Wok N Roll with us...Bob and Teri Along with Atlas and Kalani: Carlsbad, NM 9/22/14 -9/29/14

We arrived in Carlsbad, NM with no reservations. Normally after the summer crowd, that should not be an issue. But hurricane Oldie that hit Cabo so badly brought various storms to this area. So many places had no room at the inn, but we found a place not too far out of town.We had originally planned to stay just a few nights but we stayed longer as the Caverns were closed almost a week due to flooded roads.

While hanging out waiting for roads to clear so we could visit the caverns, we visited the local zoo. The zoo was small but an enjoyable day, especially some of the plants we saw around the property. And, the day we visited, we basically had the zoo to ourselves.

Once Carlsbad opened, like wow! Teri had been there when she was 15, Bob never before. The rooms were huge and the splendor wonderful. We did the self tours and 2 other guided tours while there, including the left hand tunnel that has no trail improvements and is a complete candle powered, lantern only tour.

Unfortunately these pictures do not adequately capture the real wonder of these incredible caves. If you are ever close, it is surely a must see.

We stayed to see the bats exit the caves at night. Wow! We watched for over an hour as thousands of bats exited the caves for the night to feast. (and they were still exiting after the hour). It was an incredible sight, especially how they do kind of a swirl as they exit. Prior to their exit, the swallows start entering the cave. It seems that the swallows have the caves by night and the bats have the cave by day. No electronics are allowed now during the bat exit program as it is thought that they disturb the bats. Here is an old video o the bat exit that gives a flavor of the bat exit that we experienced (prior to the prohibition on electronics). Carlsbad Bat Exit