day 4: the fun begins

today was the big day. carly and i loaded rhonda up and hit the open road. this was our first time to go "for real" camping, and we brought all the comforts of home with us. we had the tent, blankets, towels, and even feather beds so we could rough it in style.

first stop: carlsbad caverns. i was super excited. i hadn't been to carlsbad in years. we went as a family when i was in junior high. i only remember a few things... the bottomless pit, the bats, and being a nervous wreck. i could barley sleep last night thinking about all the things that could go wrong.


my fears were not abated by this sign. if there is one thing i am not... it's agile. not to mention the fact that i'm not exactly in shape. luckily i strapped on my tennis shoes, so i was ready for anything.

the hike is just over a two miles, and is fantastic. i can't describe the awesomeness of the caverns. it is an other worldly experience. you have no idea what you're in for when you walk into the mouth of the cave.

all i could think about was what it would be like to have discovered the cavern. it would blow your mind... it is so vast and incredible that there would be no way to explain it.

there were "whale's teeth"...


et's finger... (don't worry. carly isn't actually touching the stalagmite. that would be against the rules. it's just an illusion.)



and cool tunnels....


p.s. - yes, i know it's obvious that i'm a teacher. i'm okay saying it... i wear teacher clothes. i'm not afraid, and i love a cardigan.


overall, it was super fun. but by the end all you want to do is get above ground, have a snack, and sit down for a while.



every night in the summer millions of bats come out of the cave to get some dinner. we decided not to stay and watch the bats come out. we thought that the best use of our time would be to go set up camp for the night. we drove to brantley lake and picked out a spot for our tent. it's great. it has working bathrooms, grills, and even a view of the lake.


it turns out that setting up early was the right decision. two hours later we had the tent all set up. our tent is significantly bigger than any other tent here which is nice because have a walkway between the featherbeds. in fact, the tent is so big it hangs over on all sides of the tent slab. i know that the seasoned campers around us were probably judging us, but i don't even care. we are really proud.


i hope the night goes as smoothly as the day has gone so far...let's hope the tent stays up.