquitoes down.  As far as weeds, use weed mat, pull the weeds, or in some cases, let them stay as food for our pollinators.  Many of the plants that are weeds to us are food for them. Research what plants are natural plants for the area.  One of the reasons the monarchs are dying off is because everyone has pulled out all the milkweed.  It is a natural plant and some of the varieties are actually quite beautiful.  

Plant plants that will attract the pollinators.  Milkweed is great for the butterflies, as are butterfly bushes.  Plant other flowering plants.  You'll be amazed at the beautiful creatures you have show up! Here is a link about what you can do to help our pollinators:  http://www.fws.gov/pollinators/.

Enjoy your springtime!

#pollinator, #springtime, #butterflies, #bees, #Eco-friendly

Grand Canyon National Park - Definitely not Overrated!!!

They say a picture is worth a thousand words, but there is no picture in the world that can do justice to Grand Canyon National Park!  For years I'd heard people say that this park was a "nice sight to see" or "it's overrated" or "you might want to stop in if you have the time".  All I can figure is that they just stopped by the visitors' center!  

Breathtaking is hardly strong enough for the way we felt as the south rim of the canyon came into view.  A day is seriously not long enough to take in the beauty of this canyon!  We had not put it on our "to do" list for many years, as we had heard it was overrated, but don't make the same mistake. Plan the trip and take the time.  Here are a few pics to wet your appetite:

We were here Christmas eve, and you can see a bit of snow on the ground under the pine trees on the left frame of the photo.

Here you can start to see just how vast the Grand Canyon actually is.  Having been carved out by the Colorado River, it truly is a natural wonder.  It ranges from 4 miles wide to as much as 18 miles wide in some places.  Sprawled out over a vast portion of Northwest Arizona, with an average depth of 4,000 feet for the entire 277 mile length, it is truly remarkable.  At its deepest point it is over 6,000 feet deep, making it over a mile down.  Many think this makes it the deepest canyon in the world; however, this distinction belongs to Cotahuasi Canyon of Peru, which is over twice as deep. What makes the Grand Canyon truly Grand is the combination of impressive depth, massive width, extraordinary length, and dramatic color.  It's truly one of a kind!

The National Park Service has done a lot to promote education about the land and the peoples who lived here before.

Grand Canyon National Park affords many picture taking opportunities.  There is vista after vista to snap photos.  It is so easy to become enamored with the scenery, but there is so much more!

There are programs and tours of every kind at Grand Canyon National Park.  The mule tours leave from both the north rim or south rim.  Here is the link for more information on the mule tours: http://www.nps.gov/grca/planyourvisit/mule_trips.htm. Ranger led programs go on year round and on a variety of projects.  Here is the link to find out when and where: http://www.nps.gov/grca/planyourvisit/ranger-program.htm.  With multiple visitor centers, information centers, and museums there is no shortage of information and there are great places to pick up a souvenir.  My personal favorite is the Desert View Watchtower.  Here is the link to all of them: http://www.nps.gov/grca/planyourvisit/ranger-program.htm.  Whitewater rafting trips on the Colorado River through the Grand Canyon is very popular.  The trips last between 3 and 21 days and require a permit.  You will usually need to obtain these permits well in advance.  Here is the link: http://www.nps.gov/grca/planyourvisit/whitewater-rafting.htm.  There are also shorter half day to one day smooth water trips that can be found at the same link.  For everything else you may need to know to plan an unforgettable, trip of a lifetime here is the link: http://www.nps.gov/grca/planyourvisit/index.htm.

Grand Canyon National Park encompasses several different life zones from the rim at the top to the canyon floor.  Even on a cold winter day, it can be warm in the sunny parts of the lower elevations. When hiking you always want to make sure you carry enough water, even when it seems cool to start!  

You'll also want to notice the life around you.  The Grand Canyon is one of the few places on earth you can be treated to the sight of a California Condor; one of the rarest birds on the planet. We caught a glimpse of one just taking off while we were there, but he flew out of sight before we could get the car pulled over to get a picture.  The biodiversity here is unbelievable!

