New Mexico

Carlsbad:

Our initial discovery of Carlsbad Caverns was late on a Wednesday afternoon, when very few people were there.  We felt like we were only people in the Caverns, seeing the cave like the initial explorers (but with foot paths and lights)!

 

The next morning we took the King’s Palace Tour where we were able to go down even lower into the caverns.  The chambers truly were fit for a king and queen!

 

 

 

 

The town of Carlsbad offers other sites as well.  We explored the Living Desert Zoo & Gardens State Park and the Carlsbad Museum & Art Center.  Here are some of my favorites from the Museum:

Mujer/Woman by Rufino Tamayo

Buffalo Dancers by Glenna Goodacre

Night Drum by Allen Houser

White Sands:

There were not many Airbnb choices, so we opted to stay in a retro motor hotel!  It was perfect and very close to White Sands National Monument.

We went to the White Sands National Monument late on the same day we arrived in town and were rewarded with an opportunity to take a Sunset Stroll with a Park Ranger.  We learned how the dunes were formed and what type of plant and animal life survive in the dunes.  It was amazing to stand on top of a dune and to look around at the wave-like hills of gypsum sand – 275 square miles of dunes! And to top it off, we saw a beautiful sunset!

We returned early the next morning, before the crowds hit, and drove the entire loop – twice.  We took a picnic lunch and enjoyed it with these gorgeous views:

 

 

Weird and cheesy – that’s us, especially if we can have wine with that cheese!  We went to McGinn’s PistachioLand.  They have everything there, including a wine tasting room.  The pistachio wine was interesting.  They also had an ice cream parlor featuring …. Blue Bell ice cream! But most importantly, McGinn’s features the World’s Largest Pistachio Nut!

We’ll visit the northern part of New Mexico later, when the weather is warmer.  We’re trying to stay south, away from the snow.  And who would expect snow around White Sands?  We didn’t. 

When we left Carlsbad we were driving through part of the Chihuahuan Desert – flat, cactus and lots of sand.  It was close to 70 degrees outside.

There were signs that provided step by step instructions for what to do during a sand storm!  Then we saw a sign for truck drivers with a picture of the upcoming steep grade.  Well, of course we figured we would go through some mountains.  We saw them on the horizon.

As we got closer to Cloudcroft, New Mexico I saw a few bits of white in the fields.  My husband said it was probably concrete to help with erosion into the ravines.  Then we saw more and more and MORE white and the temperature had dropped to 34 degrees!  Yes, we were now in the middle of snow – on both sides of the road and up both sides of the mountains! 

Then we descended into the desert again, back to 70 degree temps.  But what a view, we could see bands of white far in the distance.  It wasn't snow this time -- it was White Sands!

Let’s hope we can stay warm in Arizona!