Two nights in one place - I'm settling in! The wind settled down last night and I even had to turn the heat on this morning just to get to the bathroom! I wanted to get going fairly early, and you would think that would be easy after getting that extra hour! So I packed up the water hose, walked Sara (trying to tire her), and got on the road by 9:30 (their time) to drive the 30 miles to the Caverns. There is actually a little crossroads called White's City at the turnoff (not a city or town - scary roadside stop with VERY scary RV park - very glad that was not my destination stop!) and then 5 miles starting to wind up to the plateaus. Amazing to see the topography change before your eyes! But the wind was picking up again as I climbed and was downright dangerous at the top - blew me right off the sidewalk into the road! I had medicated Sara before we left (3 Benadryl and 2 trazadone), so she was sleepy, but immediately alert when she saw me preparing to leave the RV. She got another walk, and I parked the RV next to a high mountain wall to try to decrease the wind, and put her in the Thundershirt - and hoped for the best. I saw the "kennels" at the Visitor Center - it was a solid steel door which said to ring a buzzer, and wait awhile because the gift shop attendant would have to leave the store to come let you in, and then dogs are left alone in this room until you come back - not a viable option for Sara! But I signed up for the shorter tour (taking the elevator down 75 stories instead of the 1.25 mile walk in), watched a good movie telling the story of the caves in this area, and rented my audio guide for the self guided tour - well worth the $5). Compared to the Sonora Caves, all I can say is BIGGER! I believe they said the main cavern is 8.2 acres or 46 football fields long, but even higher and with so many smaller rooms along the way. And formations that I couldn't even describe as stalactites or stalagmites because they are the size of huge monsters, like 4-10 stories tall, yet they look small within these high caverns. You only realize how big they are when a person walks by them and you think you are in the movie, "Honey, I Shrunk the Kids"! It was also interesting to learn that the lighting was done by a Hollywood set man, to highlight certain formations or areas, yet allow the other areas to remain "cave like", or darker - it is all very dramatic and keeps you walking the one mile route in awe. Unfortunately, it is not the right time of year to see the flight of the bats which sounds spectacular in summer. Apparently, Mexican free-tailed bats migrate from Mexico (wait til Trump hears this! Right over the wall!!!) directly to Carlsbad Cavern to birth and raise their young. You can attend viewings of the bats starting in June at dusk every day, when thousands of bats exit the cave over 20 mins to 2 hours, going out to collect their meals of moths/insects, then return to Bat Cave to nest every morning. They return to Mexico in Oct - Nov.! No passports, nothing! Oh, and then there is the story of Lechuquilla Cave - a nearby "small cave" that had a strong breeze blowing from Misery Hole. In 1986, they started exploring deeper and found at least 112 miles of cave, which will remain protected from all except scientific exploration. So far they have discovered some microbes that produce enzymes capable of destroying cancer cells, and compare the environment to that of Mars! Fascinating! I was at the caverns and Visitor Center about 3 hours, then ran back to find Sara awake but not panicked, a good trip! We stopped on the way down to take pics and follow the Vista Trail, where the wind is again staggering - I keep wondering if it can roll the RV!! I looked it up tonight, but they say gusts were only 40mph, but I can't believe that's all it was! Then a stop at Walmart, gas, and home again between my two cabins. Trying to get an appt for oil change in Tuscon, but they are booked for about 2 weeks out, will call a couple more places tomorrow! Antenna is picking up 2 main channels, so hoping to see my series, "Designated Survivor" tonight.