So start planning your trip now!  You will never regret it!

#GrandCanyon, #adventure, #travel, #Arizona, #Coloradoriver, #NationalPark

Enjoy the real California Adventure!

Crowds, I do not like crowds, so I avoid certain parks certain times of the year. But I'm guessing many people must like crowds because they tend to stick together in relatively tight places. For example, Yosemite National Park is one of the most beautiful places on earth, so many people vacation there including myself. As a matter of fact, that's where I took my beautiful bride on our honeymoon some 27 years ago. Yet of the 3.7 million guests a year that play here, a vast majority spend their time in the 7 square miles of Yosemite Valley, and yet Yosemite comprises 1,190 square miles! However, having said that people seem to want even more folks around them, they still want the Yosemite experience; river rafting, flying, and a host of other California Adventures in a small time frame and have all this artificial fun along with 17 million others! Yes, that is a real number,17 million guests a year play in the roughly 100 acre theme park of Disneyland Resort at a cost of some $100+ a day just to get in!

So what's my Point,? It is this, enjoy the real California and as crowded as that state is, there's still so many secret places to see and explore without the massive crowds. So where are some of these places? Well if you hang around with us here on our Bests Natural World  we will not only tell you about these places in California but also just about everywhere else West of the Mississippi River.

But for now let's wet your appetite and I'll start with California. You wanna see giant trees but don't want to deal with crowds at Sequoia National Park?  Then head North to the Redwoods National: a park with a fraction of tourists. You want to experience the beautiful Sierra's without all the mayhem?Then head out to the east side of the mountains to places like Lone Pine, Bishop, and Lee Vining. These quaint small towns are a great base to head up to the high country with a fraction of the crowds. Then there's my favorite "secret" California Park: a place with a little over 123,000 guests a year in their 46,000 acres that has over 700 caves! Yes, that's right 700 caves and almost everyone of them are open to the public! They even provide free flashlights for you to use. I'll write about this Park in the near future, but for now stick around with us as we write and show you pictures of some of America's most beautiful places.

In Yosemite there is a beautiful place that few visit known as Hetch Hetchy Valley. Maybe some day they will remove the dam and the valley can return to nature. This and the other pictures of  Yosemite were taken in 1989 by my wife during our honeymoon.

Back when I was young and pretty LOL I'm standing at a tunnel at Hetch Hetchy dam

The unmistakable Upper Yosemite Falls

Before and after pictures from 1976 and 2011 of same intersection in Lone Pine California looking at Mt Whitney, which is that jagged peak right of center. In 1976 it was 14,494' tall the highest mountain in the continental US and now in 2011 it's 14,505' courtesy of GPS. Of course this is a story within itself that I'll have to relate soon.

I love those California Redwood trees!

One of our secret places that I will reveal in the upcoming months, including some videos. Say "Hello" to Albert!

#realCaliforniaadventure, #avoidingcrowds, #secretplaces, #California, #travel, #adventure, #Hetchhetchy, #Yosemite, #NationalPark

Carlsbad Caverns National Park - A Must See and an Easy Cave Adventure

If you are new to spelunking (caving), or if you've been doing it for years, Carlsbad Caverns is a definite "not to be missed" attraction.  This natural wonder is located in the heart of the Guadalupe Mountains in Southeastern New Mexico.  It is a National Park, so it is very well maintained and protected.  There are easily traversed paths so that even novices and children can enjoy. With several guided tours, including King's Palace, Left Hand Tunnel, Slaughter Canyon Cave, Lower Cave, Hall of the White Giant, and Spider Cave, there is something for every level of spelunker.  Check the schedule before arrival to see which tours are running and what ability level they are at.  Here is the link: http://www.nps.gov/cave/planyourvisit/tour_schedule.htm.

