Anyone who does not believe in the Source Of All That Exists cannot have visited Carlsbad Caverns. In my estimation it is one of the seven wonders of the world. From the slow mile long plunge into the bowels of this splendiferous cave my grin was ceaseless as chills sprang up and down my arms. The doors opened at 8:30 this morning and I was there to hike the steep trail, alone and in complete silence. Magnificent! My imagination conjured up Jim White, the 16 year old cowboy who repelled ninety feet into the mouth of the bat cave in complete darkness to begin this awesome treasure's journey of discovery. What a brave man! Through the drip, drip of the seeping water that creates the stalactite, stalagmite, columns and draperies of stone, I encountered the spirits of those who have gone before. As I paused in the fairyland of the Big Room I wondered if JRR Tolkien experienced Carlsbad before writing The Hobbit, for I had been transported to the entrance to Middle Earth. As my imagination bloomed, the stalagmite morphed into devout parishioners prostrate to their Creator, and suddenly I realized I was in the greatest cathedral on earth. I couldn't help but wonder if Gaudi had visited this treasure before designing the Sagrada Familia in Barcelona, for the owner of this house of worship is the greatest master architect of them all.
One quick sidebar. Does anyone know how to whisper anymore? The ranger's rules, reviewed at the entrance for every individual to hear, includes the need to whisper within the cave, but invariably several ingrates blared their voices in full volume and reverberated their thoughts from every nook and cranny for all to hear. My favorite was the group of young women with British accents, whose flip flops and mouths passed me by going 90 miles a minute. I wondered if they even saw the magnificence before them. But I forced my consciousness back to center, for the surroundings dictated my reverence, and I paused until the voices faded in the shadows so I could continue to absorb the grandeur before me. Then I prayed for the hundredth time, "Thank you, God!"
No comments:
Post a Comment