Road Trip 2020 - "Texas is a State of Mind"

February 7-10, 2020

“Once you are in Texas, it seems to take forever to get out, and some people never make it.” -- John Steinbeck, Travels With Charley

Hiking at Inks Lakes State Park in Texas.

We left the deep, dark, mystical, underground world of Carlsbad Caverns National Park at around 2 p.m. to drive eastward across inhospitable looking West Texas. Chasing the sunset, we hoped to get to Hilltop RV Park in Fort Stockton before dark. This was one of the few nights of our winter road trip when we did not have reservations. I called the RV park when we were about halfway there, and they had plenty of space. If we arrived after 5 p.m., they would leave a self-check-in envelope. This added an extra level of urgency because we had already lost an hour when we crossed the border into Texas.

A distant mesa along a Texas highway.

Instead of backtracking through Carlsbad, we took RM 652, which connects U. S. Route 62 to Route 285 in Orla, continuing to Fort Stockton. According to Google Maps, it would be a 2.5-hour drive. We were supposed to save a half-hour or more going this way, 150 miles vs. 175 miles. However, driving this shorter, faster road felt more like making a deal with the devil. It was not a leisurely drive across the fabric of America. Regardless of road conditions or speed limits, traffic traveled fast and had no patience with RV vans like ours.

The sun setting along a Texas highway

In 2017, the Texas Department of Transportation reduced the speed on RM 652 (RM stands for Ranch to Market Road) from 75 to 70. “This is being done solely in the interest of safety for the traveling public,” said Odessa District Engineer John R. Speed, PE (Yes, Speed. Can’t make this stuff up.) “We recognize that some will not appreciate this decision, but we feel it is the best course of action in terms of safety. We encourage motorists to follow all traffic laws and exercise patience when using this key energy sector corridor.” https://www.yourbasin.com/news/speed-limit-to-be-reduced-on-highway-285-rm-652/691707159/

Blue skies in Fort Stockton, Texas

RM 652 is a two-lane, bumpy road, full of dips and heavy trucks -- a key energy sector corridor. Traveling 70 mph on this highway was fast enough for the van (and me) but too slow for other traffic -- none of the fellow travelers were RVers. You know, if we were driving 70, they were all going at least 80, passing us at every opportunity. When preparing the van for travel, we pad dishes and anything that might clink with towels. On this road, we sounded like an old-time junk dealer. Every time we hit a dip or bump in the road, anything that could jingle, did, and the shocks bounced me out of my seat a good two or three times. Just as I'd settle back into my seat, clutching the door handle and armrest, there'd be another jolt.

Looking out the window, usually one of my favorite pastimes, brought no solace. More oil fields and flaring towers as far as the eye could see. Road construction and lots of trash -- mostly plastic bags -- on the sides of the road and caught up in barbed wire fences and vegetation. I reckoned most of the garbage flew out of the back of all those pickup trucks. The terrain looked like vast nothingness and how I imagined the surface of the moon.

The morning view from Hilltop RV Park in Fort Stockton

Hilltop RV Park was like most RV parks, a parking lot, but they did make an attempt at being an oasis in the desert. From the hilltop, the park’s view of the fading sunset was spectacular. At any other time of the year, we would have enjoyed the pool and picnic table, but on this night, we pulled in, had a quick bite to eat, slept, and was on our way early the next morning.

Inks Lake State Park

Inks Lake State Park Campground

The Texas landscape transformed itself from moonscape to gentle, sloping, green hills. Still, lots of trash on the side of the road and plenty of road-killed animals. The only armadillo I saw in Texas was dead on the side of the road. At one point, we approached what I thought was a large black garbage bag, but as we drove past, I realized it wasn’t a bag of garbage at all, but two javelinas getting it on. It was the most exciting thing I saw all day.

As we approached Burnet, we still saw trash and dead animals on the side of the road, but here it was mostly dead deer and small mammals in all stages of decomposition. I guess they don’t remove deer carcasses after they’ve been hit by cars. It was strange to me. You’d think the rotting bodies would stink and attract unwanted scavengers and disease. Otherwise, the scenery here was more pleasing than West Texas with farmlands, fields, and trees.

