Texas, New Mexico Trip continues...

This is the third post for our trip to Texas to visit our oldest son, Andrew.  It was a trip filled with interesting places. 

Leaving the Lodge at Cloudcroft for the last time, we stop for a bagel breakfast.  Before heading out of the Sacramento Mountains, we hiked the OSHA Trail in Lincoln National Forest.  This is a 2.2 mile trail but I think we hiked more than 3 miles somehow.  Beautiful, and with snow to remind us of Michigan.

Next stop White Sands National Monument, about 35 miles from Cloudcroft.

Rising from the heart of the Tularosa Basin is one of the world's great natural wonders, the glistening white sands of New Mexico. Great wave-like dunes of gypsum sand have engulfed 275 square miles of desert, creating the world's largest gypsum dunefield. White Sands National Monument preserves a major portion of this unique dune field, along with the plants and animals that live here.

 This is a big cottonwood tree. It is almost completely buried by the dune, but as long as it can keep some leaves above the sand, it can survive until the dune moves on.

Cool place.

Now south 100 miles to El Paso, Texas to go for a ride on the Wyler Aerial Tramway.

 

The Wyler Aerial Tramway at Franklin Mountains State Park features an aerial cable car (gondola) situated on 195 acres of rugged mountain and rock formations on the east side of the Franklin Mountains.
The Swiss-made gondolas travel to Ranger Peak on a 2,600 feet long, 1 3/8 inch diameter steel cable. While waiting to depart, you can view part of the machinery and mechanism of the system through a window located on the south side of the base station.  The 4 minute ride soars above a vast canyon that is 240 feet deep in some places.  From Ranger Peak, 5,632 feet above sea level, you can enjoy the view of 7,000 square miles encompassing three states and two nations.

 Looking south to Mexico, the Rio Grande and the U.S./Mexico border runs across the center of the photo.

 

     Riding down.
So now we are to head back to home in Midland, some 300 miles away.  It still amazes me how huge Texas is! 
We need to get out of the big city of El Paso, find something to eat and drive home.  We stopped at Brisket Bar-B-Q another place where you get a nice chunk of meat right off the pit. 
I dozed in the truck on the way home, but suddenly there was a border patrol officer looking in through the open window. He asked me if I was a U.S. citizen.  I mumbled, "Si Senor". 

This was a long day but again so much fun.

2013 Texas, New Mexico Adventure (The first two days)

We had a wonderful trip recently, visiting with our oldest son and his family, with many adventures in Texas and New Mexico!
First I-20 Nature Preserve  Midland, Texas. http://www.i20wildlifepreserve.org/  .

We saw a roadrunner right here.  We also saw a Hawk, two Dessert Cottontail, dragonflies, butterflies, a Mourning Cloak, and woodpecker. 

 

Herb Robert blooming at I-20 Nature Preserve in Midland, Texas.  February 13, 2013.

 

After lunch we went to the CAF AIRPOWER MUSEUM   http://www.airpowermuseum.org/  also in

Midland Texas.  There is so much to see here, lots of history.

 

 We ended this day with dinner at KD's Bar-B-Q always a tasty and filling meal.  (http://kdsbarbq.com/)

 

 

The next day we took off west ~ 180 miles to Carlsbad, New Mexico.  We visited the Carlsbad Caverns National Park.

 We took the natural entrance down into the cave.

 See the hole at the bottom?  You walk on the paved, serpentine, walkway into the cave.

 A pretty awesome place.  After being in the caves for two hours we came out into the sunshine again.  We sat on the back of Andrew's truck and had lunch.

 

Our "picnic table" what beautiful vistas from this place.

 

After lunch we popped back into Texas to do a hike at the Guadalupe Mountains National Park.

Starting at the mouth of Pine Spring Canyon, we hiked Devil's Hall trail, this trail follows the dry wash through the canyon to a narrow section where the ravine cuts through thin-layered limestone and is bordered by sheer cliffs 100 feet high.  About 4.2 mile round trip.

 

Hiking in a canyon is different than hiking through the woods, of course, I would never give up the woods, but for some reason I do enjoy wandering through these rocks.

 

What a day, such fun but in two days I have had a whole week's worth of adventures.  Now we have a 170 mile trip to Cloudcroft, New Mexico. 

 

We stop off at the No Whiner Diner in Carlsbad.  Good food.

It was late when we arrived at The Lodge Resort and Spa situated at 9,000 feet on the Sacramento Mountains.  This place could be an adventure all on its own.

http://www.thelodgeresort.com/index.cfm

 

 

Here are some sunset pictures from up in the tower of the Lodge.

 

 

 

I was going to try and fit the whole week of this trip in one post but as I work on it I research the places we went.  So I get a little side tracked.  I'll try to finish this soon. 

 If you ever want to have fun out west just call up my son, he is a fun tour guide, and since he is a geologist, he has interesting information about the mountains and pretty much everything you see. Thanks Andy.