We finished up the last bit of the Big Room.
The ceiling of the Painted Grotto was covered with soda straws (hollow stalactites that may develop into large stalactites). While normally calcite is white, it can be stained with iron oxides and other minerals causing it to appear yellow, orange, red and brown.
The formation of a soda straw
The Doll's Theater was another collection of soda straws and small columns.
The walkway
A pool of water
The Chinese Theater
We emerged into a large dining area. "Eat 750 feet below the ground!" One can see the appeal of this... especially in the 1950's. But today, the room is a bit controversial. Historic photos show visitors lined up to buy box lunches, cooked food, drinks, souvenirs and even cigars. The problem is, however, that after so many millions of visitors eating so many millions of meals, the cave eco-system is changing. Today, food service is at least limited to sandwiches, salads and other items that do not require being cooked. However, one can still get warm drinks such as coffee or hot chocolate.
The Underground Lunchroom now...
... and then.
Nearby were the elevators. Yes, in the old days, people had to walk back up. Today, we get nifty, fast machines to do our work for us. The first shaft (which houses elevators 1 and 2) was started in 1931. Blasting and drilling were done simultaneously from both the cavern and the surface ends. Over 6 months later, the shaft was connected. Another shaft for two more elevators was completed in 1955. In 1977, new elevators replaced the older ones.
The visitor center is 75 stories above us. The trip takes about one minute, traveling at 9 miles per hour.
Hmmmm... I suppose one really only does need an Up and a Down button. It's not like there are any floors to get off at!
It dawned on me as we were leaving... why Carlsbad CAVERNS and not Carlsbad CAVE? As it turns out, there is a difference... although mostly the words are used interchangeably and I suspect few people really care. While all caverns are caves, not all caves are caverns. A cave is any cavity or hollow that is large enough that some portion of it doesn't receive direct sunlight. There are many types of caves andthey don't have to be made naturally. Often a cave is above ground level (such as within hills or mountains) and has just one opening. A cavern is a specific type of cave, naturally formed in soluble rock with the ability to grow speleothems. In general, caverns are larger, have most of their open space deep underground, and have a system of caves and passages.
Back above ground, it was still incredibly windy!
The wind whips about a flag.
Leaving the canyon
We ended up running some errands... getting groceries and doing some online tasks (thanks to the local Marriott Fairfield which graciously allowed us to sit in their lobby and use their free wifi).
The wind was screaming back at the campsite. We ate dinner in the car, then piled even more rocks on the tent stakes before taking a stroll to the nearby lake. I should actually say... ATTEMPTING to stroll to the nearby lake. We didn't get very far before we got cut off by a muddy swamp. We battled the wind walking back.
When we got back to the campsite, however, our tent was gone! We looked around and saw it lodged up in a tree of an empty campsite across the road. It was clearly torn in many places. We struggled to take it down and pull it apart, eventually just stuffing it in the trunk.
We were too remote and it was too dark to really go anywhere else... so we spent the night in the front seats of my tiny car. It wasn't that comfy and a bit chilly, but we survived.
My view from the car