Inks Lake in February while the water was drawn down. The brush pile, usually
underwater is anchored to the lake bottom and creates fish habitat.

Inks Lake State Park is a pretty park in the Hill Country of Texas, just one hour northwest of Austin. The lake is on the Colorado River and is home to largemouth bass, white bass, crappie, catfish, and sunfish. At the height of the Great Depression, the Lower Colorado River Authority built a series of six dams to help control flooding. At the same time, the construction provided jobs for local farmers and ranchers. Inks Lake is the second lake in the series and Buchanan Dam to the north and Inks Dam to the south form its boundaries. During 1940, Inks Lake State Park was created when the state legislature ordered the creation of a park on the newly acquired 1,200 acres along with other Colorado River improvements.

Fish cleaning station at Inks Lake State Park

Inks Lake State Park Campground is the first real family-oriented camping experience we had since Joshua Tree National Park. We camped there over a weekend, and most sites were full. The weather was comfortable for sitting outside for meals, and we had a campfire on both nights. Near the shower was a self-serve firewood vending machine. We had never seen anything like it.

Firewood vending machine

We biked and hiked at Inks Lake. On one of our hikes, we came across a fisherman, clearly a local man and not a camper. Roger asked what he used for bait, “I’ve used everything -- but worms work the best. The only luck I have is when I use worms. My wife says to me, why do you waste all that money on all that bait when the only time you catch anything is with worms?”

We met a local fisherman during one of our hikes at Inks Lake.

“....there is no physical or geographical unity in Texas. Its unity lies in the mind.” -- John Steinbeck, Travels With Charley

The Texas Hill Country is different from the stark landscape of West Texas. We still saw cacti and other desert plants, but also more shrubs, trees, and grasses. We rode bikes around the campground and out to the 2.2 mile Woodland Trail where we locked the bikes and explored on foot.

In the distance is one of the dams that creates Inks Lake.

Last fall, when planning this trip, I imagined most of our days would be like this one -- hiking and biking during the day, a relaxed happy-hour in the sun, followed by a great dinner and telling stories around the campfire. We left Juneau on January 7, and since then, I’d say we spent about five or six whole days just hiking or biking. Not enough. It was about this point in the trip when we both started to feel that we hadn’t planned enough days for pure recreation.

The Woodland Trail at Inks Lake State Park.

Two or three nights at a campground were not enough. Just as we settled in, we had to pack up and move on. We were on a timeline -- a family reunion in Mississippi on February 15 and a wedding in Virginia on March 7. Every other destination was planned around those two events.

A starry night at Inks Lake Campground

During the night, strong winds woke me up, and I went outside to bring in the clothes I had hanging to dry. In the morning, ominous, dark clouds moved in, and the air grew heavy and humid.

Willie Nelson Golf Course

“Texas is a state of mind.” -- John Steinbeck, Travels With Charley.

Rules at Willie Nelson’s
Cut-N-Putt Golf Course

Texas has always intimidated me. I don’t know why. I had never been there before. Lyle Lovett is from Texas, and I love Lyle Lovett. And you can’t get more laid-back than Willie Nelson. What was so scary about it?

Near the Pedernales River, just “eight songs west of Austin,” lies Willie Nelson’s Cut-N-Putt Golf Course, also known as the Pedernales Golf Course. The nine-hole course sits atop a hill in Spicewood in the Briarcliff subdivision. This is my kind of golf course, where they don’t take themselves too seriously. “Good luck finding the green!” the pro yelled as we drove our cart toward the first tee. “No, really, good luck finding any green!”

Golfing at Pedernales Golf Course in a light rain

The course is in rough shape. I’m not sure if this was the Texas winter or if it’s always this brown and muddy with rocks on the fairways that sometimes gave the balls a “Willie bad” bounce or ricochet. We played up and down the sloping course in an on-and-off drizzle, and then around a small lake fiercely guarded by a flock of geese. We were one of only two groups playing at the time. As we arrived at the ninth green, a local men’s league was just heading out.

