Carlsbad and home

Our final destination was a rough start.  We had driven to Gallup, New Mexico, and I just couldn't go any more.  We parked in a McDonalds parking lot and slept in our seats.  We woke up late, and the car wouldn't start.  The jump started I had just in case the car wouldn't start, wouldn't start.  The O'Riley's Auto Parts in Gallup didn't open till 9 on a Sunday.  At 9:30 I got a jump.  We headed towards Carlsbad.  About halfway between Gallup and Albuquerque, I got a speeding ticket.  That one was my bad. Once we got off I-40, I let Alia drive for a little bit.  I apparently dozed off and startled up to her running a red light in Roswell.  I took back over driving.  Everyone was tired.  We weren't sure we were going to make it to Carlsbad for the bat flight.  

We just made it, running up the hill to the amphitheater to watch hundreds and hundred of bats coming from the caves.  They came in what seemed like herds.  A hundred or so at a time.  I have NO pictures of this, as phones and cameras aren't allowed AT ALL, and I'm a fairly compliant person.  We watched for over an hour as herd after herd left the cave.  The kids sat silent, just watching.  When an hour was over, Gannon had questions.  Walking back to the car, our path was crossed by a mamma and 6 baby raccoon's.  The experience was very surreal.  

We left Carlsbad after the bat flight to surprise Gordon a day early.  We drove to Ft. Stockton, Texas, slept, and loaded back up for our drive to Cibolo, Texas!