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| Inside Carlsbad Caverns |
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| Living Desert Zoo & Garden |
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| Sitting Bull falls |
We camped at Brantley Lake State Park in New Mexico which was pretty nice. It was very windy during our stay; but Buddy was able to swim in the lake which he hadn't done in a long time. He just jumped in once Mike gave the word. On our way from Guadalupe Mountains to Brantley Lake SP, we stopped at the Carlsbad Caverns National Park; it was amazing!!! They call it a "Journey Underground" and it begins in the Chihauahuan Desert of the Guadalupe Mountains. This is where from mid-May through October, there is a massive Bat Flight where hundreds of thousands of Mexican free-tailed bats fly out of their "Bat Cave" at nightfall in gigantic swarms. We were there a little too early to experience this, but they say it is pretty neat to see. There were 8 different cave tours -- some self guided; while some were tour guided with a fee. We chose the Big Room Self-Guided 1.25 mile route and it was so interesting. Mike's pictures are amazing; but even so does not do justice to the actual sights we experienced. We both agreed that these were far more terrific then Mammoth Caves in Kentucky which were the only other caves we have really visited.
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| Javelina in Desert Zoo |
Our 2nd day in Carlsbad, we visited The Living Desert Zoo & Gardens and the Sitting Bull Falls. The Living Desert Zoo & Gardens was just that. Here you could see all the plants and cactures that live in the desert. Though there was a freezing (unusual) in February and killed many species. But in addition, were the animals that live in the desert: snakes, mule deer, bobcats, mountain lions, elk, bison, javelina, prairie dogs, and even tortuises, etc. There was even a Black Bear -- why he was here we do not know. We had a picnic lunch after walking through the 1.3 mile guided trail.
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| Sitting Bull Falls |
Sitting Bull Falls was another point of interest. These falls were derived from underground springs which cascaded over the mountain cliffs over 140 feet high. Very picturesque and a nice park to visit with picnic shelters and a paved trail to the falls. We even hiked up the mountain to the top of the falls but could not get too close to the springs. Since water is very sparse in the desert, this was kind of nice to see.
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| Inside Carlsbad Caverns N.P. |
Las Cruces, New Mexico will be our home for the next three weeks. Volunteering for Habitat for Humanity in which they provided us with free camping and we had water, electric, sewer and a on site laundry facility right next to their offices. We were on a stone parking lot, it sure beat being on a desert dirt lot which was the topography in the area. The weather was great everyday-- high 70's and 80's. They have not had rain since December 31st. There were six homes we worked on completing four of them by the time we left. We learned some new skills such as tiling and grouting the tile floors; kitchen cabinets installation including the sink and counter-tops plus we learned alignment of doors. So we also installed all the doors and hardware on four of the houses plus we painted 12 of the exterior doors and their jams. Lots of spackling, caulking and touching up was a timely chore. It was entertaining as we enjoyed watching the inexperienced co-volunteers attempt new tasks as well. We also discovered local landmarks of Las Cruces and toured the area sites on weekends such as Trinity Site, the White Sands National Monument, the local farmer's market that had more local crafters then produce which was not in season yet and the city-wide auction which had tons of stuff to be auctioned off -- from office equipment to tractors to vehicles to the pallet load of fireman boots. We visited the Town of Mesilla, you recall where "Billy the Kidd" was convicted of murder at the courthouse and ate authentic Mexican food in town. We met some good friends here as well from Massachusetts to the State of Washington, to other full-time RVers. Very good experience -- one of which I think we will be doing again in the future.
We were very surprised there was not much of a crater; only described by eyewitnesses as a small depression rather than a distinct crater. It was only 4 feet deep and 240 feet in diameter. The blast, however, did vaporize the 100 foot steel tower it was stationed upon before detonation. This in turn melted the desert sand and turned it into a green glassy substance called Trinitite and small pieces can still be found on this area now called Ground Zero. We were allowed to walk upon Ground Zero where the monument was built and you can read the history on the plaques posted on a fence surrounding this area. There was also a replica of the bomb can be seen near the entrance and it is called Jumbo.
