Geographic Wonders and Curatorial Horrors
Hi, Rudy,
I love the show, especially your Bad Taste Tours. I want to tell you about a place that's a "Bad Taste Tour" waiting to happen.
I recently went to Carlsbad Caverns in New Mexico. (No, the tour suggestion isn't the caverns themselves.) The caverns are located next to a placed called White's City (named after Jim White, the man credited with discovering the caverns). When my friends and I visited, we expected to find a monstrous tourist trap of a city. Much to our surprise, it turned out to be only a couple of buildings, and you could walk from one side of the city to the other in about two minutes -- if you walked slow.
Anyway, in White's City, there's a very unusual museum. (The name escapes me, but it's the only museum there). I've never in my life seen such a disorganized place. Although there are thousands of exhibits, there is no logical order to any of it. Everything is just tossed in haphazardly, and many of the items are falling into disrepair. (Kind of the opposite of what a museum is supposed to do, isn't it?) It was fascinating in its own way, but I might have appreciated the museum more if the exhibits were ordered coherently and had labels explaining each item's significance.
But I can't say enough about the caverns themselves. It's an incredible site, and if you've never been, you need to go. There are no words to describe the awesome wonder of the caves ñ something you have experience firsthand to really appreciate.
If you go, be prepared to do a lot of walking. I think I walked four or five miles that day, which, in and of itself isn't much, but when you're descending 750 feet at the same time, it's a workout. To get the full effect of the cave, though, take the natural entrance route, not the elevator. Another tip: Check out the King's Palace tour.
Marc
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