Carlsbad Caverns, New Mexico

Lily pads, draperies, popcorn, soda straws, columns, and, my favorite, snotites, are all descriptions for cave formations that we saw today as we descended into one of the largest caves in America - Carlsbad Caverns. At 180 miles, this is an immense underground attraction.

We did the self tour via the "Natural Entrance," which is a switchback trail that takes you past cave swallow nests and Brazilian free-tailed bat nurseries, down to The Big Room, over 700 feet underground. As we descended, I kept asking Benjamin, "are we in the Big Room yet?" as he had already visited with Samuel in November 2023. But he assured me the Big Room was much much bigger.

At six football fields in length, it earns its name, and is in fact, the largest continuous cavern in North America. Along the way we saw stalactites (which grow from the ceiling) and stalagmites (which grow from the floor), and as we overhead father say to her daughter on the trail, "when they join up, they form a column."

My favorite column is officially called "Rock of Ages" but I prefer to call it the Bearded Dragon. But Steven nailed the best name: the Bearded Walrus. The fanciful shapes in this cave allow your mind to see what you want.

After that came the "Silent Bell" a white stalagmite that drips water and looks like not only a bell, but a huge ice sculpture hundreds of feet under the ground.

Then there is the "The Chandelier" which features "draperies" of calcite, a type of stalacite that forms when water doesn't drip straight down, but curves. It brings to mind the natural drapery of a Bernini sculpture.

As you reach 755 feet, comes the Mid-Century Modern surprise. In the 1950s (the cave has been a National Monument since the 1920s), a gift shop, coffee shop and modern bathrooms were built.

We paused for coffee and fudge in this cave that was a cross of The Jetsons and The Flintstones. Finally, after 10,000 steps, we ascended in an elevator originally built in the 1920s, as a compromise to blowing a tunnel through the caverns to allow cars to drive through. Did I mention that it's 56 degrees in the tunnel but with 90% humidity? Bring a jacket and expect a few overhead drips. In total, a natural wonder not to be missed.