Original post: Day 33: Caverns and aliens in New Mexico
I originally only published two pictures from inside Carlsbad Caverns. Since I took at least a couple hundred photos down there, it’s logical that I should unload some more of them. The cavern is 750 feet below the surface of the earth. We hiked to the bottom, then continued to hike through some of the winding caverns, past formations called stalagmites and stalactites.
The temperature is a constant 56 degrees there. I took both of my cameras, but because the lighting is dim, most of my pictures weren’t so hot.
The imposing entrance to the cavern:
The view looking back out of the cavern from the inside. It’s too late to turn back now!
In some rooms the rocks have formed into icicle-like shapes hanging from the ceiling.
Others looked like coral at the bottom of the sea.
Some of the formations were huge. Note the walking path in the bottom right of this photo to get a sense of proportion.
Jason spotted something interesting.
There’s an elevator at the bottom of the cavern that all guests use to get back out. There’s also a restaurant down there, with lots of signs urging you to “eat lunch 750 feet underground!” But as I recall, they didn’t have any hot foods. Or if they did, it was only microwaved foods. The food selection was no better than what you’d find at a 7-11 – mostly just sandwiches. So we passed.
Aside from the lack of tasty food, Carlsbad Caverns was a cool experience.
9000 Miles 
Those icicle like shapes hanging from the ceiling and standing on the floor are called stalagmites and stalactites. they are formed by calcium deposits in the water that drips from the ceiling of the caves.