It was a beautiful day today. This morning was a little cooler than yesterday. Today's high was in the 70's. We drank our coffee watching rabbits and road runners playing outside.
It was Day 2 of the Round Up at The Ranch. Some of the campers were having a garage sale at their campsite, most of the proceeds are being donated to C.A.R.E. We strolled around the campground, talking with people, looking at the goods for sale, and looking at lots for lease. Didn't buy anything.
We went to Carlsbad Caverns this afternoon in hopes of seeing the bat flight. We were too late to walk in the cavern so we took the elevator down the 75 stories. When I stepped off the elevator, I was in WOW mode. The cool, quiet, dark, damp cavern takes your breath away. It is a peaceful place, there are a few dim lights scattered around, displaying the amazing structures of the cave. It was quite cool at 60 degrees in shorts and short sleeve shirts.
We ate a late afternoon lunch at the picnic area, fighting off flies. There must have been 100's of them nuisance pests. Oh well, we had a pretty view.
We got to the Bat Flight viewing area at 4:30 pm. (I wanted to make sure I got a good seat and we had our pick). The ranger started talking at 5:30 pm. She told us the bats came out at 5:59 pm last night. By 6:29 pm, tonight, no bats. I was sure I was going to be bat-less in Carlsbad, then at 6:30 pm it was on!!
We picked the highest seat, closest to the cave entrance. We could see, hear, and smell them as they flew simultaneously out of the cave. The estimate count is 400,000 to 500,000 bats come out of this cave each night. We watched until it was too dark to see, although we could still hear and smell them. Five years ago I came during bat drought season at Carlsbad Caverns, we only saw a few hundred bats. Tonight, we saw them come out like a flume. It was well coordinated show put on by the bats, amazing creatures.
We got home after dark, and got a talking to from Fernykat about us being gone too long. A little comfort food got her in a better mood.
Pictures: https://goo.gl/photos/ub6Vw9pMZJWdQJGd9
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