Category: New Mexico

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Carlsbad Caverns and the road to Big Bend National Park

Our drive from Alamogordo took us through the Lincoln National Forest, up and over the Sacremento Mountains to a height of over 9,000 feet and through towns called High Roll and Cloudcroft, which boasts a couple of ski lifts and a beginner ski conveyor belt. 

Read more: Carlsbad Caverns and the road to Big Bend National Park

Although a small ski area, it would be very pretty among the forest trees when the ground, houses and chalets were covered in snow.  We also passed this amazing railway bridge. Trains regularly carried passengers from Alamogordo to Cloudcroft from 1899 until the last train on 12 September, 1947. It climbed 26 miles and 4,000 feet and was one of several bridges on the journey. The last one remaining, it was restored in 2009-10.

We spent the night in Artesia and then drove the hour to Carlsbad Cavern National Park, in the Chihuahuan Desert of the Guadalupe Mountains.  On the drive up to the cavern we were lucky to see a herd of barbary sheep that now call the park home.  Although they were brought from Mexico last century, they have a symbiotic relationship with other flora and fauna so have been left alone to inhabit the park.

For such large animals, the speed and dexterity they used to maneuver their way up the cliff face was amazing. The bottom right sheep was standing on this ledge, about half way up the cliff and I could not see how he got there or which way he’d go to get up or down.

We had pre-booked our self-guided tour into the Caverns for 9.30am, so after the obligatory perusal of the extensive gift shop we got our tickets and were asked “are you walking or taking the lift?”  To which I immediately replied, “There’s a lift?  No, walking.”  Much to Peter’s dismay.  Obviously, we were walking.  With directions explained, we headed out the doors and up the path to the amphitheater and the mouth of the cave.  That in itself was amazing!  The cave entrance was massive and flying in and out were hundreds of tiny swallows.  

In the third picture you can just see the lights that dimly illuminate the path as it wends its way underground.

The first few hundred feet of the cave is also home to thousands of Brazilian free-tailed bats that winter in Mexico and migrate to the cave in spring, until October.  About the size of your palm, they fly out at dusk every night in search of insects and consume over half their body weight each night!  The have a dusk viewing of the bats flying in their thousands from the amphitheater each night but we were told it’s hit and miss this early in the season.  We decided not to go back for the bats flight, which was a good call because we heard none flew out.

Our brochure informed us that the self-guided tour would take about 1 ½ hours.  We also knew we were going down a reasonable distance into the cave because there was a lift.  The path down to the entry was like the Corkscrew in Adelaide, Lombard Street in San Francisco, or the Trollwegen in Norway.  So, backwards and forwards we snaked down the very steep path until the light faded and eventually, we were in a dimly lit antechamber.  When our eyes adjusted to the light, we could see the path continuing to snake backwards and forwards until it was too dark.  We were going down a long way! 

I’m pretty sure I’d already said WOW! more than once by this time and for over 2 ½ hours I couldn’t tell you how many times I said it.  I could list very many words I could have uttered, awe-inspiring, astounding, mind-blowing and breathtaking spring to mind.  None do the unbelievable grandeur of this cavern justice.  Nor do our photos. None show the sheer size of the caverns, or the size or extent of the formations. The brochure isn’t exaggerating when it states, “it is an incomparable realm of gigantic subterranean chambers, fantastic cave formations, and extraordinary features”.  The scale and size are unmatched to anything we’ve experienced, and it is the largest system of caverns in continental America. 

So let me WOW you with some facts and a small selection of the over 300 photos we took.

Many of these columns were more than several storeys tall and with circumferences more than a couple of cars!

The above two pictures give something of an idea of the path down and sheer size of the caverns

This diagram gives some idea of the scale of the caverns

There were some small spaces to negotiate

And some large ones

The discovery of many caves we’ve visited, happened by accident. In 1898, sixteen-year-old Jim White stumbled across this cavern entrance while herding sheep.  He noticed a grey haze in the distance and upon investigation, saw the bats flying out of the entrance.  He returned with a kerosene lantern to explore and this began a decades long fascination with the exploration and promotion of the cave. 

