Sept. 12 We finished out travels through New Mexico at Carlsbad Caverns. They are not the biggest or oldest caverns but, perhaps the most beautiful. We descended into the cavern through the 'Natural' entrance.
In1898, a teenager named Jim White explored the cavern with a homemade wire ladder. He named many of the rooms, including the Big Room, New Mexico Room, Kings Palace, Queens Chamber. These rooms are 750-800 feet below. It was quite and experience but safe. The paths are paved and there is lighting, even a lunch room and store at 750 feet.
Even so it was 1 1/2 hours of walking steep declines and then an hour of flat. Thank goodness there was an elevator to get back up. They don't allow you to walk back up since the elevator was put in. This is a must see, equal to the Badlands in South Dakota in beauty.
Sept. 13 We entered Texas via Hwy 285 S from Carlsbad. I missed the sign saying Welcome to Texas and was upset about it. But Glen would not go back to get it. Anyway West Texas may not want you to know where you are. All the way to Interstate10 it was dirt and oil rigs and highway construction. Now, it needed the highway construction, the road was a mess. But I could not figure out where all the people lived who were working out there. No house, towns, even no Walmarts. Turns out there are places in the dirt to park RVs. The workers stay in RVs during the week and commute home. Past Pecos towards Fort Stockton it did start looking up.
We stayed the night just outside of Sonora in a very small RV park. The landscape there was pretty. It was quiet and dark and nice to be in the country again.
Yesterday (Sept. 14) and today (Sept. 15) we have been in San Antonio. Because of the rain we saw a movie today. Glen saw White Boy Rick with Matthew McConaughey and loved it and recommends it. I saw Unbroken:Path to Redemption and loved it as well. In spite of the rain (first rain for our whole trip), we made it to the Alamo and walked around town on the RiverWalk and had dinner. They have done a really nice job with the river in town.
Tomorrow we go to Austin for a couple of days. Unfortunately we have not found any good concerts to go to but, we figure there will be live music somewhere to hear.
Remember the Alamo!
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| Campsite at White City near Carlsbad Cavern. It was literally on the side of the road, worst site ever. |
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| Overnight stop in Sonora, a great spot. |
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| Waiting for the bus in San Antonio. We could not trust the weather to ride our bikes. Good thing too, it rained a few times. |
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| At the Caverns |
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| The Natural Entrance to the Caverns |
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| Those are switchbacks that begin the 800 foot decline |
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| Looking back to the entrance. |
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| A stalagmite and stalactite almost meeting to form a column. |
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| Drapery stalagmites form on curved ceilings. |
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| The Alamo |
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| Having dinner on the Riverwalk |
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| What a venue |
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