Summer Vacation Part 1-Carlsbad Caverns

 

We decided last year that instead of going back home to Vermont for our summer vacation, we were going to take a long road trip, see some family, and visit some National Parks.

 

Robbie and I both had never been to Carlsbad Caverns in New Mexico, and since it's only about 6 hours from where we live, we decided it would be our first stop.

 

We got there right when it first opened, so we didn't have to wait too long to ride the elevator down into the caverns.  The girls loved the elevator, and the little visitors area when you first get down there, but they were a little scared at first because it is a bit dark down there.  Once they got used to it though, and realized that there was nothing to be scared of, and that the caverns were actually a pretty neat place, they started to have a lot of fun.

 

A picture of me, my sister, and the girls in front of some of the stone formations.

 

 

My sister and my girls in front of some really cool formations.

 

After walking through the caverns, we went back up to the gift shop and visitor's area.  They had a really cute photo area where the kids could poke their head into the head hole and pretend that they were a ranger. 

 

Ranger Georgia

 



 Ranger Gracie

 

 Ranger Gwen

 

Here are just a few photos of some of the formations we saw inside the caverns.  It was definitely an experience unlike any other, and one place we will definitely take our kids to again some day.

 



You can see how big some of these formations were, and how open some of the caverns were.  That's Gwen standing in the archway of one of the formations that spans the walkway.

 



 

I had to throw this picture in because it was so cute.  After we were finished at the caverns we stopped at a place in town that had the best ice cream I have ever had (sadly, even better than Ben and Jerrys).  I wish I could remember the name of this place. Georgia had one of their special creations called Cookie Monster Ice Cream...it was just vanilla cookies and cream ice cream with blue food coloring added.  It turned Georgia's mouth blue for the rest of the day-so cute!!