Lucrative as fertilizer, a company mined the bat droppings (guano) until 1946 and Jim was so awestruck by his discoveries that in 1915, he encouraged photographer Ray Davis to descend with him and take pictures.  Their publication encouraged a booming tourist trade where the descent in and out of the cave was via a guano bucket!  In 1923, word reached Washington and it was declared a “natural monument”.  Jim continued to explore and promote the cave throughout his life but it wasn’t until 1995 that it was designated a World Heritage Site.

We took the Natural Entrance Route which is 1.25 miles from the cave entrance and descends over 750 feet, (equal to a 75-storey building) via very steep, hairpin paths, through a main corridor that culminates at the lunchroom (yes, there’s a café, tables and chairs, vending machines and a small gift shop down there).  Jim took a single kerosene lantern and fashioned a ladder from wire, rope and tree branches.  The path was so steep, by the time we’d spent 2 ½ hours attempting to take it all in and taking over 200 photos, our toes were sore from sliding forward in our shoes!  We can see why Jim was obsessed with his exploration.

As is customary in caves, many of the features have been imagined as something and named, so we travelled through Bat Cave, and Devil’s Spring, saw Green Lake Overlook, the Boneyard, and Iceberg Rock, a single 200,000 ton boulder that fell from the ceiling thousands of years ago.  

The left image shows some of the massive fallen rocks and the right, the cement path that takes you under a gap left by fallen rocks.

Apparently the most asked question of the park rangers about the cave is, will any more rocks fall?  And it’s certainly something we wondered, considering how much evidence of fallen rocks there were.  The answer is no.  As the cave was forming, many thousands of rocks fell from the ceiling and now litter the floor, but the ceilings are now dome shaped, providing the perfect structure for withholding the weight of the ground above and with little evidence of loose rocks left to fall.  There are also geological formations we’d not seen in any cave before.

Aside from the sheer size of the caverns, there are the usual stalactites (from the ceiling) and stalagmites (from the floor), the draperies or bacon, columns and flowstone.  But there are unique formations like cave pearls, lily pads and rimstone dams that formed due to water pools, helictites, Swiss cheese rocks and Pop Corn.

These show some of these formations

The self-guided trail is a further 1.25 miles in addition to the distance down from the Natural Entrance and meanders its way around the “Big Room.”  This includes features called Painted Grotto, Crystal Spring Dome, Mirror Lake and Temple of the Sun. By the time we reached the start of the Big Room, we were pretty much wowed out.  There was so much to see and take in that we decided to head out via the lift, see some of the other geological features outside the Cavern and come back in the morning to finish our tour.

The temperature inside the cavern remains at a steady 56 degrees F (12 C).  Outside, it had warmed up to above 30 degrees.  We’d been told about Rattlesnake Springs, a small oasis in the desert that was worth visiting so we travelled the few miles to the area.

A natural spring that Indians and settlers used, in 1934 it became the predominant water supply for the national park via small man-made canals.  Now, the area has a small lawned area with picnic tables and is shaded by large cottonwood trees.  The spring is a large, rectangular pool of such clear, crystal water you could be peering through glass.  It’s home to fish, turtles and a myriad of birds, butterflies and dragonflies.

Our camp for the night was only a few miles away in a BLM area.  Basically, a gravel carpark with not a hint of shade so we spent the rest of the afternoon sitting outside Joey, enjoying the breeze and chatting with the occasional tourist that ventured to the spring.  Luckily for us, we had a conversation with a fellow who had done the Caverns Kings Palace Tour the previous day.  The Caverns are so large that the self-guided tour is only a part of the cavern system available to explore.  We had tried to book this tour and Slaughter Canyon Cave, which is more spelunking, with head lamps and climbing up and down ladders, but both were booked out until mid-May.  He told us that each morning at 8am they allocate an additional 14 tickets to each of the 2 Kings Palace Tours.  He queued the previous day from 7.15am and managed to get a ticket.

Excellent, we thought.  So, the following morning we were parked in the car park by 6.30am.  We were the first in the queue at 7am and got our tickets at 8am when the office opened.  Our day had panned out nicely.  First into the cavern via the lift to complete the Big Room loop we had missed the day before, which took another 2 ½ hours and then at 12 noon, the 1 ½ hour Kings Palace tour.

