Carlsbad : Gateway to the Enchanted Land

National Parks Highway is a convenient place to stay if you are going to visit the caverns. It is nearly 25 minutes away from the caverns and close to shopping and restaurants. Although the 25-minute ride may seem too long for some, it gave us an opportunity to observe some wildlife. We ran into jackrabbits, ringtail, and some bats when driving to our hotel after the bat show at the Carlsbad Caverns National Park.

We didn't make any prior reservation to keep our options open. When we were at the area we decided that with limited budget Days Inn offered us the best value. It was nice and clean and looked new. (The Best Western Hotel in the White's city, on the outskirts of the caverns, asked for $100. Although some other hotels near Days Inn offered much lower prices they looked old and outdated.)

Our room was decorated in a Southwestern theme, with borders, pictures, and bed covers reflecting Southwestern designs. The theme reminded me I was in New Mexico if I woke up the next day and forgot where I was. The room had a small refrigerator, which comes in handy for keeping the drinks cold for the next day, and a microwave to warm leftovers. We also had a hair dryer, iron, and a small ironing board. One of our disappointments was the towels, which were old and worn out. However, the shower had a strong pressure which massaged my aching muscles (due to hiking in and around caverns).

We had free breakfast served in the lobby that included toast, jam, danishes, cereals, coffee, orange juice, and milk. It wasn't the best, but it was what I needed to start a new day. There was an enclosed swimming pool near the lobby but we didn't use it. The brouchure of the hotel also mentioned a fitness room, but I didn't see where it was located.

Carlsbad Caverns National Park is one of the 20 World Heritage sites in the US and hosts the biggest cavern in the Western Hemisphere. (One wonders which is the biggest cavern in our globe.) The entrance fee to the Natural Entrance and the Big Room is $6 for adults, and this includes the entrance to the park and the Bat Flight Program at dusk.

We arrived late and only had the self-guided tour of the Natural Entrance and the Big Room, and it took us nearly 3 hours. If you have time and energy, the park rangers offer guided tours of other caverns for a fee. The brochure mentioned six different tours for various prices; however, I believe the most popular guided tour is the King's Palace for $8.

My brother and his wife visited the caverns a week before Labor Day and were able to tour till 7pm. However, when we visited right after Labor Day, the winter hours were observed and the last entrance to the Natural Entrance was at 2pm, to the King's Palace was at 2:30pm and to the Big Room was at 3:30pm. Both in the Natural Entrance cavern and the Big Room, rangers warned us to be swifter.

We had been in other caverns in Virginia, but none of them could compare to the Carlsbad Caverns. Not only was the size of the caverns enormous, but also, the lighting was very dim, which enhanced our experience. Even the entrance to the Natural Entrance was very impressive. From a big opening we entered the cave. The paved trail curved into the depths of the cavern. First we could see in natural light; later it was like dusk, and finally the only light available was the electrical lights. After 750 feet of descent, the cavern floor leveled and we entered the Big Room. The Big Room was big enough to have eight football fields in it! Although it had more lighting, it still had an overpowering atmosphere. I felt scared when we didn't see anyone for more than five minutes. I was tired and relieved when we ascended to ground level by the elevator. There is an "Underground Lunchroom" and restrooms in the caverns near the elevator.

At 6:30pm there was a special program "Bat Flight" in the amphitheater next to the entrance of the caverns. (This is from mid-May to mid-September. After September the bats migrate to Mexico.) A ranger gave a fun lecture on Mexican Freetailed Bats and answered our questions. It was very fun to watch the flight of the bats at dusk. There were nearly 30,000 bats roosting in the Carlsbad Caverns (no need to worry, the trails do not go under the bats). At dusk they leave the caverns and fly away to find food.

The habitat of Chihuahuan Desert is replicated in the Living Desert Zoo and Gardens State Park, which is located north of Carlsbad. The Chihuahuan Desert stretches between central Mexico, west Texas, and southern New Mexico.

Our visit started at the visitor center, where we learned about the Mescalero Apaches and various plants and animals indigenous to the area. Afterwards, we walked along a 1.3-mile trail that took us through gypsum hills, sand hills (to simulate similar ones along the Pecos River), avory, dry desert stream bed, and pinon-juniper zone (simulates the mountainous area). Some of the desert plants were ocotillo, mesquite, mormon tea. The Zoo and Gardens was designed to simulate various areas in the Chihuahuan Desert very naturally. We didn't feel that we were in an artificial place. The birds (owls, hawks, eagles, crows, and many more) were in a screened-in sanctuary of trees and bushes. After passing by the Javelina we came to the nocturnal exhibit, which was inside a building to keep it dark during the visiting hours. The first time we passed by we couldn't see the endangered Mexican Wolf. There were no birds in the waterfowl. But we visited the Prairie Dog Village during their feeding time, which was a real treat. The feeder informed us that the predators of the prairie dogs come at nighttime, as they live in the nearby areas in the park and the village exhibit is accessible to them. While walking we ran into a wild Roadrunner and various lizards and skink. My favorite of the exhibit animals were the cougar and the bobcat. Both of them were taking their naps, but our movements woke the cougar.

Most of the exhibits were outside and the carefully planned walls and plants provided a shadow to some. The bobcat had a rocky wall to climb up and sleep. The Nocturnal Exhibits were indoors, as well as the Succulents of the World.

The Living Desert Zoo and Gardens is an excellent place to see various animals and plants that inhabit the Chihuahuan Desert. However, most of the exhibits are outside, so wear sunscreen and a hat in summer and early autumn.

