WEATHER: Sunny; highs in low 70s
We rushed around, packing up from Guadalupe Mountains National Park. We drove about 40 miles to Carlsbad Caverns National Park. Neat to be able to go to 2 national parks so close by.
We did a self-guided tour of the caverns. First, we walked down a steep, steep ramp. All I could think about was climbing back up. We walked down the equivalent of 75 flights of stairs. About halfway down, I learned that there was an elevator back up. Thank goodness! The tour was about 2 hours. It was really beautiful...lots of stalagmites and stalactites.
We had planned to stay in a motel in Carlsbad to get cleaned up after national park camping. When I looked at reserving a room, however, I found really high prices and little availability....a Days Inn for $179! I found out that it is because the hotels are full of oil workers, as there is an oil boom going on here. So, we found a nice state park nearby. Seems luxurious....full hook-ups and a nice hot shower. Like Texas, it is dry here, too. The campground is on a lake, but it is really low.
We drove into a little town called Artesia as some hikers had told us about a brewpub there. It, too, is an oil town. There is obviously money here. Beautiful statues around the square. This one is an oil derick. 
We went to the brewpub, anticipating some good beer. Shockingly, the bartender would not serve me as I didn't have any ID with me. George got mad, so didn't buy anything. So, we just came back to the campground.
DINNER: Last night of leftovers, to clean out refrigerator before grocery shopping tomorrow. I baked a potato and served the leftover clam chowder on top as a sauce.
We even have TV here, so happily watched PBS.
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