Every few years we take a trip somewhere around this Nation of ours to a place we have never been before. This usually coincides with one of our wedding anniversaries. This year was our 40th, and this year we went to the Carlsbad Caverns in New Mexico and the Painted Desert and Petrified Forest in Arizona – Both are in the National Park System, and both are a sight to behold!
Let me warn you all that there is no amount of photographs that can ever do justice to either of these places. To be able to reel in the actual natural beauty of these wonderful American National Parks, one should always see them with your own eyes. I urge all who read this blog to go to as many natural wonders in this country of ours as you possibly can, only then can you appreciate the value of our country in terms other than our politics or our people.
Now, having said that, let me show you a few photos that I took on this trip.
The gaping mouth of the Cavern as seen as you prepare to enter.
From the inside looking up and out as we descended into the cavern. Those birds are cave swallows, and they live and nest just inside the mouth of the cave.
One of the good things to come out of Hollywood is the lighting system inside the cave, this done by a theatrical lighting expert throughout the entire Cavern – except for the bat cave – which gives a visual perspective of what a Cavern is that no camera could ever capture. You just gotta see it for yourself!
The enormity of the Cavern can be seen in the contrast of these ladies as they descended behind us. They are of average height and the top of the cave towers above them. Note the handrails, as the entire Cavern has paved walkways with handrails throughout.
The handrails and paved walkways that a I mentioned above. As you can see, there are places that even I had to duck to get through.
This is a typical sight throughout the Cavern. Note the lighting near the bottom of the picture. I cannot praise that unknown lighting expert enough. This something one MUST see with one’s own eyes to really appreciate.
Although we took the self guided tours with the walk down and the part of the Cavern known as the Big Room(they have these numbered stops and an accompanying audio info thing we rented), we also took the Ranger Guided Tour of the Kings Chamber. This is our Ranger as he prepared us for the tour. These Rangers are very knowledgeable and they love to impart their knowledge when asked. I urge all those who go to ask many and every question you can think of, they really enjoy answering questions.
Now for the Petrified Forest and Painted Desert . . . .
Just 16 miles east of Holbrook Arizona on Interstate 40, old Route 66, lies another magnificent natural wonder of our great nation. Again I say that no amount of photographs can ever do this place justice.
As far as the eye can see . . . . . . . .
Some may call this the brush strokes of Mother Nature, and others say it is the handiwork of God Himself. The Painted desert is truly an awesome sight indeed. We took three days to take it all in.
Again, we purchased an Audio Tour that took us to numbered stops along the way and gave us the history of the area and set us up for the walking paths. Take a lot of water with you as this IS a desert, warm and dry.
The petrified logs – This one looks like it is sawed into sections, but it is actually naturally broken into these neat pieces – are everywhere, but remember that it is a federal crime to remove them from a national park.
Look closely at the picture above. What looks like wood chips is actually tiny broken pieces of the petrified logs that were broken off during a flood over a million years ago. But then, I am told, that people actually used dynamite to blow up some of the logs to get the quartz crystals out of the centers – this actually destroyed the crystals that they were trying to get. Greed gets you nowhere.
In nearby Holbrook is the Wigwam Motel. Yes, it is a real Motel that you can rent a Wigwam to spend the night in. Yes, those are real antique cars parked all around the place.
As you can see, it is quite a sprawling place. I recommend it if you have children as it would give them something to talk about at “show and tell” when they go back to school.
There you have it. That is all the pictures I am going to bore you with today. If you want to see more, then schedule a trip of your own and take a good look at the physical worth of this country of ours. It is priceless in both memories and value. This nation really is worth saving!
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