Yes, the BBQ was all excellent!

After golf, we found a nearby barbecue place recommended by Tripadvisor, and we each ordered a plate of smoked meat -- chicken for me, brisket for Roger. That’s when it started raining.

McKinney Falls State Park & Austin, Texas

In two days, we had traveled from the barren desert of West Texas to the tree-covered Hill Country. Now, we entered the land of new housing developments just outside the city limits of Austin.

Pencil cactus, with a blossom?

We arrived at McKinney Falls State Park just at closing time and checked ourselves in. The park and campground are located inside the city limits of Austin and only 13 miles from the state capital, but you’d never know it. The campsites were as spacious as any I’ve ever seen with plenty of trees and vegetation around to give a sense of privacy not often found in campgrounds.

It was still rainy and wet when we arrived, so we stayed in the van and made a simple supper. The air was warm and humid, and I slept in just a tank top with no blanket. We even turned the air conditioner on for a few minutes to cool off. What a change from the 15-degree weather in Carlsbad just a few nights ago.

The rain continued the next morning, threatening our plans for exploring Austin. The forecast called for heavy rain in the morning and clearing by midday, so we went to the Southeast Branch of the Austin Public Library to work and use the Internet for a few hours. The staff there were noticeably friendly and the facilities clean and inviting.

Another delicious Tex-Mex meal at Chuy’s

The rain stopped as we left the library, and, on the recommendation of a friend from Juneau, we drove to Chuy’s for lunch. Chicken fajita for me; chili Relleno and enchiladas with boom-boom sauce for Roger. The bike trail was just two blocks from the restaurant, so I asked the server if he could recommend a place for us to leave the van while we biked. “Leave it right there. It’s not a problem. We don’t check the parking lot during the day. Just don’t leave it overnight.” Worked for us! We took off on our bikes for 10 miles of the Ann and Roy Butler Hike-and-Bike Trail along Lady Bird Lake, which is part of the Colorado River. 

Put biking along Lady Bird Lake in Austin, Texas, on your bucket list.
(Notice the nice rain jacket I used to have.)

The rain started again just as we finished biking. We returned to the campground for another night but did not explore its trails or the falls. It was too rainy and wet outside, and we were already tired from biking. If we had more time, we could have spent an entire day exploring the park.

The Hike-N-Bike Trail goes through the city of Austin.

The next morning, I must have had my mind on other things -- such as another long day of driving, eight hours to Vicksburg, Mississippi. As I left the shower house, I became disoriented. The campground had lots of loops and few signs. When I realized I was lost, I looked up and saw a man sitting outside his RV having coffee.

“Good morning,” he called. 

“Good morning. I think I’m lost,” I said.

“What number you at?” he asked. I told him.

“It’s down that other way,” he said.

“OK, thanks,” I said, feeling a little embarrassed. I started walking down the next road.

“Hey, Lady! Lady! Not that road, THAT road,” he said, pointing in the complete opposite direction. I looked up and saw the shower house, then the green lawn that I walked across to get to the shower earlier. Then it all came back to me. 

#Vanlife breakfast - cereal, milk, maple syrup,
yogurt, banana, cinnamon, walnuts, coffee

“Oh, right. I got it! Thank you!” I yelled back to the man.

We’d been traveling so much that the campgrounds were starting to look the same. I needed to be more mindful and not get lost in my thoughts. When we arrived in flooded Mississippi a couple days later, I realized that I had left my raincoat in that McKinney Falls Campground bathroom. I sure hope someone is putting it to good use.

“....people either passionately love Texas or passionately hate it….few people dare to inspect it for fear of losing their bearings in mystery and paradox.” -- John Steinbeck, Travels With Charley

There are some parts of Texas that I prefer to never see again. (Ranch to Market Road 652, for example.) However, I fell in love with other parts of Texas -- its State Parks and the city of Austin. I could plan a whole trip just to visit the state parks. They are well organized, spacious, clean, and you can camp in February! Online reservations are easy to make, and because campsites tend to fill up, especially on weekends, reservations are recommended. We much prefer staying in a national or state park campground over any RV park.

