Carlsbad Caverns, New Mexico

We arrived in the morning to plants covered in hoar frost.  It was really strange seeing cactus and yucca covered in ice crystals.  The winds were extremely cold, but there was some humidity in the air so it wasn't as bitter cold as it could have been.

Ice Cactus

The caverns are a balmy 56 degrees F, giving us a respite from the cold outside.  We toured the big room and spent about 3 hours in there.  The nice thing about this tour is that it is self-guided and we were able to spend as much time as we wanted.  This is especially important when taking photographs.  There is not much available light down in the cavern, so composition and focusing are a challenge.  The environment is so surreal and the formations seem so alien that I decided to use the different lighting to my advantage when post processing my shots.  The lighting is not quite this dramatic, but the landscape certainly is.

Chandelier

 

 

Doll's Room

Painted Grotto

Pillar