New Mexico

​NEW MEXICO - Heb. 11:38b …they wandered in deserts, and in mountains, and in dens and caves of the earth.
The biggest thing that strikes me when New Mexico is mentioned is – Carlsbad Caverns. If you’ve never been, it’s a “must see” spot. Even I, who struggle with claustrophobia, had no trouble going into these caverns. They are HUGE! You can either take an elevator (Mom did) or walk the mile down, down, down (Dad, my sister and I walked down, then rode up with Mom.
 I didn’t think I’d even make it to NM. My dad had given me the map to figure out a route from Colorado to Michigan. As I was beginning to try and see how many states I could get to, and New Mexico was the only southwestern one I hadn’t been in yet, I tried to route us from CO through NM to Michigan. Dad just raised his eyebrows when I showed him my route and said “no, that’s too far out of the way.” However, my aunt inadvertently came to my rescue. At supper that night, she started to talk to Dad about their Aunt Flo (my great-aunt.) At 95, she still lived alone  -- in NM! Next thing I know, Dad decided he should go see her one last time, so not only did I get into the corner of NM, which is all I was hoping for, but we drove clear down across the state. After a good visit, she insisted we stay over another day, and told Dad he couldn’t leave without going to Carlsbad. So we did – and a most interesting day we had. Not only was the light display on the stalagmites and tites breath-taking, Dad decided he wanted to stay for the evening ranger talk when the bats came out of the cave. Although extremely famous for this, Mom and I weren’t too sure about it. But we came and sat on the benches as dusk settled in. Suddenly in the middle of his talk, this whirring sound started, and before my very eyes, what looked like a tornado rapidly appeared out of the cave opening. But it was thousands of bats! CREEPY! It looked like they were going to run right into us, but their radar is exquisite, so the tornado funnel carried on up above our heads. It was an amazing natural phenomena to watch. I’d definitely go again if I had the opportunity! 
Also, if you get to Shiprock (NW corner) you want to go to Four Corners Monument. It's the only place where you can stand in 4 states at the same time. Arizona, Utah, Colorado and NM all meet in a point right there! (Unfortunately it now costs. Way back when it was different!)