Guads, 2005 Although not a grotto event, ( It was a "Troll" event) Mike W. would like to share a recent trip he took to New Mexico with Rich & Bruce. They met with up with Bill R. & Mike D., members of the So. Cal. grotto and flew out to Albuquerque. Drove down to Carlsbad, where they joined up with Allen H., also from So.Cal., who had driven out in his new motor home and hauled all our gear. We played "tourist" sunday morning, doing the traditional walk into Carlsbad Cavern & cruising thru the "Big Room". We then met up with Abby & Jay S., formally from Sequoia Nat. Park (Crystal Sequoia Cave), they are now rangers at Carlsbad Nat. Park, and they took us through Spider Cave the second half of the first day there. The rest of the week was spent cramming as many caves in as time allowed. Deep, Black, Hidden, Cottonwood, Helen's, Chimney, 2 of the "Pinks", and Park's Ranch. Nasty colds & bronchitis forced 3 of us to miss some of the caves, but Mike, Rich & Allen stuck it out and did them all !!! We would like to thank Louise Hose of the National Karst Institute for graciously allowing us the use of her home while staying in Carlsbad. Sure beats camping up on the ridge at 7000 ft. in freezing weather. Also, Allen......Thanks . We really appreciated your hauling all our gear from & back to California..... & also for providing much humor during the week.... "including all the ribbing"... you gave Bruce for not taking out insurance on the rental SUV used for all the 4-wheelin' we had to do to get out to the caves!!! I gave the rental car company your address..... (just kidding)	The Guadalupe Mts.
"traditional entrance" to Carlsbad Caverns	Rich playing tourist
Bruce & Mike had been out the year before, but it was Rich's first time in the huge caves of New Mexico. It was funny watching him trying to take it all in, like a kid in a candy store !!! Mike probably took over 250 pics ... and with 3 other digital cameras there may have been close to 1000 images to choose from. These are only a small sampling of the wild caves.... Bruce was "bummed" about being sick, but Mike D. from So Cal summed it up perfectly..... "We may have started caving late in our lives, and there is no way we will ever see everything out there... But we have already seen more of the underground world..... than most will ever see !!!!!! " Rich in Black Cave Rich again, in Deep (?) Allen H. ascending from Hidden
Home Conservation Safety Meetings Caves Members Trip Reports Restaurants Links email the webmaster	<<Back to trip reports         Photos by Mike White © Copyright 2005 Pages and their contents © Copyright 2005 by Bruce Brand, except where otherwise noted.
	Trolls in attendance... 1, 2, 3, 5, 8, & 14