April 3, Thursday Down Under

At first light I was up and ready to “do the Caverns” up the highway. I was going to try to wiggle my way into a ranger tour that only takes 15 people so I wanted to get there 30 minutes before the start to see if there were any openings. No luck. The next open slots were two days down the line. But this didn’t stop me from spending seven full hours there. I was immensely impressed. In college I belonged to the “outing club” and one of our tests of fool heartiness was exploring undeveloped limestone caves in southern Indiana. I went because I belonged, not because I was seeking claustrophobic thrills. Some of the hardcore gals and guys were not happy until their right ear was scrubbing the roof and their left ear was under water. But back to Carlsbad; Amazing place! Well worth the Golden Age Passport. For those familiar with the lay-of the-passage: I traveled down the 1.5 mile natural opening corridor; the Big Room (the size of 14 football fields) – twice; the King’s Palace. The last was done with a ranger and fifty other folks. At the end of the 1 and a half tour he asked why we had come to this place called Carlsbad. One woman volunteered, “It’s on my bucket list.” It took me several minutes to figure that one out, and then remembered the newly released movie. “Oh, I get it! The caverns were on her ‘To Do List Before I Die’” kick the bucket…………………. sick.

As I drove back down the twisting entrance road I ran over a beer can and glanced at my rearview mirror to see it bouncing down the road. Strange, I didn’t remember seeing it lying on the road in front of me. Stopping for a cold soda I saw what I had seen: my left front hubcap bouncing down the road. Okay, photographic memory kick in. I was making a sweeping right turn in the road with a scrub brush bench and then the creek. So back I went up the road, found the spot where I thought I lost it and looked and looked then walked the shoulder, then gave up. “Let it go, Shrigley. It’s just a hubcap.” “But, but.. the poor Jetta now looks like it has a shoe untied.” “The wheel is not going to fall off. Yes, it looks like shit but live with it. Find a wrecking yard somewhere between here and Nova Scotia and replace it.” I hate these mental dialogues………..