Our second day in N.M.

We took another trip to the Carlsbad Caverns today. Not much else to do around here since we are in a fairly arid desert area and it was pretty cool this morning. We went back down into the cavern but this time in the elevator. We walked through the "Big Room" and took a bunch of pictures. When looking at them on the computer it is obvious how insignificant the pictures are compared to the actual experience of being in the caverns.

Tomorrow we are heading west to Las Cruces to get further west and to see about connecting with Mike Kerner.

Here are some pictures from the past couple of days.

Our camp at Guadalupe Mountain Nation l Park. It looks like a parking lot, doesn't it? Well we thought so too! Walmart doesn't have this scenery though!

The theatre for bat watching at Carlsbad Cavern. In the warm weather people come to see thousands of bats fly out of the cave each evening. Naturally they weren't here at this time of year so we will have to take their word for it.

The trail going into the cave. It is a winding switchback for the first couple hundred yards. If it weren't for that you could just fall in since the descent is so steep. From the opening to the "Big Room" is almost 800 feet down.

 

Sorry the pictures got out of sequence. Here we are back at Guadalupe on the canyon hike. We are in a wash that goes through the canyon.

This is the Pratt House built in 1930 entirely out of stone. Note that the roof is even made out of slate! The property was donated to the park in the 1960's.

Back at Carlsbad in the Big Room. Read the sign for more info.

Stalagmites, stalactites, columns, domes, and draperies. The place had it all! 

See, it really is Carlsbad Cavern!

One last cave picture of nature's handiwork. Put this place on your bucket list! It is well worth doing!

We made New Mexico today!

We went through the Carlsbad Caverns today and were amazed at the beauty and immensity of the caverns and tunnels and all of the cave decorations (say stalactites and stalagmites), that were there. It is such a beautiful place that I can't describe what an experience it is to see. Pictures don't do it justice. The park service has done an amazing job at making the caverns accessible for the public to walk through, and that in itself is an amazing feat. We walked two and a half miles into the caverns and descended 800 feet. At the end was the "Big Room" which was an 8.5 acre chamber full of incredible features. Afterward we took the elevator back to the lobby!!!

We spent two days camping at Guadalupe Mountain National Park and had cool nights, a small trace of snow Sunday night, and strong winds, but the days are bright and sunny and mild. We have done a lot of hiking in the mountains and have had so much breathtaking scenery! The trip so far has far exceeded our expectations.

Hope you are all OK and everyone is healthy.

We took a hike at Guadalupe Mountain into McKittrick Canyon. The scenery and vegetation there were spectacular. There was a spring that fed a brook that irrigated the canyon floor and an incredible array of plant life grew there. This is where the desert met the hardwood forest. Maples, Oak, cactus, and even aspen grew here along with ponderosa pine, junipers and Texas Maldrone (in the picture). The canyon has been described as the most beautiful spot in Texas.

 

Here is a picture from the Carlsbad Cavern hike we did today. These are formations growing in a pool of clear water left in the cave. It was amazing to see the beauty in the cave and what an incredible artist Mother Nature can be. The "Big Room" in the cavern was so immense that sixteen football feilds could fit into this one area.

Enjoying Big Bend National Park

We have been at Big Bend Park for a few days now and each day we explore a different section of the park. On Thursday we went to the western end of the park and went into the Santa Elena Canyon on the Rio Grande and saw the Cottonwood campground.
On Friday we went up into the Chisos Mountains in the center of the park and saw the Lodge and took a couple of hikes. One was the Windows trail and the other was the Lost Mine Trail. Both were in the mountains and had breathtaking and spectacular views of the desert and mountains.
Today went over to Boquillas Canyon and hiked to the mouth of the gorge. We also looked over at the village of Boquillas on the Mexican side of the river. This is a very small village out in the middle of nowhere. This is the home of the folks who leave trinkets and walking sticks on the U.S. side of the river for tourists to purchase. We watched a few of the locals walking back and forth from a ranch to the village while on their daily rounds.
The weather has been great with sunny clear blue skies, warm days and cool nights. The moon is full now and we walk at night and marvel at the moon shadows that we see.

Remnants of an old desert ranch from the early 1900's. Homer Wilson raised goats and sheep on the mountainside.

Homer's house in the hills.

One of the chimney rocks on the west side of Big Bend Park

Santa Elena Canyon trailhead

This is what the river does to the mountain, It carved a gorge fifteen hundred feet deep.

The Grand Canyon of Texas

Water pouring out into the desert.

This is a century plant. They grow for thirty to forty years storing up energy to send up their finale. A flower shoot and seeds for a new generation of plants.

This is the shoot from last one of the plants. Nancy is standing next to the base.

The window at the end of the Windows Trail. After a rain the water gushes through this hole in the rock.

This is a part of the Windows Trail. We followed the stream bed down the valley.

A view on Lost Mine Trail.