The closest we got to the city. We need to go back.

We did not plan enough time at McKinney Falls and Austin. I could spend a whole week there, exploring the city, the many miles of trails we didn’t cover, and all that McKinney Falls has to offer. Texas is a big state. (That says a lot coming from two Alaskans.) We thought we’d never get through it. But as we were leaving, I was already thinking about when we might go back to visit the parts of Texas we didn’t get to see this time -- including Big Bend National Park, state parks along the Gulf coast, and Padre Island National Seashore.

(Many thanks to my husband, Roger, for his contributions, photo appearances, and editing skills. He is the best #vanlife partner anyone could ever want.)

#me2ak #ontheroad #vanlife #Texas #InksLakeStatePark #McKinneyFallsStatePark #TexasStateParks #AustinTexas #WillieNelsonCutNPutt

Road Trip 2020 - Expect the Unexpected in Carlsbad, New Mexico

February 1 - 6, 2020

Expect the unexpected in Carlsbad, New Mexico

"We find after years of struggle that we do not take a trip; a trip takes us." -- Travels With Charley by John Steinbeck

Sometimes, you have to have faith and follow your path, even when (especially when)
the destination is unfamiliar, dark, and mysterious.

     Have you ever noticed on Google Maps, a yellow alert that your trip crosses into a different time zone? No, neither did I until after we visited Carlsbad, New Mexico.

     The drive from Tucson to Guadalupe Mountains National Park (GMNP) was supposed to take a little over six hours. After breaks, we planned on seven. What we didn’t plan on was entering a new time zone, which meant we arrived about an hour later than we had planned. It was a long day on the road.

     In El Paso, we passed a beautiful scenic pullout high on a hill overlooking the city. I wish we had known about it beforehand. We would have stopped for a photo.

The sun setting on a West Texas highway

     We arrived at the park campground well after sunset. We had been driving uphill on a winding four-lane highway that did not have reflector markers. It was pitch black and hard to see as all oncoming traffic seemed to have their high beams on. We were tired, and there were few signs to lead the way and no street light to help us find the campground entrance.

     Needless to say, this was the scariest section of the road the entire trip, and we missed the left-hand turn and had to find a place to turn around.

Night falls on a set of work camp trailers.

     Pine Springs Campground at GMNP is simply a parking lot. It’s the only public campground in the area and is on a first-come, first-serve basis, $15 per night, self-check-in. If no spaces were available, our plan B was to stay in the BLM boondock lot farther down the road known as Chosa Campground. Fortunately, there was plenty of space. The wind whipped through the campground and shook the van now and then. We didn’t mind; we were tired and quickly fell asleep.

Pine Springs Campground at the Guadalupe Mountains
National Park in far West Texas

    In the morning, after a simple breakfast of cereal and yogurt, we packed up and went to the Visitor Center, where the rangers suggested a hiking trail. Guadalupe Mountains National Park is a hiker’s park. It doesn’t have a scenic road to drive through the park. Still, it does have 18 hiking trails ranging from a quarter-mile, wheel-chair accessible trail to the 11.3-mile moderate/strenuous trail through the Chihuahuan Desert to the base of El Capitan.

     The park rangers recommended Smith Spring Trail, a 2.3-mile round trip hike with a moderate difficulty level. They said it’s good for wildlife viewing because the animals are drawn to the spring.

    While at the Visitor Center, we also asked about the time, which kept confusing us. I thought it was 9 a.m., but Roger thought it was 10 a.m. One phone said one time. The other phone said another time.

Meet Carl’s Bad, our
Year of the Rat mascot

The rangers explained that this area crosses two time zones. The correct time depends on which side of the road or Texas/New Mexico border you were on. They admitted it was confusing to most of the park visitors. This article describes the confusion around time zone travel in National Parks. The Great Park Time Zone Puzzle, Or....” What Time Is It, Anyway?” by Jim Burnett.

