Carlsbad Caverns: Big Room Tour, Part I

Sunday morning bright and early we were back at the Visitor Center, first in line at the elevator to go down to the Big Room per the advice of the very helpful ranger the day before. That advice turned out to be spot on.

There were about 20 visitors total at 8:30 to start touring the Big Room.  Once Zak and I let them all move on ahead of us, it felt like we practically had the place to ourselves.  For the next two hours, we ran into more rangers than other tourists.  That gave me ample opportunity to set up my tripod on the narrow trail, composing and recomposing my shots without feeling like I was interfering with anyone else's visit.

As much as I enjoyed the Natural Entrance Tour the afternoon before, I don't think I shot it well.  We'd driven nearly eight hours to get there, so fatigue was a factor.  I also prefer to exclude man-made elements from my photos, which works out fine when shooting familiar scenery.  But underground it left many shots without any frame of reference for scale.  So I made an effort this day to more frequently include some sort of visual guide like the railings in this shot.  They provide some nice leading lines, too.

Finally, I decided to convert everything to black and white in post-production.  With all the light artificial anyway, any vibrant colors were mostly artifacts of the long exposures.  The textures, shapes and contrasts are all what deserve highlighting.

My mop-headed son playing the part of silhouette model.  We didn't purchase the audio tour, and probably should have so I'd better understand what exactly marker 24 was intended to bring focus to.  Even without that aid, I had little problem appreciating the subterranean beauty.

Seeing places like this always strengthens my belief in an Almighty Creator.  Not because I can't accept the science that attempts to explain how these sorts of landscapes can occur "naturally."  More because I have no other explanation for how they make me feel.  The appreciation of beauty doesn't help me secure a mate, or improve my offspring's chances of survival.  It just makes me love God more for giving human beings that gift.

The aptly named Hall of Giants features the largest stalagmite ever discovered -- the so-called Giant Dome. It measures 16 feet in diameter and stands 62 feet high next to two smaller columns known as the Twin Domes.

Stalactite City.  That's not the actual name of this room; I just like alliteration.

The Chandelier and the Totem Pole.  And not even halfway through the tour yet!

Click here for Part II.

Carlsbad Caverns: Natural Entrance Tour

Zak delighted me by agreeing to go on a lengthy spring break road trip together to three national parks -- Carlsbad Caverns, Guadalupe Mountains and Big Bend. It would be a lot of time in the car -- seven hours just to get to our first destination. But he could spend the whole time we were driving on his phone and iPad, which is probably what he would have done if he had stayed home. So I guess it didn't cramp his style too much.

So we headed out before sunrise last Saturday and pulled into the Carlsbad Caverns Visitor Center parking lot around 1:00.  That gave us time to do at least one of the two self-guided tours of the caves, and after consulting with a ranger we elected to do the Natural Entrance Tour.

The Natural Entrance Tour follows the traditional explorers' route, initially descending more than 200 feet over a series of switchbacks.  This is the same path that thousands of Mexican free-tailed bats take out of the caverns for their nightly hunts in the spring and summer.  It was the wrong time of year for bats, but the walk down was still impressive.

The natural light gradually grows dimmer and dimmer as you descend.  Your brain actively questions why you're doing this voluntarily as you leave the familiar surroundings of the surface world.  At least, my brain did.

Stalactites cling to the cavern roof, appearing tenuous in their grasp and prepared to dislodge at any moment.  In reality, an earthquake probably wouldn't shake them loose.

Emerging into the Main Corridor is breathtaking.  The scale of the space is hard to convey, but the trail and railings in the lower left may give you some sense of just how large the passage is.

Thankfully, tripods are allowed in the cave.  I've been in a couple of others where they're not, and it's very difficult to get any sort of decent pictures without one.

The lighting is actually really good.  Dim, but well placed.  The greens and blues visible in long exposures like this one aren't as obvious in real time.

As adventurous as it feels to be there now, just think about what it must have been like to explore this place in the 1800s with just rope and candles.

The Witch's Finger is one of many formations and rooms named by Jim White, a cowboy who became fascinated by the cave and was its first chief ranger when it was proclaimed a national monument in 1923.

After Zak and I finished this self-guided tour we thought about trying to also complete the one of the Big Room.  But on a Saturday afternoon -- and spring break to boot -- it was just too crowded.  The same helpful ranger from earlier advised that we return Sunday morning right then the park opened at 8:30.  So we instead grabbed some dinner just outside the park entrance in the little tourist trap of Whites City and went back to the visitor center in the hopes of shooting a pretty sunset.

Thick clouds prevented there from being an especially colorful show.  But all in all, we were tremendously pleased with how our adventures had begun and looking forward to what tomorrow would bring!