Our visit to Carlsbad, NM had been wonderfully busy. The Caverns were definitely worth the trip and Sitting Bull Falls was an unexpected extra.
We were up early on Monday. We wanted to get a bit of exercise before hitting the road. There were a couple of trails around the RV park so we just made our way down one. It was very flat with little or no trees so it was easy to stay oriented. We ran enough to get a good cardio fix and then it was time to get moving.
The Carlsbad KOA was pretty good. The entire area was fairly barren so they did well with what they had. The wifi was crap.
One of our travel pet peeves is when a camp advertises something and they do not have it or it does not work. We do not need to stream movies or use tons of data but we do want to be able to check email, do admin stuff and I want to be able to blog. If I review a place, I often focus on the honesty of their advertisement. I always try to accentuate the positive but I will comment if I feel they have misrepresented themselves.
Our destination for the day was Las Cruces, NM.
One of the things we try to look ahead to when we are moving around in our home on wheels is the route. We had done a bit of planning and decided to skirt south of the Guadalupe Mountains instead of going over them. Going over would have taken us through Cloudcroft, NM but the elevation change was quite large. Large elevation changes mean steep, curvy driving. Lewis and Clark are equipped for this type of travel but it can be stressful. We also were interested in a stop at Guadalupe Mountains National Park.
Guadalupe Mountains National Park is in the Guadalupe Mountains of West Texas and contains Guadalupe Peak, the highest point in Texas at 8,749 feet (2,667 m) in elevation. Located east of El Paso, it also contains El Capitan, long used as a landmark by people traveling along the old route later followed by the Butterfield Overland Mail stagecoach line. Visitors can see the ruins of an old stagecoach station near the Pine Springs Visitor Center. Camping is available at the Pine Springs Campground and Dog Canyon. The restored Frijole Ranch House is now a small museum of local ranching history and is the trailhead for Smith Spring. The park covers 86,367 acres (134.95 sq mi; 349.51 km2) and is in the same mountain range as Carlsbad Caverns National Park which is located about 25 miles (40 km) to the north in New Mexico. Numerous well-established trails exist in the park for hiking and horse-riding. The Guadalupe Peak Trail offers perhaps the most outstanding views in the park. Climbing over 3,000 feet (910 m) to the summit of Guadalupe Peak, the trail winds through pinyon pine and Douglas-fir forests and offers spectacular views of El Capitan and the vast Chihuahuan Desert.
EL CAPITAN
A LITTLE CLOSER LOOK
Rob wanted to explore the option of dry camping at Guadalupe. Dry camping means that we can park the RV overnight but we have no services. We are equipped for it since we have a generator but we needed to know a bit more before deciding.
We arrived, found a place to park and walked up to the visitor's center. We found a short trail to the camping area and took the girls along to check it out. The area set aside for campers and motorhomes was a big parking lot. It was absolutely fine for dry camping but it was fully exposed. If we stayed to hike, we would have to leave the girls in the RV because they were not allowed on most of the hiking trails. Because the RV was fully exposed to the sun and the only source of power was the generator, we decided against staying. I really, really wanted to do the hike to the top of Guadalupe Peak but it was a 6 to 8 hour hike. I was just not ready to leave the dogs in the RV with only one source of power. It was going to get warm and if the generator crapped out, they were stuck. This particular hike would have to wait.
We loaded back up and we continued west. The road we were on did have some hills but nothing like the road through Cloudcroft.
IT JUST GOES ON AND ON AND ON
When we left the city limits of Carlsbad, we saw a sign that said "Next Services....130 miles." No kidding. We drove along this really good surfaced road for 130 miles and did not see a single gas station. We had made a point of filling up in Carlsbad. Highway 285 from Carlsbad to El Paso is a good road but make sure you have plenty of gas.
As we approached El Paso, TX, we knew we needed to get on I10.
Interstate 10 is the southernmost cross-country interstate highway in the American Interstate Highway System. It stretches from the Pacific Ocean at State Route 1 in Santa Monica, California, to I-95 in Jacksonville, Florida. It is 2,460 miles long and it can be a beast. The border to Mexico is in very close proximity to El Paso. Miss a couple of turns and BOOM, you are at the border.
We transitioned to the Interstate and we were in Las Cruces 30 miles later.
We had chosen another KOA for a stop. We often pick KOAs for our shorter stops. Making last minute reservations is easier and KOAs are, as a rule, fairly dependable. We had stayed at a couple that were disappointing but we'd had good experiences with most.
The Las Cruces KOA sits on a hill on the NW side of the city. I will tell you that the views are spectacular. We can see the city and the mountains right outside our front window. Darkness treated us to the glittering lights of nighttime Las Cruces. It is also very peaceful. You know the city is close but you do not hear any of the noise associated with it.
We got set up and took Penny and Annie for a little walk. They love their walks around a new place.
We decided to drive into Mesilla for dinner.
Mesilla ("Little Tableland") is the best-known and most visited historical community in Southern New Mexico. Since its' beginning, around 1848, Mesilla has had a major influence on the economic, cultural, historical, and political life of the Mesilla Valley. From the Gadsden Purchase, to the Civil War, to the Butterfield Stage Coach Trail, to the trial of Billy the Kid, to being a lively social center in the 1880s--Mesilla has been a prominent part of the rich history of the Southwest.
OUR DINNER SPOT
THE BASILICA
HE GOT INTO A LOT IN HIS 22 YEARS
Mesilla is very quaint and contains quite a bit of history. Our dinner at La Posta de Mesilla was delicious. We took a bit of a walk to help our food settle.
With sunset approaching, we drove back to the RV. The girls were waiting for their evening walk so we took them for a stroll and then sat outside and watched the western sunset color our eastern view of Las Cruces. We sat out until well past dark.
Our travel day had been good. The trails at Guadalupe would have to wait but the hills of Las Cruces offered us views to be remembered.
Another great day in this thing we call life.
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