RV travels with Rich and Judy: Brantley Lake State Park, Carlsbad, NM; April 2-7, 2014

A beautiful New Mexico sunset

We had planned on leaving around 10 to drive to Brantley, but we awoke at 6:30 AM and were worried about the winds forecast to begin mid-morning, so hooked up and got on the road. We stopped at a little place called Mingo's for breakfast burritos – usually a good choice, especially with positive reviews on TripAdvisor. Unfortunately, in this case, we didn't think the chorizo and egg burritos we got were anything to brag about.

After we left Mingo's, Rich noticed the engine light was on. The Chevy dealership in Pecos, TX is the nearest we could find, and will hope it's the ongoing problem with the sensor that monitors the diesel fluid quality. We've had it show up three times previously and a dealership finally replaced the module, so we had hoped it was all fixed. We love our Duramax diesel, but are getting annoyed with the continuing problems we are having.

We arrived at the Pecos dealership and they checked and agreed it was the diesel fluid sensor, said all was fine, and turned the light off. By the time we got finished with the dealership the wind had picked up and we traveled the rest of the way to Carlsbad in 25-35 mph winds.

One of the cattle in the road on the way to camp

The campground is about 20 miles outside Carlsbad and there is absolutely nothing around except the high desert, oil-wells, and, since it is open range, cattle. There were working pump-jacks scattered through the area and every once-in-a-while, we would smell the oil stench, but the wind would change and it would be gone. We are camped on a rise in the Chihuahuan Desert and can see for miles in all directions. It is about 80 degrees, 12% humidity, 101 in the sun, and 3,300 feet elevation, but the wind is gusting at 25 mph and it's wonderful to relax in the shade, which is just what we did! To give you an idea of what 12% humidity is like, I took a sandwich made from fresh white sandwich

Pecos river near camp

bread outside, and by the time I set it on the table, and sat down myself, the bread was drying out. By the time I finished, the outside of the bread was like a piece of sandpaper!

The campground is surprisingly pretty with lots of wildflowers blooming. Happily, the restrooms and showers were new and fairly well maintained. One evening we went to a stargazing program and watched the International Space Station cross the sky as well as learned some new facts about some of the constellations. It was a wonderful spot since we were miles away from the nearest city and the city wasn't all that

Flowers in site

large meaning there wasn't much light pollution.

In spite of the harsh conditions, there are a surprising (to me, at least) number of flowering plants – few of which I can identify even with my books. The predominant foliage seems to be sage, juniper, and piñon pines, and several different kinds of low-growing shrubs with red, purple, yellow, and white blooms. And the purple blossoms on the mescal plant are amazing!

Another flower in the site

Rich enjoying the shade

We had planned on going to the Living Desert Thursday, but 35 mph winds were forecast so we changed plans and headed to Carlsbad Caverns. Thank goodness we aren't in Albuquerque – they're having 60 mph winds there!

The caverns are nestled in the Guadalupe Mountains, where peaks rise from 3,595 feet to 6,520 feet in the largest and wettest desert in North America, the Chihuahuan Desert. The drive up to the Visitor Center was a constantly changing display of high desert vegetation and geological formations. Once we got inside, it was like a different world.

Carlsbad Caverns is one of over 300 limestone caves in a fossil reef laid down by an inland sea 250 to 280 million years ago. Twelve to fourteen thousand years ago, American Indians lived in the Guadalupe Mountains; some of their cooking ring sites and pictographs have been found within the present day boundaries of the park. Around 1898, Jim White probably entered the caverns for the first time and it was he first explored the depths of the cavern. It was also Jim White who worked tirelessly to bring them to the notice of the public and government,

On the way to the Visitor Center

and if memory serves, he was the first park manager after it was made a National Park (or perhaps it was when it was made a National Monument). In 1938, the CCC (Civilian Conservation Corps) established a camp at Rattlesnake Springs and the buildings are used by the park
today. For about 50 years after Jim White's discovery, bat guano was mined from the caverns; in fact, the first visitors were lowered into the caverns in the very baskets in which the guano was collected. I suspect it was rather aromatic
despite any cleaning done...

CCC camp

I can't begin to tell you how cool (it's also a cool 56 degrees) this place is. If you are up to it, take the ranger-lead tour which goes

through the King's Palace as well as the self-guided tour through the Big Room. Each one takes about 1 ½ hours, but the King's Palace requires an 823' (steep) descent to the lower level as well as a like ascent on the trip out. The 1 ¼ mile walk through the cavern is breathtaking. The formations inside the caverns were simply beautiful. The Big Room, with floor space of more than 600,000 square feet, is the largest known limestone chamber in the Western Hemisphere. Here, stalagtites stalagmites abound in many different forms: there are soda straws, draperies, popcorn, and columns. We saw shapes that reminded us of

Lion's Tail decoration

totem poles, a dragon, Jabba the Hut, a fairy-land of pixies, a lion's tail, and all sorts of other things. Around every turn in the path, something new and beautiful could be seen. We spent three hours in the caverns but could easily have spent twice the time if we hadn't had Dickens waiting back at camp. It's a wonderland of shapes and textures that has to be experienced. I have to admit, in spite of my enthusiasm to go to Mammoth Cave, I enjoyed Carlsbad more, simply because we took a self-guided tour and could poke along and read all the signs, take all the photos we wanted, and really get a feel for the place, unlike Mammoth with their “hurry along” tours.

Friday, we headed to the Living Desert State Park, which is built on a bluff on the outskirts of town and is a fascinating place and it was a totally spectacular day in a totally different way – the caverns were made over the course of hundreds of thousands years and the park's gardens were man-made. None-the-less, the gardens were remarkable. The park is dedicated to interpretation of the Chihuahuan Desert

One of the stalagmites

and in addition to the beautifully done indoor exhibits detailing the changes undergone to the area, there is. a 1.3 mile self-guided tour through which visitors can see the differences between desert sand hills, arroyos, and then higher into the piñon-juniper areas. The grounds were beautifully laid out and were chock-full of the plants that grow in the Chihuanuan Desert. The landscaping has been done in a completely natural way, although there are signs identifying the different plants. It is amazingly well done. Along with the plants is the living museum, which has more than 40 native species and hundreds of succulents from around the word. There are songbirds, hawks, eagles, turkeys, and owls. Bobcats, mountain lions, bison, kit fox, badger, mule deer, pronghorn, elk, and bison also make their home at the park. The website suggests allowing an hour and a half to visit,

At the Living Desert

but of course, I dragged my feet and we ended up spending closer to two and a half hours.

We did find a wonderful Mexican Restaurant called Junior's. I have to admit, it gave us pause – it is on the outskirts of Carlsbad and sports bars on the windows and doors, but at 2 in the afternoon, it had six vehicles in the customer parking lot. We exchanged glances, shrugged our shoulders, and went in. The cashier/hostess was pleasant, the restaurant clean, and the customers friendly. The couple next to us told us about some of the items on the menu. We took their advice and Rich ordered the steak and eggs

At the Living Desert

while I ordered the tamales with green sauce. The salsa
they brought was some of the best we have ever eaten salsa was among the best we have ever had.