Sunday, January 6, 2013

Carlsbad Caverns: an underground fairyland

After being stuck in a snow storm for 2 days near El Paso, 20 minutes from the Mexican border, we were able to leave and head towards Hueco Tanks, a world-renown rock climbing (mostly bouldering) spot we were really looking forward to. Unfortunately, when we arrived, it was still snowing... but the campground was full nonetheless (people from all over the world reserve months in advance to be here at this time of year) and people were climbing, on wet freezing rock... We left, knowing that we will come back in a couple of years... 

Après avoir été pris dans une tempête de neige pendant 2 jours près de El Paso, à 20 minutes de la frontière du Mexique, nous avons pu partir pour nous diriger vers Hueco Tanks, un site d'escalade (plus précisément, de bloc) où nous avions vraiment hâte d'aller. Malheureusement, il neigeait encore quand nous sommes arrivés... mais le camping était tout de même plein (des gens de partout dans le monde réservent des mois à l'avance pour venir ici à cette période de l'année) et il y avait plein de monde qui grimpaient sur la roche mouillée et congelée... Nous sommes repartis, sachant très bien que nous y reviendrons dans quelques années...

We headed to Carlsbad Caverns and we were so glad we did. This place in unreal!! We walked a good 5 km, 235 m down into the earth to discover some of the most amazing sights we had ever seen in our entire life... All we could think of was how Jim White felt when he first discover this place in 1901...

Nous nous sommes dirigés vers les cavernes Carlsbad et nous n'avons pas regretté notre décision. C'est un endroit spectaculaire! Nous avons marché au moins 5 km, à 235 m sous la terre où nous avons pu admirer certains des paysages les plus incroyables de notre vie... Nous n'arrêtions pas de penser à Jim White, le premier homme à découvrir l'endroit en 1901, et à comment il avait pu se sentir... 

Interestingly enough, it was warmer down there than outside... A great occasion for me to really understand geothermic heating...

C'était intéressant de constater qu'il faisait pas mal plus chaud sous la terre qu'au dessus... Une excellente occasion pour moi de vraiment bien comprendre le principe du chauffage géothermique... 


 The painted grotto

The Chinese Theater

We were told it was quite expensive to get in (and it can be if you take guided tours), but it was FREE with our National Parks pass, just like our White Sands experience... Fun for free! Yeah!

Nous nous étions fait dire que c'était assez cher d'y entrer (et ça peut l'être si on prend des tours guidés), mais c'était GRATUIT avec notre passe des parcs nationaux, tout comme notre aventure à White Sands... Du plaisir gratuit! Yéé!

2 comments:

Sandra Dodd said...

-=-Interestingly enough, it was warmer down there than outside... A great occasion for me to really understand geothermic heating...-=-

Usually it's a treat to go in there from the hot, dry desert and for it to be so cool and damp! But the temperature is constant, and that's interesting.

Your photos are beautiful.

My grandfather worked there after it was discovered, working on roads or trails or something like that. I think it was probably a works administration project during the Depression. My mom and dad met in Carlsbad. He was running a cafe, and driving a cab, and she was in high school. But both their families were originally from Texas, and they ended up back there for a while before they moved to northern New Mexico when I was six.

Unknown said...

Very nice underground fairyland we also visit there and have a lot of fun. We reach there on a cab you can also hire our best Detroit airport taxi for going any where in Detroit or Michigan.