Snakes, Bats, and Caverns...
For most of this trip I have been actively seeking out snakes as I had never seen one in the wild before. I have been stomping through long grass in dry areas, overturning rocks in the desert and had no luck at all until yesterday morning. Alongside New Mexico state highway 176 enroute to Carlsbad, I finally found what I was looking for. I have no idea what kind of snake this is, all I know is that it is not a rattlesnake. For the purposes of the blog we can imagine it is highly venomous and aggressive.
Earlier in the morning we visited Fort Davis, an old US government post that protected emigrants heading west in the 19th century.
And then... Carlsbad Caverns national park where we took an elevator 750ft below the surface to a huge cave system.
Once back on the surface, we went to the amphitheater to watch hundreds of thousands of bats fly out of the cave together at dusk. This sign in the parking lot had us packing water and scroggin for the journey, only to discover that the 10 minute walk to the amphitheater, all on paved tracks, was anything but strenuous. Cameras are banned during the bat flight, so you'll have to take my word for it that it was cool.
5 comments:
You took the elevator!? I walked down that far when I was 7!
We got in after 3.30 when the natural enterence closes, so we had no option but to take the elevator. You don't see me shying away from a long hike! Nearly got you one of those plastic bats from the souvineer shop Mike.
Haha, I remember my old plastic bat! (I bet that's where you got that 'snake' too!)
I am willing to believe it's a real snake. A real snake Mac hit with the Jeep.
Unless Chris Moore is up to his old tricks again.
Team America, if that is your real name Rhys: do you see any tire marks? Not only was the snake real, it was feirce.
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