The Big Room loop rivalled, if that were possible, the Natural Entrance Route.  All those words extolling magnificence, but especially wow, were uttered many more times over!  More amazing features loomed all around us – the Bottomless Pit, Giant Dome, Rock of Ages and Painted grotto, to name a few.  The time went incredibly quickly, we took the lift to the surface, had morning tea, then went back down the lift to meet for the Kings Palace Tour.

Our guided tour took us a further 100 feet lower, about 830 feet below the surface, that comprised descending the equivalent of an 8-storey building, and then climbing back up that same 8 stories.  We visited three magnificent rooms, the Papoose room (being the smallest), Queen Chamber, and the Green Lake Room.  We have visited several caves, in Australia, Japan and here in America during our last visit, so we’ve experienced the obligatory “lamplight” to see what it was like for the first visitors and explorers to the cave, and short blackouts where you cannot see your hand an inch in front of your face.  Our guide left us in the dark for a couple of minutes, which, although you can sense the person sitting next to you, was really an eerie feeling.  We also found that we were so engrossed in the magnificence of the cave, that we were almost unaware of the 8-storey descent and ascent.

This is considered a dry cave, however there are several crystal clear pools and occasional drips from the stalactites.

We caught the lift back to the surface and after a late lunch, headed out of the park towards Alpine and our next destination, Big Bend National Park.

Another of those surprising American towns, Alpine also has a vibrant wall mural culture and some very clever artists. This was was one of our first drizzly mornings but it was well worth the walk.

Previously known as Osborne, then Murphyville, it became Alpine in 1888 because it better described the town. While it was a railway town, in 1920 the Sul Ross Teachers’ college was founded and it is now a State University.

Here we are with some of the iconic singers and musicians of the 20th century. How many can you name?

Almost every street was adorned with a mural or some form of artwork. the Bottle House’s pillars were all mosaics and even the train carriage wasn’t left blank.

So many of the towns we drive through provide something unique, quirky or surprising and our next stop, Terlingua was no exception. To say Alpine and Terlingua were chalk and cheese, would be an understatement. It’s close to Big Bend National Park and in the Chihuahuan Desert, which is evident from the increasingly drier terrain.

Terlingua is a “Ghost Town” so of course we had to stop. Big Bend National Park is on the Rio Grande River which forms part of a natural border between the US and Mexico in this region. Consequently, much of the history of the area comes from early Mexican settlers. The town began as a Cinnabar mine in the early 1900s but the mine was abandoned when the mercury market crashed. There are only a few buildings left from the mining era including the trading company which is full of weird and wonderful touristy things to buy and the Starlight Theatre. Now, Terlingua’s claim to fame is the annual Casi Terlingua International Chili Championship which began in 1967 and holds eight “world class food contests”, Chili, Anything BUT Chili, Margaritas, Salsas, Buffalo Hot Wings and Beans.

The single room gaol is still standing and the stools at the trading company were unique!

The other popular tourist attraction in Terlingua is the cemetery. From 1903, this was the final resting place for many of the miners who died from mercury poisoning or accidents and the influenza epidemic of 1918-1919. Each year, Mexicans celebrate the Day of the Dead and people come from the surrounding area and transform the cemetery with flower garlands, candles and streamers. The graves also have regular visitors who leave small trinket offerings and many coins.

Since 1975, an increasing number of sturdy settlers have moved back to Terlingua and provide food, camping, outdoor activities and hire equipment like canoes for use in Big Bend National Park and our last true desert Park.

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Left to Albuquerque

We’re always on the hunt for unique places to places to visit. Sights that are specific to a town or weird and wonderful landscapes. Bisti De-Na-Zin is one of those places and not only for its strange name. From the Navajo, Bisti means “large area of shale hills” (apparently) and De-Na-Zin means “cranes” (the bird).

To say it was barren is an understatement but the geological formations and colours certainly made up for its lack of vegetation. Much of the tourist information and the locals, refer to this as the Bisti Badlands, badlands being a term frequently applied to baren areas like this. In fact, a great swathe of land across the top of America is also called the “Badlands”.

