[ADXA] Fwd: Carlsbad Caverns

Mon Jun 13 20:07:56 EDT 2016

---------- Forwarded message ----------
From: Richard Harris <rickai5p at gmail.com>
Date: Mon, Jun 13, 2016 at 6:07 PM
Subject: Carlsbad Caverns
To: T Dimas <trent.dimas at gmail.com>, Lisa Dimas <lisa.dimas at gmail.com>,
Cappy Dimas <cappy.dimas98 at gmail.com>, "H.H.T. Dimas" <
hudson.h.dimas at gmail.com>, Mike Featherston <fetherms at tx.rr.com>, H
Kristjansdottir <hvammur at prodigy.net>, Garry Hammond <ve3xn at persona.ca>,
Rick <jrburke at nf.sympatico.ca>, LYNN TOPPO <lynntoppo at cox.net>
Cc: Richard Harris <rickai5p at gmail.com>

This National Park has be one of the best in the nation - surely in the top
ten and maybe even in the top 5. If you have the opportunity to visit,
don't pass up the opportunity.

The story of Carlsbad Caverns begins 250 million years ago with the
creation of a 400-mile-long reef in an inland sea that covered this region.
Eventually the sea evaporated, and the reef was buried under deposits of
salts and gypsum. During the uplift that would become the Guadalupe
Mountains a few million years ago, rainwater seeped downward through rocks
and faults in the limestone. At the same time, hydrogen sulfide-rich water
migrated upward from vast oil and gas fields to the south and west. These
two waters mixed, forming sulfuric acid, which dissolved the limestone and
opened up the fractures and faults into the large chambers we see today.

The decoration of Carlsbad Cavern with stalactites, stalagmites, and an
incredible variety of other formations began over 500,000 years ago after
much of the cave had been carved out. It happened slowly - drop by drop -
at a time when a wetter, cooler climate prevailed. Billions and billions of
drops later, thousands of cave formations had taken shape. Oh, the shapes
they took!

Over 1,000 years ago American Indians ventured into the natural entrance to
the cavern. They left no record of entering the dark zone of the cave, but
they did leave mysterious drawings on cave walls near the natural entrance.
In the 1800s, settlers discovered the cavern, drawn to it by the spectacle
of hundreds of thousands of bats rising up out of the natural entrance in
the evening. A cowboy named Jim White became fascinated by the cave and
spent hours exploring it. White was eager to show the natural wonders of
this extraordinary place to others, but few believed his improbable tales
of a huge underground wilderness full of unusual formations. Photographs
taken in 1915 finally convinced the skeptics.

Word of the cave spread spread, finally reaching Washington, D.C. Again
there were nonbelievers. In 1923 the U.S. Department of the Interior sent
inspector Robert Holley to see whether Carlsbad Cavern was truly an
outstanding natural scenic wonder. Originally a skeptic, Holley wrote in
his final report: "I am wholly conscious of the feebleness of my efforts to
convey in words the deep conflicting emotions, the feeling of fear and awe,
and the desire for an inspired understanding of the Divine Creator's work
which presents to the human eye such a complex aggregate of natural
wonders."

In 1930 Congress created Carlsbad Caverns National Park and it was
designated a World Heritage Site in 1995.

One of the more interesting events (from about March - October) is the
evening flight of the bats. In a mass exodus at dusk, hundreds of thousands
of Brazilian free-tailed bats fly from the cave for a night of feasting on
insects. You view this spectacle from the outdoor amphitheater at the
cave's natural entrance. Before each flight (the one I saw started about
8:20 p.m.) a park ranger gives a talk on bats.
No cameras, camcorders or cell phones can be on during this time as to
protect the bats. The bats return to the cave around 4 or 5 the next
morning. You will not see them inside the cave as they are far away from
the tour areas.

Here are some pictures but they really don't do justice to the Caverns....

Pictures:

1. Road into the Park

2. Exhibits in the Museum

3. The Natural Entrance to the Caverns

Remaining: Inside the Caverns
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