Star Party 2019 - Carlsbad Caverns

This year for the star party, we decided to stay at the Davis Mountains State Park and just have a storage tent on the grounds of Prude Ranch. While convenient to the observing fields, the Prude Ranch RV areas are not conducive to children and playing. Since we knew several of us wouldn't ever go out observing, we decided to try this alternative (and cheaper) arrangement.

After spending Friday and Saturday night at the weekend spot the Monahans Rangers were able to secure for us, we moved down the park to the lower level. Sunday afternoon was spent setting up our telescope spots on the upper field (a first).

Monday, we headed toward Carlsbad Caverns. Somewhere about the TX/NM border, someone yelled that they needed to stop! Fortunately, we were not all the way past the entrance to Guadalupe Pass National Park.

Some were not too happy to be woken up by a stop and some were so excited they were able to wear sunglasses again!

Next stop..... Carlsbad Caverns National Park in New Mexico!

One "new" (meaning I haven't been since Craig and I went in 2000) exhibit was a crawl through area demonstrating what it would be like to take a tour to some other, less accessible, areas of the caverns. It makes a create crawling area for babies too.

R was so excited that H and C crawled around with her!

We decided to walk into the caverns, each of us taking a turn carrying R. Everyone except H looks ready to go. Normally she doesn't like pictures to be taken but this time she had just looked down into the hole we were about to walk into.

Looking back up at where we had come from.

The walk down is very pretty and interesting. We found lots of columns and formations along the walkway and some on the ceiling.

Some of our group walks faster than others so several times the faster group would stop and wait on the slower ones. It was also a great time to take pictures and to point out features to R and N.

We were all very glad that the walking path has been created and we didn't have to come in the same way the original explorers came in (and for elevators which take us up afterward).

Coming into the big room (all the following are viewable even if you took the elevator)

This one looks like a frog and several sculptures looked like inspiration for Jabba the Hut.

At the end of the day, we had 2 new junior rangers and a very happy baby who loves her biggest sister!

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