A hot night, but the AC was working and we woke to a slightly cooler day. First order of business, after breakfast, was to get tickets for the tour of the caves that give this park its name. We were ready to go for the 10 am tour.

Now, of course, they didn’t mention that a rock slide a few years ago had meant that we would only go about halfway through the caverns and return, in order for the next tour to start on time. Personally, I’d have paid extra to see as much of the caverns as possible, but nobody asked my opinion.

However, the caverns were undeniably spectacular.

Entrance to the caverns

Totally worth it!

We got back about 11 and noticed that the day had actually become pleasant (for 95 degrees). Some clouds had come in and the wind wasn’t as fierce. We decided to check some of the canyon trails, and hiked down into the canyon we’d seen yesterday evening.

Moe, of course, led the way:

Things got a bit steep, but we made it back!

It amazes me that we are literally walking on alabaster everywhere (you have to be careful putting your hand down on a steep climb, as the rocks are all sharp crystals). I gathered a couple of rocks for Rachel, one of my students who is a professor of geology.

And you can tell we’re moving west by the variety of cacti that now appear.

Ticks are still a problem, but at least they’re not the microscopic ones we found in Missouri. Moe is exceedingly tired of being plucked at. It was so nice to sit outside in the evening as it cooled down and the wind gentled. I’ve been watching cardinals, lark sparrows, and great crested flycatchers moving about. A hairy woodpecker appeared briefly. (I even caught sight of a red-headed woodpecker earlier.) We watched horses grazing on a hill as the sun came down. We are the only people in the campground, so it is beautifully quiet. A very pleasant evening.