 

This is a portion of the Lost Mine Trail

Views from the top.

Look at the colors in the side of this mountain!!

A view of the Rio Grande near Boquillas.

Walking sticks and trinkets for sale.

The entrance to Boquillas Canyon.

The moon rising over the Sierra Del Carmen Mountains

 

Deep in the Heart of Texas

We have been in Big Bend National Park for the past few days. We will stay until Sunday, and then move northwest to Guadalupe Mountains National Park. We have been enjoying this place with the sunny blue skies and warm temperatures. Yesterday got to ninety degrees for a while and stayed in the high seventies well into the evening.
This park is huge (801,000 acres) and borders Mexico. Yesterday I threw a rock over the Rio Grand and it landed on their side!! The mountains and desert here are just beautiful and we have seen so much wonderful scenery we are starting to take it for granted.

Statue at Seminole Canyon State Park, dedicated to the ancient people that inhabited this area.

Looking out of one of the canyons at Seminole Canyon State Park. There were several of these along the cliffs that showed drawings from about 4,000 years ago!

One of the drawings on the walls of the canyon.

This was entering Big Bend National Park. These are the Chisos Mountains.

A road runner at camp.

Here's a story I couldn't make up. We met Siegfried and Hertrude who shipped their home made Mercedes patrol wagon turned RV from Hamburg, Germany to Halifax, Nova Scotia and are touring North, Central and South America! We visited with them and they told us about living on a catamaran in Austrailia and their exploits with the motor home they renovated. They have a website that chronicles their travels. See it here...http://www.bummelmitpummel.de/page6.php

They were a lot of fun to talk with and were full of interesting stories. Their family thinks they are nuts!!

Javelina at Big Bend.

The Rio Grand River, looking at Mexico

The Mexicans cross at night and leave trinkets on the U.S. side for tourists to buy. They leave a money jar and count on the honor system!

Hikin g the mountains with the river in the background.

Lots of things with spikes in the desert. Most things will bite you here.

Look at the spiokes on these leaves!

Thorns on everything!

Canoeing on the Rio Grande!

A hot spring on the bank of the river. Water temp was 105!

The San Elena Canyon. The walls climb 1500 feet up from the river.

 

That's all for now. Hope everyone is well.

Southern Texas

We are on our second day at Seminole Canyon State Park, west of Del Rio Texas and about three miles north of the Rio Grand River, the border of Mexico! It's a desolate place with a lot of scrub and cactus and prickly bushes everywhere. We took a guided tour through the canyon today and saw quite a few paintings from the early inhabitants who lived here about four thousand years ago! There are caverns under the cliffs and the people lived in them and drew a lot of art on the walls. The state bought this land and is preserving as much of the canyon as they can.
The weather has been beautiful and the temperature got into the eighties today!

Cliff art from the ancient people of the area

Looking out of one of the caverns into Seminole Canyon.

Saturday in San Antonio

We have been at Guadalupe River State Park just north of San Antonio for four days and now are in Travelers World Campground right in town. We have been with Bill and Barb Wright for the past five days and have been enjoying exploring the area with them.
On Thursday we took a drive into downtown and walked through the Alamo, along the river walk, and had lunch at a great Mexican restaurant along the river. The downtown area is geared well to tourists and it is easy to get around and see the attractions. The Alamo gets three million visitors a year!!

On Friday we loaded up our bikes and went just south of downtown and toured the San Antonio Missions along the river. There are some beautiful bike trails connecting four old missions that date back to the early seventeen hundreds. The missions are under some renovation and the bike trails are being updated and landscaped, but our ride was nice and we learned a lot about the Spanish missionaries and early life in this area before it was part of the United States.

Last night we went to the San Antonio Stock Show and Rodeo and walked the grounds before sitting for the rodeo and then a concert by OneRepublic. What a show! The cowboys were great and the band was really awesome. We particularly enjoyed the bronco busting, the bull riding and the rodeo clowns!

The weather here is wonderfully sunny with clear skies and highs in the upper sixties and low seventies. Perfect for walking and biking!

Pictures to catch us up.......

Goose Island State Park was our first stop in Texas, near Rockport.

This beach was named for the smells that come from decaying seaweed that blows ashore. It was OK while we were here.

The park was home to a Live Oak tree that is over a thousand years old!!

It is truly a monster!

White pelicans

And brown ones too!. This is a huge destination for bird watchers since several hundred species of birds migrate through here each year.

Camping at North Padre Island National Seashore south of Corpus Christie

A visitor on the jetty at Mustang Island State Park

USS Lexington

We toured the ship and were fascinated with the old planes and all of the accommodations aboard!

Count em! Ducks at Padre Island

Down town San Antonio

Remember the Alamo?

The Alamo and grounds were beautiful and well done for touring.

San Antonio river walk

 

 Market Square in San Antonio

A building at the San Juan Mission