CAVE

Hi Everyone,

It's been a difficult week at the Cave.  Last Friday when I left work, I had a sore throat, a nasty headache and sinus pain.  John was kind enough to make me some homemade chicken soup when I got home.  As the weekend went along, my 'cold' seems to get worse.

On Sunday, I noticed some posts on Facebook from my friends who said a lot of rangers had gone home sick with headaches, and other assorted ailments.  Monday brought more sick rangers at Carlsbad, and eventually the Visitor's Center and Cave was closed.  I was supposed to return to work on Tuesday, but was called Monday night to be warned that the Cave would probably remain closed.  Sure enough, it was closed all day Tuesday.  Just was well, I was still sick.

Wednesday morning the park superintendant, decided they'd reopen the cave at or about Noon.  I arrived at the park about 11:30, still not feeling great, but a little better.  There were several OSHA investigators (both State and Federal) monitoring the air quality...  Seems that the elevator contractor was painting something in the elevator shaft.  The compound wasn't approved by NPS.  Then, they left rags with the solvent of some kind in the elevator shaft over the weekend.  The odors from the paint (or solvent, or whatever) was flowing into the Visitor's Center (the cave breathes naturally, and the air often races up the elevator shaft on windy days into the VC).  The odor was toxic, and has caused various reactions to our staff, ranging from chemical pneumonia, vomiting, dizziness, sinus irritation and headaches. 

Apparently, the fumes had been around Wednesday of last week (maybe earlier) and lasted until the following Monday when the cave was officially closed.   Our park superintendant was asked to close the cave on Sunday, when our staff figured out what was going on, but he refused.  By Monday he had no choice.  Safety first... right... well, only if it's convenient! 

Now the contractor will have to pay the medical bills of all the staff (around 50+) who were sickened, or exposed to the paint, solvent, whatever.  Some of the chemicals we were exposed to were known carcinogens.  Since we were all only exposed for a few days, the symptoms we were experiencing may be the only effects we will feel.  Long term effects to staff... ??? 

Thursday I was sent for bloodwork to be monitored for ill effects.  My 'cold' was most likely my bodies defense from the chemicals.  Lucky for me, the Sunday and Monday were the worst days of exposure and they are my days off!  Yesterday, Friday, I was hoarse from doing a tour the day before, and really felt like crap so I stayed home.  Being in a damp wet cave really isn't good for a cold (or whatever I had). 

Of course, now that the contractor will most likely be sued, I'm not sure when they will finish the elevators.  They were supposed to be done soon (although we've heard that before), but I'm sure they didn't plan on this latest issue.

Today, I'm feeling much better. I'm not back to work again until Tuesday. That should be sufficient time to get rid of the lingering effects.

Miss you all,

Love,

VAL & JOHN and the kitties!!!!

Cat days of summer

Hello All,

Been a hectic month with sick cats: ear infections, GI infections, sprained tail (who knew it could happen?).  At the moment they are hanging in there, but we certainly are hoping for less problems.  We try to keep them entertained with the local wildlife...

Cat watching the elk...

Shadow and Spot watching a deer

John and I get out on the weekend too.  Here are some pictures of us at Valley of Fire National Monument near Carizozo...

Today we went to White Oaks, NM which they call a ghost town, but people still live there.  It was once a bustling town when they found gold, but as with most gold strike towns, once the main vein was mined most people left.

That's it for now.  Miss you all!

Love,

VAL & JOHN and the kitties!!!!

July

Hi All,

I took a few days off this week so I could be up in the mountains for 4th of July.  It's much cooler here (in the 80's during the day) vs. the 100+ that we kept hitting in Carlsbad.  This week it is cooler in Carlsbad - down to the 90's. 

The cats are doing better.  Shadow's ear infection has cleared up, and Sassy upset stomach is back to normal.  Scooter and Spot are also fine. 

Most of the state is in extreme fire danger, so I don't believe there will be any fireworks.  We don't mind that as the cats don't like the noise.

The fire here is now 90% contained and we haven't had any smoke issues for a while now.  There is a fire in Carlsbad Caverns National Park, but it's not near the cave.  It's way off in the wild part of the park, and not threatening any structures.  Most of the park is wild and there are few structures to burn other than those within a half mile of the cave's entrance.

We've been doing some hiking up here, although the major area we wanted to hike is still closed due to the fire.  What we've seen is heart wrenching.  The "Little Bear" fire did burn over 40,000 acres last I heard and took out over 240 homes.  I know a few people who have lost their homes.

Back to work on Thursday, after the holiday.  Hope you all have a safe and happy 4th of July.

Love to all,

VAL & JOHN & the kitties!!!!