Well, after starting our summer with the epic road trip to four National Parks and a National Monument, we just couldn't let the summer end without earning a few more ranger badges and adding to our National Parks collection! First, Mom and Dad took Noah and Audrey to the Waco Mammoth National Monument last week. They had been before but had not participated in the junior ranger program, so they really learned a lot this time as they earned their badges!
Last Thursday, Chris came home from work early and we had the car packed and ready to head west! We used some hotel points to get a reservation in Hobbs, New Mexico. It wasn't super close to our destinations, but it was cheap, a shorter drive from home, and had a great pool! Friday morning we woke early and drove about an hour and a half to Carlsbad Caverns National Park.
After a stop at the Visitor Center to get the kids' Junior Ranger booklets, we decided to take the natural entrance down into the cave. It was the best way to truly get a feel for how deep and large the caverns are! Noah kept asking me to take photos, so bear with me.
The descent was quite steep and we realized later, as we boarded the elevator to go back up to the cafe and visitor center, that we were 750 ft. below the surface. We read that the deepest parts of Carlsbad Caverns are equivalent to the height of the Empire State Building!
Noah managed to earn his first Carlsbad Junior Ranger badge after lunch.
After lunch, we had reservations for a 1:00 Left Hand Tunnel Tour. The tour only accommodates 10 people, and we carried candlelit lamps to experience Carlsbad as the early explorers would have! It was an awesome tour of a part of the caverns only accessible to those on the tour.
Audrey had to be very brave because at one point, the ranger asked us to blow out our candles so we could experience the pitch black. We also had a 10-second moment of silence, which was eerie!
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| Re-lighting the lanterns |
We made it!
After our special tour, we still wanted to see the Big Room--and that's no exaggeration! It is the size of 14 football fields.
Finally, we finished the Big Room and went back to the Visitor Center for Audrey to complete her Junior Ranger requirements and be sworn in.
By that point, Noah had also earned a Cave Scientist badge.
We drove out of the park to White's City, where we ate at the only restaurant, the Cactus Cafe. Noah worked toward his Night Explorer patch while we were there.
We returned to Carlsbad Caverns for Noah to receive his patch and to see the bat flight at 7:30!
No photos allowed during the bat flight, but it was pretty incredible. This time of year, the Mexican free-tailed bats are hanging out in Carlsbad Caverns, so up to 500,000 of them fly out at dusk to hunt!
Saturday morning, after breakfast we headed just across the border back into Texas to visit Guadalupe Mountains National Park.
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| Best state in the U.S.! |
Guadalupe Mountains National Park encompasses Guadalupe Peak, the highest peak in Texas at 8,749 ft. It is also mostly protected wilderness area that can be accessed by hiking or backpacking. We came as prepared as we could, but the kids (okay, us too) were worn out from so much walking the previous day at Carlsbad Caverns! Still, we set out on the Devil's Hall hiking trail and made it almost to the end before we decided not to push Audrey anymore or we would never make it back!
We saw a buck early in the hike!
Part of the hike was through a wash, so there was lots of scrambling over big boulders!
We found some shade to eat our picnic lunch, then headed back to the trailhead. We did probably 3.5 miles of the 4.2 mile round-trip trail. I was disappointed not to finish it and see the namesake, Devil's Hall, but I couldn't complain because these kids were troopers.
Back at the Visitor Center, we cooled off and the kids earned their junior ranger badges.
There was also a park representative out on the patio with pictures of animal scat and tracks. The kids had fun trying to guess what kind of animal they belonged to.
From Guadalupe Mountains, we went to White's City again for some ice cream, cold drinks, and a bathroom break. We enjoyed the small-town amusements in the shops!
So long, Guadalupe Mountains!
Sunday morning we checked out and headed back home. It's not the shortest trip, or the most interesting, but we made it home by about 3:30. It was a great weekend enjoying this beautiful country and ending our summer making memories!
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