We arrived at the trail head after 3 or miles of gravel road. There were several small whiz bangs, roof-top campers and even tents scattered in the vicinity that were obviously camping and one car in the car park. I do like to get the run on other hikers. You can’t beat being the first ones out on a trail in the morning, especially because you’re more likely the ones to see the critters. So, we headed out on the “trail” such as it was. Well, it actually wasn’t so much a trail as a general direction! The photo above shows the “trail.” Can’t see it? Neither did we. That’s because there wasn’t one!

Luckily Peter had downloaded the trail maps because there was no service and the map we were given was vague, to put it bluntly! We knew we were headed for landscape features called Egg Hatchery, Hoodoo City, Petrified Logs, Bisti Arch and Rock Garden. We also knew we had about a 4 mile loop to hike. Between tracing our way on Strava on Peters phone and looking for footprints we only managed a couple of wrong directions.

This being one of them. We scrambled up this valley until we got to the top and had a great view of the surrounds. But it wasn’t where we were supposed to be. And who knew what a Hoodoo City would look like? Getting back down was a lot harder than getting up. That shale you can see was all loose and very slippery.

We found the petrified logs, but still no Hoodoo City. Eventually, we came to a striking landscape that we felt sure was Hoodoo City.

We think Egg Hatchery was some oval shaped rocks that we passed without a look. Possibly, because I saw our one and only critter for the hike. A rather stunning lizard.

Something we did notice was the lack of noise. It was silent except for our footfall and talking. Not a bird or any leaves to rustle or even a breeze. Standing quietly it was just still, crisp silence.

We’re not sure if we found Bisti Arch. We found something that could have been an arch that had collapsed but with no reference to exactly where it should be or how big it was, we could only surmise. By then we’d been out a couple of hours and were not inclined to find Rock Garden. Instead, we traced our way back, taking in the uniqueness of the area and passing the hordes of hikers, many with their dogs, who were now heading out.

Our destination after leaving the Bisti Badlands was Grants, New Mexico. Just like that, the landscape along the highway changed, as it has for many hundreds of miles.

The rock formations are quite amazing and to appear from nothing as if they’ve been pushed up from under the ground.

Grants is another of those Route 66 towns that was bypassed when the main highway was completed, saw a reinvigoration with the trend to “travel Route 66,” then die out again, once that trend abated. Like many of the others we’ve passed through, however, it still clings to the hope of attracting tourists like those we passed through with tepee hotels or colourful murals.

The idea being, to park your vehicle in the sign for a picture. Unfortunately, our 12′ wasn’t going to squeeze under their 10′ sign.

Grants effort to adorn their town was in these large metal frames depicting Native Indian basketry images. At about 6′ (1.8m) diameter, they were quite striking along the main street through town.

The one bright piece of foliage we saw in the town. I had to look closely because it really didn’t look real!

We parked adjacent this building, which we believe was a council chambers where the exterior walls were covered in lava rocks from the volcanic eruption here.

And the volcano is the reason we passed through Grants. We were on our way to New Mexico’s “Land of Fire and Ice,” to quote the brochure.

Another fascinating geological feature, the volcano erupted 10,000 years ago and created the largest cinder cone in the region. The lava flow is 23 miles long and our elevation, 8,122 feet.

The “Old Time Trading Post” log cabin which is now a museum of artifacts that are between 800 and 1,200 years old, and the obligatory gift shop, was built in 1930 when logging was the main focus of the area. They used the ice from the cave to keep things cold but when it became a tourist attraction in 1946, the collection of ice ceased.

There are 29 volcanoes in the El Malpais area but this is the only place with an ice cave. Bandera is the largest volcano and erupted 10,000 years ago. The crater is 1,400ft wide and approximately 800ft deep, although it is gradually filling with rock and debris from the surrounding rim.

There are several varieties of pine and fir trees that grow in the area, some, are up to 500 years old. Trees that grow on in the lava can’t establish deep root systems so grow twisted and gnarled like this example.

Native Indians also lived in this area and the remains of some pueblos built with the lava rocks are still evident.

But, what we’d come to see was the ice cave. The cave remains at 31 degrees F, year round, regardless of the external temperature. The ice is approximately 20 feet thick, the oldest dates to . 1,100 BC.

The rate of ice accumulation varies with rainfall and the green colour is caused by Arctic algae.

There are 70 steps that lead down to the cave and about half way it feels like you’ve stepped into a freezer. It was in the mid 20s when we were there but the change in temperature was very sudden and obvious.

