The sign for Carlsbad Caverns. more »

This is the auditorium at Carlsbad National Park. At dusk, they have a bat show, and thousands of Mexican free-tailed bats come barreling out of the cave entrance. Most of them head off to the right, far away from the seating area. Here is some park inf… more »

Some green moss and a vine follow a trickle of water down the cave entrance. more »

I think there's a bat in the hole in the center of the photo. more »

Prickly pears above the cave entrance. more »

One of many holes created by slightly acidic water interacting with carbonate rock. more »

The cave entrance is home to a flock of chimney swifts. The green and white streaks are from their poop. more »

We're going down into the entrance of the cavern now. It's getting dark. Hey, what's that brown smear on the wall? more »

On the left is a real bat. On the right is a cave painting of a bat. more »