     After getting my National Park Passport Stamp, I looked for a Year of Rat mascot in the gift shop -- and found a cute hand puppet packrat -- with a little backpack on his back. I immediately fell in love!

     We left the visitor center with a plan and hiking map in hand. Within several yards of the visitor center, we saw a historic pullout. We pulled in and walked the short trail to the ruins of the old Butterfield Overland Mail station, known as The Pinery. This stagecoach service operated between east and west coasts from 1858 to 1861.

Ruins of the old Butterfield Overland Mail
stagecoach station

     After snapping a few photos, we hopped back into the van to head further down the road to the trailhead. Or so we thought. The van would not start. Roger tried and tried and tried again, but it would not start. Since the van’s engine had always been an easy and strong starter, it was evident that this was serious, and Roger’s initial fear that the engine was not getting fuel was later confirmed.

    We started calling tow truck companies and auto mechanics in Carlsbad. Our cell phone connection was poor, so we walked back to the visitor center and sat in the foyer to make more phone calls. Eventually, we made plans to be towed 50 miles to Carlsbad, where they would deliver the van to a recommended mechanic. After dropping the van off, the friendly tow truck driver gave us a ride to the Days Inn, where I had made a reservation.

 

#vanlife meets #towtrucklife

     The tow truck driver was the younger brother of the man who owned the towing business. “I tried to join the military, but they wouldn’t take me because of my hand tattoos,” he said, so he came to Carlsbad to work for his brother. He also told us more about Carlsbad, “You were lucky to get a hotel room. They’re so expensive now because of the fracking.”

     Fracking is slang for hydraulic fracturing, a method of extracting oil and gas from the ground. “As of March 2, 2017, there were 29,996 approved oil wells and 27,780 approved natural gas wells in New Mexico.” (https://ballotpedia.org/Fracking_in_New_Mexico, retrieved March 26, 2020)

     The tow truck driver told us that Carlsbad is a town built for 30,000 people but now has 90,000 because of fracking. All the hotels are usually sold out, and everything is more expensive since the fracking started. “It’s good for the workers,” the tow truck driver said, “but it makes everything more expensive for everyone else.”

An empty lot in downtown Carlsbad

     Fracking is a controversial topic. It’s positive for economic development and the development of energy resources, but its environmental impact could be catastrophic. The toxic chemicals used to separate oil and gas from sediments in the ground could contaminate the local water supply. Also, Carlsbad is located in a giant, natural basin, and fracking could potentially collapse a giant sinkhole under the city.

     (Read more about fracking in New Mexico. Study: New Mexico would lose billions if fracking banned, oil and gas lead economic growth, by Adrian Hedden, Carlsbad Current-Argus and A fracking disaster waiting to happen in Carlsbad, New Mexico by Denise Gascoigne)

     The only consolation to breaking down and being towed to town was settling into our hotel room and watching the Superbowl. While we had been looking for a bar or other suitable place to watch the game, this was just perfect, with a few beers rescued from the van’s refrigerator. Our plans called for us to be at the KOA Carlsbad campground, north of Carlsbad, the next two nights. Instead, we ordered Dominoes and settled in at the Days Inn.

Our home away from #vanlife in Carlsbad

     Roger called the garage first thing the next morning. They hoped to take a look at the van that afternoon and would call him to let us know as soon as they knew anything. If you know Roger, you know he is persistent. He called early in the afternoon. Then again, a little later. Finally, he got the news, a broken fuel pump. They’d have to order the part. It should be there tomorrow from El Paso, they said.

     We realized the van probably wouldn’t be fixed the next day, so we walked two miles to Walmart, where Roger got in line for a haircut. We bought food to take back to the room and walked back to the hotel, stopping along the way to have a late lunch at La Patrona. Roger ordered a chile Rellenos burrito, and I got an enchilada plate. La Patrona is a window service restaurant with a covered outdoor seating area. You know it’s a local favorite because many truckers and people getting off from work were stopping there for their dinners. One thing we have enjoyed in the Southwest is the delicious, authentic Mexican food, and this place didn’t disappoint us.

