Carlsbad Caverns and Holiday Hayride

cave within a cave.

These things are mindblowing.
GIANT, intricate formations, and teeny-tiny ones;  HUGE rooms & spaces, and small, narrow ones to creep (easily) your way under; crystals being formed (Gypsm, yellow Calcite);  gentle, spacious drip-drops tinkling down from above;  and clear pools of water, all existing together, scattered into a mish-mash of oddity, continually changing and morphing ever-so-slowly.  i would almost describe it as "WTF".  (WTF am i LOOKING AT???!!)   HA!!
GO.  It's incredible.  Awesome in it's scope of shapes and sizes.  Other-worldly, and surreal.  750 ft under the desert floor.  A consistent 56ish degrees and high humidity, that never changes.  This was a dream come true for Joel- he had permagrin going for hours, that began in the first steps of our descent into this wide, gaping hole.  I am so glad i got to experience this!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!  You really gotta stand in it for yourself.  Hence, only several pics that i will share.  beyond this- GO!!!

say goodbye to daylight.

After about 4 hours in caves, we took the 9 mile scenic way out of the park, atop the foothills, then down into a valley, stopping for a couple little hikes.

Joel went cautiously ahead of me.

We got back home in time to grab my fire hoop and head over to the club house.  there were about 15 people gathered for the evening's activity:  a caroling hayride around the park to admire all the pretty lights and decorations that are up for Christmas.  Hot cider and treats inside when we get back.  I set our tree outside and hung a green string of El Wire 😁 I did my hula hooping and everyone was very thankful for the show.  Immediately after we all piled onto a trailer hitched up behind an old tractor, sat on hay bales, and passed out sheets with the words to songs on them.  then WE WERE OFF!!  It only took about 15 minutes to putter through the entire campground, and it was just so darn cute.  Some people poked their head out of their rig to see what all the commotion was about.  A couple different sites had a little bonfire going with ppl around them.  We did a lot of waving and singing and saying Merry Christmas!