Jeana really wanted to stop at Carlsbad Caverns National Park (New Mexico) on our way home. I’m so glad she did because it was so awesome! The hike down into the cave dropped 750 feet in altitude and Audrey hiked the whole way down! I was so proud of her. She was getting a bit scared about the hike down but Jeana reminded her about how Arthur (from PBS) whistled to keep from getting scared. Audrey did her best to whistle, but it was just no-tone air blowing out her mouth. We were asked not to touch anything in the cave, that was a bummer. I carried Kate in the backpack and we had a great time together. She couldn’t last as long as the rest of us and crashed near the end of the journey. That toddler back was worth every penny we spent on it years ago!
We learned a lot about caverns, of course. There was a funny name for all the formations, something that ended with “therms” … speleotherms, that’s the name. Audrey and Kate loved seeing the “popcorn” all over the cave. The “popcorn” was little balls of limestone which looked like, you guessed it, popcorn. Soda straws were long thin things that hung from the ceiling of the cave. You surely know of stalactites and stalagmites. The other two formations were draperies (long hanging flat things that looked like curtains) and columns (made when stalactite and stalagmites meet somewhere in the middle).
What a cool place to go! It only cost us $12 for the whole family to get in and we probably spent about 2 hours there.
I remember going to Carlsbad Caverns when I was very, very little. I think that is the place where I got lost and a man held me until my family found me. Can you imagine that happening today? Is that where the whistle caves are too? Somehow I have memories of caves that had whistling sounds in them.
I don’t think that’s where the whistle caves are. I may have whistled in the caves though.
These caves were really quiet.