New Mexico

Oliver Lee state park in Alamogordo.

The real Smokey the Bear was found in New Mexico.

Roswell, New Mexico

Carlsbad Caverns, New Mexico

This was cool. We went in through the natural entrance where you watch the bats emerge at night during the warmer months. We descended 1 1/2 miles into the caverns to 745 feet underground. The climb down reminded us of those caves in Lord of the Rings. We hiked about 3 miles through the caves, taking a bathroom break at the underground refreshment area - we wondered how they do plumbing way down there. We caught the elevator back up!

More Sand Dunes

Can you spot the motorhome in the second photo? That's where we camped for 2 nights.

Coasting!

Actually, we didn't leave Texas yet. We made one more stop at Monahans sand hills state park where we went sledding! The sand dunes were everywhere. If you wax the sled first you can slide pretty fast, almost like snow. The girls have been missing the snow (for the 2nd year in a row) and this was a close substitute.

Last days in Texas

We said another farewell to our friends as they headed for New Mexico. We stayed one more night at the pool and headed north ourselves the next day.

Balmorrhea State Park, Texas

Balmorrhea state park has a beautiful swmming area fed by hot springs that keep the water a steady mid-70s all year round. The pool was built and shaped with concrete but much of the bottom was left natural. Catfish, pupfish, and thousands of other little fish swarm around you. Sometimes they bite! Sometimes you get lucky and spot a turtle or two (soft shells) coming up for a breath. We had a great time swimming and snorkeling with our New Zealand friends.