La Patrona, a local place for Mexican food

     Carlsbad, New Mexico, is not the kind of place people dream of spending their vacation. Most of the city -- the part we saw, anyway -- looked like one big industrial park. The wide highway ran through the middle of town, and every parking lot was full of white, American-made, four-wheel drive, extended cab, pick up trucks. Many of the vehicles had big generators and welding equipment in the pickup beds.

    Hotels were being built up and down Highway 285 through Carlsbad. According to the tow truck driver, one hotel under construction was already entirely reserved by a single company as soon as it’s completed.

     We were eager to get the van fixed and back on the road. Mother nature had other plans.

     An unusual cold front and winter storm was moving through the area. After our second night at the hotel, we checked out, hoping the van would be ready that day. We sat in the hotel lobby, waiting for the call from the garage. Roger waited until the afternoon to call them. The garage assured us that they were working on it, and it should be ready by the end of the day.

The hotel parking lot was full of white, American-made,
extended cab, four-wheel-drive, pickup trucks.

     The weather reports called for freezing rain and snow. The hotel was filling up fast, and the manager said he had one room left, and he suggested we take it. Even if the van got fixed by 5 p.m., it would be dark, and it was a good 21 miles to the KOA campground where we had a reservation. The hotel manager was right. Even if we did get the van back that night, the roads would be slippery, and the van does not like snow.

    We booked a third night at Days Inn, postponed our KOA arrival another night, and ordered a Lyft to the garage to pick up the van. We lucked out with the Lyft. The driver just happened to be in town, dropping off a customer. Carlsbad usually doesn’t have Lyft or Uber.

     We got to the garage and waited and waited until well after their 5 p.m. closing time. Finally, the woman at the desk (I think she’s the matriarch of the family) told us the van would not be ready that night. On a regular van and fuel pump, it would have been finished, but it was taking longer because of the RV systems. They wanted to make sure they hooked everything back up correctly.

Shopping for space heaters at Walmart.
A sign of things to come?

    We appreciated their thoroughness, but we were also frustrated. We asked for a ride back to the hotel. We crawled up into a white, American-made, four-wheel drive, extended cab pick up truck.

     “Can I ask you a question?” I asked the driver who had been one of the employees working in the office. (I think he’s the grandson.) “Why does everyone have white trucks?”

     “They don’t show the dirt,” he said. “It’s so windy and dry here. As soon as you wash your vehicle, it’s covered in dirt. White doesn’t show the dirt as much as darker colors.”

Native people of this land
used the base of mountains
as a natural shelter.

     We got dropped off at the local brewery, Guadalupe Mountain Brewing Company. I ordered a flight of beer and a Reuben sandwich. Roger ordered a Cuban and a hard cider. The sandwiches each came with a bag of chips. The sandwiches were tasty, but mine was cool in the middle, and not quite as mouth-watering as I would have liked. I enjoyed the beer, and the atmosphere was friendly, casual, and had a bit of an artsy/creative vibe to it. There is a small stage in the corner of the dining area for live music, although there was no music when we were there. There’s also a nook opposite the stage with comfy sofas and chairs for a more relaxed seating area.

     The chilly wind was starting to pick up during our walk back to the hotel. I hadn’t thought to grab my winter coat and hat when we left the van at the garage two days earlier. We’re in New Mexico for goodness sake! It’s supposed to be warm here!

In summer, visitors can participate in the Bat Flight Experience at Carlsbad Caverns.

     The next morning, we checked out of our room and waited in the lobby for the call from the garage. By now, the front desk staff (same people every day) were getting to know us, and they teased us about bringing the cold weather from Alaska. I can’t say enough about the staff at the Days Inn. They were friendly and sympathetic to our dilemma. We were lucky we came to Carlsbad during a slow time in the fracking industry. The hotel manager told us the rooms go for as much as $300 a night during the busy season. Our room rate was around $130 a night. 

Some people take the elevator down to the cavern.
We opted for The Natural Entrance.