Before I go on, let me start by clearing something up.  Many people ask, "What is the difference between a cave and caverns?"  Simply put, all caverns can be called caves, but not all caves can be called caverns.  A cave is a whole in in the ground or rock where some part of it doesn't get sunlight.  There are many different types of caves.  A cavern, on the other hand, is formed out of soluble rock (the rock of Carlsbad is Limestone) that has been naturally hollowed out with the ability to form speleothems (draperies, stalactites, stalagmites, ,etc.).  For instance, we love the lava tubes at Lava Beds National monuments.  These are great caves to explore, but they would not be considered caverns because 1. they are not made of soluble rock (they are made of lava flows) and 2. they do not have the ability to form speleothems. 

Upon arrival you will stop at the visitors' center to pay your entrance fee. The current fee is $35 for 16 and older and is good for 3 days.  People aged 15 and under are free.  Also, if you have your America the Beautiful Pass which includes the Senior Pass, Access Pass, Military Pass or Volunteer Pass, the cardholder plus three adults are admitted free of charge.  The National Parks also have five fee free periods throughout the year.  These include January 18th (Martin Luther King, Jr. Day), April 16th through April 24th (National Park Week), August 25th through August 8th (National Park Service Birthday), September 24th (National Public Lands Day), and November 11th (Veterans Day). These are a great time to visit if you'd like to avoid the fee; however, these are also very busy times.

After paying the fee and viewing the exhibits at the visitors' center, you begin your self guided tour of the caverns.  The paved path is switch back into the impressive entrance of the cave.  This is the same massive opening that the bats exit during the bat flight viewing that are so enamored with.  The bats are not at Carlsbad during the winter; however, the return during the spring to have their young.  Bat flight programs begin just before dusk with a ranger led program in a viewing area in front of this opening.  The best time for viewing the bat flight is between August and September when the newly born Brazilian free tail bats join the parents in their flights.  It truly is a spectacular event!  Here is the link to learn more about the bat flight: http://www.nps.gov/cave/planyourvisit/bat_flight_program.htm.

Amphitheater for viewing the bat flight

Once inside you will be amazed at some of the incredible features.  It is true that you won't see the colors here that you may see in other caves, such as Kartchner Caverns (another truly "not to be missed" adventure), but the sheer size and flow of these creations are incredible.  This is a living or active cave.  The majority of these formations are still in the process of being formed.  You will notice that everything is still quite wet.  

While touring, it is extremely important that visitors do not touch any of the formations, as wherever a visitor lays their hand, the formation will stop growing if it is not properly cleaned.  Remember, OIL AND WATER DON'T MIX!  Since all of these formations are formed by water carrying the calcite and depositing as it outgasses, if it runs into oil, it has to go around, and that can totally change a formation or even stop it from growing!!!

In the picture above you will notice a large column with beautiful curtains forming in it.  Just one of a plethora of columns throughout the caverns

Here's a great example of what's affectionately called "cave popcorn".  We often laugh about how many cave formations are named after food.  When we go caving, it is advisable not to take food into a cave.  If you are on a long cave expedition, you begin to get hungry.  My wife and I always said that the cavers before us named these formations after food because they were hungry when they saw them and subconsciously named them after food!  Notice in this picture the little tiny stalactites hanging down.  Some of them have become columns.  (Stalactites hang down from the ceiling - notice the c in the name and they hang "tite" to the ceiling.  Stalagmite grows up from the ground - notice the g in the name and they "mite" grow up to the ceiling. A column goes from the ceiling to the ground)

Here are a couple of columns in the hall of giants!

This is the decent for one of the ranger guided tours.  We took this tour.  It is about an hour and a half long and is an intermediate tour.  It was great for photography!

This is an amazing formation called the Whales Mouth, as it resembles the baleen of a whale.
Here we have a large column with soda straw stalactites hanging from the ceiling.

I can never get over the beauty of these draperies!

We have been to Carlsbad Caverns National Park many times.  We took our boys there when they were teenagers.  This summer we will be taking our 7 year old grandson.  If you have never been, this is a place you will definitely want to make plans to visit Carlsbad Caverns soon!

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