| We landed at El Paso and headed out for Carlsbad, NM. This was supposed to be about a 3 hour drive (less at the speed limit of 75 MPH). Total distance 145 miles. |
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Unfortunately, we found that part way out on Rt 62, it was closed due to a truck accident. We had to take the detour. There are not too many roads out there and the detour would add a few miles to our trip.
Like an extra 242 miles! Like an extra 4 hours!
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After completing part of the detour, we stopped in the small town of Van Horn and asked if Rt 62 had, by any chance, been opened back up. We were told that they heard it was. Not completely trusting the information, we took a turn and headed north.
We were lucky. Rt 62 was opened back up. Total travel time was "only" four hours.
Lucky again, we got to Carlsbad Caverns 20 minutes before it closed and got our tour of the big room.
Lucky again, we emerged to the surface 15 minutes before the snack room closed. Enough time to eat dinner and then wait for the bats to emerge.
Our luck continued for the rest of the week.
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Pictures from Carlsbad and day 1.
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Video of the bats (600k). Watching the bats come out at dark was amazing. There are 330,000 of them, and the exit takes up to 2 hours. |