     We finally got the call from the garage that the van was ready, and our ride would be on his way in a few minutes. What a good feeling to get back into our newly repaired van home. Our first stop was propane, where we stood in a long line of RV dwellers filling their tanks for the night. There were two servicemen continually operating the gas station propane tank, and at one point, more than 15 people were waiting. Many of the locals and fracking workers live in RV parks and mobile homes, and they were all worried about their pipes freezing.

This underground world was like an imaginary world
from a fantasy novel.

     The weather report called for temperatures as low as 15 degrees in the night. The propane heater in the van had stopped blowing hot air several days earlier. So, the next stop was Walmart, where we could buy an electric heater. We would have an electrical hookup at the KOA campground that night. Of course, we arrived at Walmart only to find empty shelves where the heaters were supposed to be. On the lowest shelf, we found two small 150 watt heaters and snatched them up as if they were made of gold. 

The caverns would naturally be completely dark. The Park Service installed spotlights.

     We drove 21 miles to the KOA campground, passing scenic high desert landscape and Brantley Lake, a man-made reservoir created when Brantley Dam was built across the Pecos River in the 1980s. I imagined it was probably quite lovely during other times of the year, but on this day, it was not appealing. The earth was desolate and stark. Across the landscape, oil fields were easily identifiable by their tall candle-like structures burning off natural gas that can’t be processed or sold -- a process called flaring.

My favorite color green in a cavern pool

     That night I wore extra layers of clothing to bed -- socks, leggings, Smartwool shirt, pajamas, and a knit cap on my head. Roger had bought a cold-weather sleeping bag for me early in the trip. Usually, I slept with it unzipped, laid on top of me. On this night, I zipped myself into it like a mummy. We slept with both heaters going.

     When we woke the next morning, the temperature outside the van was 15 degrees. Inside was 35 degrees. As soon as the sun began to rise above the horizon, so did the temperature.

     We backtracked through Carlsbad and returned to our road trip. We eliminated Big Bend National Park from our itinerary to both makeup for the lost time and because of this winter storm. One of our campsites would have been at 5,000 feet elevation and was predicted to get several inches of snow.

     We spent the morning and early afternoon exploring Carlsbad Caverns -- what turned into one of our favorite days of the entire trip. We were so appreciative of the WOW factor after our unexpected detour in Carlsbad.

    Carlsbad Caverns National Park is known for the bats that fly out of the cave each evening from May through October. We didn’t get to see the bats, but we were able to enter the caverns through the bat cave entrance, known as the Natural Entrance Trail.

Stalagmites (rises from the floor)
and stalactites (hangs from the ceiling)

     The 1.25-mile winding path slowly leads you 750 feet down into the caverns. This trail connects to the Big Room Trail, a 1.25-mile flat trail that leads through the largest single cave chamber in North America.

     The magnificence of Carlsbad Caverns is impossible to describe with words, and photos (especially with our phone cameras) do not do it justice. Driving to Carlsbad Caverns is a little out of the way, but I recommend you see it for yourself. I am sometimes a little claustrophobic, and I don’t like heights at all, but I felt ok in the caverns.

This chandelier dominates the Big Room at Carlsbad Caverns.

     Roger and I were both in awe while exploring the cavern at our own pace. At the end of the two-hour self-guided tour, we took the elevator back to the top.

    We left Carlsbad with a good riddance attitude, but, in retrospect, our time in Carlsbad opened our eyes to a different part of the United States. And, isn’t that the purpose of travel? To experience new people? New places? To learn something about the world that we didn’t know before? To feed our perspective? To keep our understanding of the world fresh?

Thank you, U.S. National Park Service, for preserving earth’s natural wonders.

     We didn’t plan to go to Carlsbad. We didn’t want to spend three nights in a Carlsbad hotel. But guess what story we tell the most? A story with a happy ending.

Panoramic view from Carlsbad Caverns National Park Visitor Center

"For how can one know color in perpetual green, and what good is warmth without cold to give it sweetness?" -- John Steinbeck, Travels With Charley

#CarlsbadCavernsNationalPark #GuadalupeMountainsNationalPark #CarlsbadNewMexico #me2ak #vanlife #ontheroad