This week featured a new National Park with a tour of Carlsbad Caverns National Park with Grandma and Pa. We opted to walk down into the caverns from the natural entrance rather than take the elevator straight down, and we’re glad we did! It was an incredible experience of having the physical awareness of how far down the caverns were (we went down 750 feet) through a long length of switchback paths. We got to see all the cave formations found in Carlsbad, including stalactites and stalagmites, columns, popcorn, shelves, and so much more. We even got to see an old ladder that Jim White (one of the first explorers) used in 1898, made of fencing wire and cut tree limbs. Being able to experience places like these always fill us with wonder. How LUCKY are we that this is our life, traveling from cool place to cool place?!

Both kids did great walking in the cavern along the paths. Kai enjoyed helping Grandma find ‘faces’ in the formations while Reya took breaks on daddy’s shoulders. Both kids said they had a great time and it was cool to see everything. That being said, they were pretty excited to see the elevator at the end of our time in the caverns! We would definitely recommend this stop to anyone interested, though we hear it’s especially magnificent in the spring when the bats migrate!