The actual ice covering is not terribly big and the cave is open, without a roof. It certainly was one of those amazing features we’re glad we visited.

This afternoon we drove into Albuquerque. We had mixed reviews about the capital of New Mexico, from “I wouldn’t go there” to “there’s lots to do.” We were made aware of the areas to steer clear of from the very helpful people in Farmington Tourist bureau, and driving across the city as we did, those areas were self-evident. There are no shortage of Walmarts, the massive super centers and also just the supermarkets but you know you’re in an area to be careful when there are seriously armed guards standing at the doors with very obvious holstered hand guns, tasers and a variety of other deterrents, and there are no self- checkouts because they have too much theft!

Having said that, we didn’t have any problems. We parked and walked around, shopped and camped in a Cracker Barrel car park over night. We discovered that Albuquerque is the world hot air balloon capital and on Sunday, counted at least 28 balloons drifting over the city.

We hiked in and around the hills on the mornings we were here. The first morning, we hiked up into the Sandia Mountains, managing to get past several sections of icy snow before being halted about half a mile before the top because the trail became too slippery to traverse without the crampons and hiking poles that the locals in the know had.

We still managed to see some fantastic views of Albuquerque and the surrounding area. The birds were out in full force serenading us as we climbed and I managed to capture this very fluffy squirrel out for breakfast.

We had a very yummy Mexican seafood meal from a recommended restaurant complete with a traditional Mexican serenade.

We’d been told about the traditional salsas they call “Christmas” and it was recommended that we try both. The red is definitely hotter than the green but I enjoyed the red on my rice.

At the risk of becoming “petroglyohed out” the next morning we opted for a walk around Petroglyph Canyon. It winds its way through a lava field of hills that have some of the highest concentrations of petroglyphs in the state. The “beware of rattlesnakes” signs are at the start of every trail. We haven’t seen one yet but we’re assured they are already about.

The petroglyphs were quite easy to find and there were hundreds of them. Dubbed “the graffiti of the ancients,” many of the symbols carved on these rocks were “recognisable” and we had some fun imagining what they were. The area is a volcanic escarpment, 17 miles long and there are an estimated 23,000 petroglyphs carved on the volcanic rocks that vary in age from 1,000 BC to AD 1700.

Many hands or, the signatures of the artists?

Big ears?

Fancy dress? A big smile and an even bigger bow!

A snake and a donkey?

Has to be sausage dog! Maybe a pregnant sausage dog?

Archaeologists can accurately determine the age of the images from the re-oxidization of the rock face and comparing these images with those found on pottery or murals that have been accurately dated. So our suspiciousness of their authenticity was dispelled.

They’ve determined that these are grazing sheep and considering sheep didn’t arrive in the region until herded by Spanish settlers in the 1600s, it was carved, in terms of time, relatively recently.

Fauna and flora are definitely things I enjoy capturing on my phone. (Yes, all these photos are taken with only our iphones). We opted against bringing the cameras and to be honest, we rarely find that we wish we had.

After our hikes we were on the road again, ultimately to Carlsbad Caverns National Park. We opted for some roads less travelled that took us through more interesting out-of-the-way towns, each with their own drawcards.

Mountainair was a small, town with barely a dozen buildings on the main street but with so many interesting murals, mosaics and sculptures. The couple in the National Parks come tourist office were very informative, having done what we have and replaced their house with an RV.

Our recommendation for the night, was the Valley of Fires recreation area which was among the lava rocks of another volcanic eruption.

This volcanic lava is the most recent in continental USA, occurring 1,500 – 2,000 years ago. It is 44 miles (71kms) long and covers an area of 125 square miles (32,000 hectares). In some places it’s been measured at 160 feet (48 meters) thick.

From first sight, you can tell that this area of lava is obviously different from others we’ve visited so far. It has the appearance of a well tended rock garden. Apparently, this is because soil was blown into the rock crevices and fissures and that allowed seeds to grow and thrive. We certainly experienced that wind today! By lunch time our still morning had developed into in excess of 35 knots. Alamogordo’s White Sands were whipped up and deposited around us so that visibility became hazy and the mountain range on our doorstep was coated in a sandy haze.

