Carlsbad Caverns

Breakfast granola and overlanding

Sure enough, we found another spot that ended up being spectacular with the morning sun. Mario and I walked out, juice boxes in hand, to great the day, then ate bowls of granola while sitting in the open side door of the campervan. The weather is changing now, shifting to warming climes, and we are taking advantage of all the sunshine we can get.

Today is a driving day, with a final destination of Carlsbad Caverns National Park, a mile-deep and mile long cavern in Eddy County, New Mexico. The voyage there is less inspiring than it was yesterday, though we did get another glimpse at some dreaded snow while traversing the Sacramento mountains through Lincoln National Park. On the other side, the landscape opens up, and now we are driving through wide open spaces, brilliant blue skies, and yellow scrubby land. It is uninspiring, but soon we are seeing rows and rows of tress that we can't identify. A quick search reveals that the area around Carlsbad is known as a big pecan-growing region, so we make a note to stop somewhere on the way out of the caverns. 

Carlsbad. Honestly? I have no words. It is immense and awe-inspiring, and I took entirely too long to walk through the Big Room and its many pathways. One thing I can say it that we decided to take the Natural entrance rather than the Elevator down 750 ft. to the caves, and I would not hesitate to do so again - it was amazing to walk down all those sweeping switchbacks into the cavern and experience a view that not everyone choses to see. We were able to stop and gawk, sit and listen to the drips of water falling from the roof of the cave into pools below, or onto stalagmites forming from the ground up. Though I think we lucked out, this still being the winter season and the post-holidays slow-down, the caves were very much empty. 

I think the best thing to do it let the pictures do the talking - I could never find enough words to describe the beauty of this place.

After exiting, we took a very small hiking trail to see the cliffs above the caves, the only other thing to do in this park. It's all about the caves at Carlsbad, after all, and understandably so. We do make it to one of those pecan vendors, a little family-run place where the owner is in the shop telling us about her products, but also that she made herself. We get some sweet and savory varieties, plus a mini cheesecake pie to have with dinner tonight.

Rear-view sunset

Since it is still early, Mario suggests we try to knock a couple of hours off our long drive to Austin tomorrow, and I agree - it's a good plan. So we keep driving. We drive through the flat scrubs lands around Carlsbad that turn into flat oil fields, dotted with oil derricks and tall, round reservoirs. The sun sets, and then the fields are dotted with bright lights and the occasion safety release flare. The air is heavy with oil refinery stink. It doesn't get much better by the time we get to Eunice, NM, where a free municipal campground looked like a good spot to stop, so we continue on.

Welcome to Texas...I think?

We cross the border into Texas, the welcome sign a blur in our headlights. Eventually, we drive into the town of Andrews, where the Chamber of Commerce has set up a handful of free full-service sites, which can be used on a first come-first served basis. We are number 2, and also the last camper to arrive for the night, so we take full advantage, filling our tanks to the brim by taking showers and doing some much needed laundry. Clean, warm and happy, sleep comes really easily after that.