Day 7 - a little more

Ken worked all day 8-5 Eastern from the camper.  Then he successfully converted one of our two Honda 2000i generators over to low pressure propane so that it can run off the propane that we use for the camper fridge, grill, and stove.  

He took the tray off the front of the SUV to work on the generators and we are going to the Bat Flighht program at Carlsbad Cavern NP this evening (no photos allowed).  This will also give us a 40mi. round trip test run of our SUV as we plan to have the transmission checked out in Albuquerque in a couple days.  Albuquerque is about a 4.5 hour trip from Carlsbad.  We plan to stop for some sightseeing in Roswell on our way through.

The kids and I went swimming while Ken worked, then there was a thunder storm.  The stiff breeze and "chilly" 91F temperature was very welcomed by all of us Northeasterners.  

Driving into Carlsbad Cavern NP

Carlsbad Cavern NP - a few evening photos before the Bat Flight program.

(note: Ken checked the transmission fluid once we got to the visitor center and it appears to be overfilled - at this point we should be fine driving to ABQ with the camper in a couple days.  My cousin is helping us set up an appointment at a shop to get everything checked out and an oil and fluids change.)

Back to Carlsbad Cavern NP - the drive up the mountain was exceedingly beautiful.  The Guadaloupe Mountains look like a wasteland from a distance, but up close, they are teeming with life.  The CCNP Visitor's Center sets utop a smaller mountain.  We were shocked by the strength of the wind when we got out of the car - and bewildered by the expansive view.  Breathtaking.

The Bat Flight ampitheater was about 90% full of people, including a school bus full of high schoolers.  The Ranger gave instructions about no noise, no electronics, no cameras during the bat flight, sadly the group of school kids in front of us had decided that the "even a sneeze can affect the bats" warning did not apply to them. Thankfully, the bats put on quite a show dispite the added noise.  It was an incredible experience to witness the maternal colony of Brazilian (?)-tails circle and swarm out of the depths of the cavern into the twilight to consume 1/2-3/4 their body weight in moths and insects.  A huge black speckled highway formed to the south of the cave's natural entrance as close to half-million flying mammals went out for the hunt.  

Sunset from the Visitor Center.

As we headed back to the RV Park, we stopped for a few extraterresterial photos:

More Carlsbad Cavern NP tomorrow as we descend into the depths of the Earth, and as the children add another badge to their Junior Ranger collections.