The other difference here is that much of the lava looked like it oozed down in folds like the above pictures. Apparently, this is because it was much runnier than in other areas. There were less jagged rocks like those in the petroglyph hills in Albuquerque. Although the area we walked was relatively small, it was very interesting, especially because of the plants and cacti.

These exquisite orange cacti were nestled up on a hill of lava which required some nifty climbing to reach without slipping or brushing against a cactus.

Our next stop was Alamogordo, “The Heart of the Desert”. We stopped here to visit the New Mexican Museum of Space History and International Space Hall of Fame. It’s also the gateway to the White Sands National Monument.

This region is also home to the Holloman Air Force Base, NASA White Sands Test Facility, established in 1945, and which effects closures in the area on occasions when they are doing live testing and Fort Bliss Military Reserve, is the largest military test facility in America. This area is also the site of the White Sands Space Harbour and Space Shuttle landing site. This is where Columbia landed on 30 March 1982. It was also a main training area for space shuttle pilots because the dry gypsum lake beds provided a realistic simulation of the conditions for landing from 35,000 feet. It was kept at the ready for future shuttle missions after 1982, but was closed in 2011.

The museum has outside displays and inside, covers 5 floors containing information, mock-up to scale models, actual rockets, pieces of space equipment and paraphernalia like astronauts suits, food and items used in space. The information is imparted on large panels and concentrates on WWII, the cold war, the space race between Russia and America, the moon landing and subsequent rocket firings and space expeditions through to the 1990s.

Venomous snakes and scorpions to be aware of here!

Who remembers the Indiana Jones movie where Indy and his German foe are catapulted along a track at incredible G forces before coming to an abrupt stop? We had to wonder if the idea didn’t come from this, albeit a little earlier. In order to recreate the G forces experienced by the human body for space flight, the Daisy Decelerator was built to test forces up to 200Gs.

Between 1955 and 1985, thousands of tests were carried out, that ultimately helped scientists put men on the moon.

To quote, ” it’s not how fast you go, but how fast you stop!”

This is a piece of lunar rock, brought back from the Apollo Mission. It was about the size of my palm and kept in a climate controlled, air-tight glass box.

The day, as mentioned earlier, deteriorated into a severe dust storm so we picked our spot in the Walmart car park with 13 other RVs for the night, and went to collect a few groceries. Allowing overnight RV camping must be lucrative for Walmart as we always seem to need something! And often, it’s just interesting wandering up ad down the aisles and marveling at the different things they sell.

Doggy ice-cream treats in the ice-cream section of the freezer.

This was with the jams and honey so I’m not sure if was meant to be a spread for toast, or a kind of condiment or chutney.

Our last destination in this area was White Sands National Park. It was the white sands that were whipped up on the previous day to form a blanket over Alamogordo and all but white out the surrounding mountains.

They used no imagination when they named this park White Sands, as you can see. The park office also hire out sleds. Round, slightly concave plastic disks that you can slide down the sandhills on.

We opted for the Dune Nature Trail, the Boardwalk and the Alkali Flats hike (which wasn’t flat).

And yes, it’s as steep as it looks!

We were surprised at the number of critter prints we saw clearly in the sand, but unfortunately, we didn’t see any of the critters that left them. The Boardwalk trail had an information board which shoed the animals that left the trails so we’re pretty sure we saw these two.

The road to the trailhead was bitumen under that layer of sand and a road plough or dozer was working in the distance, shoveling sand.

The Alkali Trail was a 5km hike up and down the sand dunes until you got to a flat plain and a view of the missile firing range in the distance. We were guided by orange posts, some of which were almost buried in the dunes. It was certainly prudent to locate the next one before heading off on a tangent.

Many of these dunes were incredibly steep. The pictures don’t do them justice! So the plan for traversing the downhills was just take run and half slide, half run down

The missile testing range. This is still a live sight and often the park is closed so they can do firing. In fact the world’s first Atomic Bomb was detonated just a short distance from this spot on July 16th 1945. We have now been to site 1 and 2 having visited Hiroshima in 2016.

We certainly worked our leg muscles on this hike! It was also starting to warm up so it was nice to get back in Joey and begin our 169 mile drive to Carlsbad Caverns National Park.