Views from the Presidential Suite: Carlsbad, New Mexico

We drove a few more hours into Southeast New Mexico to visit Carlsbad Caverns. The day prior to going to the National Park we drove into the desert to see the Living Desert Zoo. It is a small, outdoor zoo located on a mountain top that shows the local vegetation and houses local, once wounded or neglected animals. It was a beautiful, sunny day in the mid 70's and the zoo was practically deserted so we had it all to ourself; the perfect combination.

There are some pretty scary animals and insects in the southwestern US--black widow spiders, rattlesnakes, mountain lions, bobcats--and they were all represented at the zoo along with some very sweet and cute critters. You judge by looking at the pictures.

Today we took a tour of Carlsbad Caverns. I was told by a ranger that it is the most decorated caverns around, full of large rooms with stalactites, stalagmites, columns, lakes, and draperies throughout with rooms called the emperor's palace, the dungeons, the boneyard and the queen's palace. Apparently a 16 year old cowboy discovered it in 1898. He thought he saw a volcano or smoke coming out of a hole in the ground. Actually, it was a twisting column of bats who continue to leave the caverns every evening to hunt for insects.