Carlsbad Caverns

This place can be summed up with "Wow, wow, wow..." and "that's a lot of freaking bats" We made the 3 hour drive from Las Cruces to Carlsbad Caverns today. A couple of days ago I described White Sands as feeling like you're on another planet. Carlsbad Caverns also gives this feeling, for me it felt like I was walking through the Mines of Moria (dorky Lord of the Rings reference). Every time you turn a corner you see another awe-inspiring site. There's just cool views everywhere down there. Pictures do not do it justice, but I took about 147 billion anyway. We also came back to see the bats leave the cave at dusk. Question: How long does it take half a million bats to leave a cave? Answer: We left after 40 minutes. Yes, that's a lot of freaking bats, really neat to see in person. However the ride back out from the cave at night is pretty butt-clenchy since you know there's a steep drop-off about 3 feet from the road but you can't see it. Good day, highly recommend this. A long walk down and my toes may never forgive me, but hey, they wanted to be part of the foot, so it's their own fault.