Sitting Bull Falls is an oasis in the middle of the Chihuhuan desert. The falls are located in the Lincoln National Forest. It took us nearly half an hour to drive through the desert and magnificient canyons to reach the Sitting Bull Falls. The entrance fee is $5/vehicle (up to 10 people) or $10/vehicle (10+ people). We visited on a Wednesday and the entrance is free on Wednesdays.

When we visited there weren't many visiting the falls, and the people who visit just take a short hike to the observation point and to the falls. There was no map available for the park, so we started a short hike on a paved trail to the falls. When we arrived at the observation point I thought the falls must not be observable from where we stood, as the only falling water hardly qualified for a fall. All we saw was 150 feet of rocks and tiny amounts of water. We walked on top of what we later understood to be the bed of the fall, and arrived at a tiny creek. It seemed that maybe with the spring rains the falls used to get quite large and carved the rocks on its path. The carved part was nearly 8 feet. My husband wanted to walk along the creek and climb some part of the fall. Being afraid of rattlesnakes and slippery rocks, I persuaded him not to climb. However, when we arrived at the picnic area, he insisted on climbing the trail (68a) that went to the top of the Sitting Bull Falls. After climbing for some time and being thirsty, I quit climbing and sat in a shady part of the trail and observed the eagles and hawks flying across the canyon. I imagined the Indians hunting and hiking in the hills and valleys. My husband continued climbing and he told me the top was a flat area with some desert plants.

The area around the Sitting Bull Falls was designated as "the Cougar country". Warnings were posted stating what you should be doing if you ran into a cougar. We have a cat at home so we were able to identify with the suggestions, such as never turn your back to the cougar and run or hide. Although we didn't see any rattlesnake we knew from our visit to the Living Desert Zoo and Gardens, that many poisinous snakes lived in the area. My husband turned some rocks in hopes of finding one, lucky for me, he didn't find any. The area was under drought when we visited. Plan your visit in spring or early summer when there would be abundant rainwater. Otherwise, the beauty of the canyons will be your only award. Bring bottled water as it is hot under the sun. There is a fountain near the picnic area, but it may not be enough when you are hiking.

When we visited Carlsbad, we preferred to eat with the locals at local establishments. Our choice for cuisine was Mexican (surprise, surprise!). Even the Chinese restaurant in Carlsbad advertised "Great Mexican Food." After driving around the town, my husband picked Carlos' Place for lunch on our first day. Carlos's Place is definitely a restaurant that would be mentioned in any travel books. Even the outside of the restaurant is not very inviting. It is an old one story building right off the street with no apparent parking lot. The window frames are painted blue, as well as, the door. I would not be surprised if the building was made of mud.

Although we learned Carlos' had only opened two months ago, the restaurant looked like an old place. Probably, there was another restaurant in the same spot, where Carlos (I assume) bought and established his own restaurant. The owner did not care about renovating the place, just kept it the way you would imagine a restaurant would be in Mexico. The restaurant consisted of two rooms. Tables and chairs were scattered in the rooms. There were no boot seats or fancy decorations on the walls. The room when you enter the restaurant was slightly bigger and brighter than the second room. We chose to eat at the first room, where the owner also sat at the cash register. He was a little bit chubby guy with a mustache. He did not stand up and interfere with the service. The patrons consisted of locals solely: some Mexican origin some not. Our waiter was a Hispanic young man who helped us in our choice from the menu. I asked him stupid questions such as "What is a chili relleno plate? What is a smothered burrito?" I picked the smothered burrito with the red sauce (I was told the green sauce is hot); my husband picked the taco plate. My food of smothered burrito ($5.79) came with rice and beans, and my husband's taco plate was usually $5.15, but it was the food of the day, so the price was lower than the menu price. We were served chips and salsa. The salsa we had was very different from what I was used to. It didn't have any chunks of tomatoes, onions, peppers, or cilantro. It was a thin sauce like tomato sauce (of course, it was really hot). The chips were also different: they were a little bit hot. My husband really loved his tacos. The taco shells were thick and fried, and very delicious. My smothered burrito tasted plain; maybe I should have ordered the green sauce, but I was still trying to recover from the hot salsa.

Carlos' also serves breakfast (three-egg omelets, hotcakes, breakfast burritos), sandwiches, soups, Italian (fettuccine Alfredo, chicken Parmesan, shrimp scampi), and American food (liver and onions, burgers). The address is:
805 W. Mermod Carlsbad NM (505) 885-1342

The next day, we chose a different Mexican restaurant for lunch. This time I chose the restaurant. Larez Restaurant was on the main road to the caverns. The decor of the restaurant was very different from Carlos' Place. It looked more upscale (compared to Carlos' Place) and was serving an extensive list of wines. The restaurant consisted of two eating areas and a bar. The patrons of this restaurant were mostly people who came in groups from work. They were serving a Mexican buffet for $6.50/adults, $3.95/kids (10 and under). The buffet had Mexican rice, beans, two different kinds of cheese enchiladas (one with red sauce, one with green sauce), taco shells, taco beef, asado (chunks of pork in red chile), shredded cheese, lettuce, tomatoes, pinto gallo, salsa, cantaloupes, guacamole, and slices of cake. The buffet also included coffee or tea. There is also buffet on Friday evenings for $7.00/adults, $4.95/kids.

The buffet at first didn't interest us. However, after checking the options in the menu, we decided we are going to get similar food if we ordered from the menu. (Except the new menu item: "Larez Mexican Steak," cooked with onions and chiles.) We both choose the buffet. Here again, the salsa was thin, and the chips really delicious. The buffet food was not spicy at all, and my husband loved that the food wasn't hot. Even the salsa was very plain for me. This Mexican buffet would be a good place to bring your kids. The address for Larez Restaurant is:
1524 S. Canal, Carlsbad NM (505) 885-5113