Day 234. March 28, 2014. Carlsbad Cavern

LOCATION:  Near Carlsbad, NM in SE New Mexico

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. 

Day 233. March 27, 2014 . More hiking!

LOCATION:  Guadalupe Mountains National Park, in SW Texas

WEATHER:  Sunny, highs in  60s.  Gusty winds

We decided to stay one more day in the park, partly because we wanted to explore another part of the park, and partly because there was a wind advisory warning tall vehicles (like RVs) against driving in the high winds.

We hiked in a canyon, thinking it would be less windy there.  Not.  This was our longest hike yet....6 hours.  This time, though, we took it easy, stopping for a picnic lunch and to chat with other hikers.  Today I wore a hat, as the sun is bleaching my hair, and my face is sunburned and wind-burned.  I look kind of funny

  DINNER:  nothing special.  Leftovers, since we will be moving tomorrow

Day 232. March 26, 2014. More mountain climbing

LOCATION:  Guadalupe Mountains National Park in far west Texas, on New Mexico border

WEATHER:  Sunny, super windy. High in. 60s

We are camping several days here.  Like most national parks, it is not very developed.  We don't have electricity or water.  There is, thankfully, a decent bathroom and a dishwashing area.  

George was resourceful and found an electric outlet, next to the broken Coke machine and defunct pay phone.  We heated water in our electric tea kettle for coffee.  

We went on another 4-hour mountain hike.  I think we are trying to kill ourselves.  We were at 6000 feet at one point.  Then, on our way down, the winds picked up and we had to walk into the gusts.  Since it had rained a little during the night, some of the desert flowers were in bloom.

A wind advisory was announced, with potential 100 mph gusts tonight, so many of the other campers left....especially the tenters.

DINNER:  Rather strange.  It was supposed to be a belated St. Patrick's Day meal, but everything turned out pink!  When I bought the cabbage last week, the store only had red cabbage.   Then, I added some red spice from the bottom of a Mexican snack bag to the mashed potatoes, so they were pink.  Then, to my disappointment, the can of corned beef ( an off-brand which was the only option), turned out to be more like pinkish SPAM.    It all tasted ok, but not what I had planned.

To reply to Keith's suggestion of going to a restaurant, that is really not an option, as the nearest restaurant is 50 miles away, one -way.

Since we don't have electricity, we went to bed when it got dark...about 8:00!

Day 231. March 25, 2014. Up we go!

LOCATION: Guadalupe Mountains National Park, TX.  On the New Mexico border, near El Paso, Tx

WEATHER:  Cool and windy; high around 60

We packed up at Marfa and headed northwest through gigantic cattle ranches.  On the way, we stopped at Chuy's Mexican Restaurant, one of a small chain in Texas.  We ate here because someone had suggested it.  It is the "John Madden Haul of Fame".  He "hauled" trophies, pendants, etc to decorate the place.  Apparently, once his caravan was driving along I-10, and they stopped here for lunch.  He raved about it in the press, so now it is supposedly famous.  Of course, we ate the John Madden Special.

We drove 150 miles to this national park.  It has the highest mountains in Texas....8500 feet.  The car struggled a bit climbing in the mountains.  We are trying to hit as many national parks as we can. 

The campground isn't much....essentially a parking lot with about 25 RV spaces, but the view is magnificent!  

We took a 3-hour hike on a trail described as "moderate".  Haha!  It was really tough.  Most of it was in a dry riverbed with boulders we had to climb.  I was so afraid that one of us would twist an ankle or something.  The sun was beginning to set, and I had visions of sleeping outdoors with the mountain lions we are warned about. We were the only ones on the trail.   Thankfully, we made it back safely.

DINNER:  Some clam chowder, the last of cans I bought in a restaurant in Cedar Key, Florida.  Really hit the spot on this cool, now drizzling, evening.

Day 230. March 24, 2014. Dry and dusty

LOCATION: Another day in Marfa, Texas, in far SW Texas

WEATHER:  Warm and sunny, high around 65

We decided to stay one more day in Marfa.  Our campground is on the eastern outskirts of town.  We walked into town for lunch, but being Monday, almost everything was closed.  Someone told us there is a "greasy Mexican" restaurant on the far western side of town.  So, we had quite a hike there.  It turned out to be good food, and super busy, including about 15 Border Patrol guys.  We split their lunch special @ $6, which was more than we could eat.

Yesterday I posted a picture of one of the food trucks here

It turns out that the owner lives in an old Air Stream our campground.  (Note car says Food Shark)

Our campground has a shed that is a kitchen/laundry/eating/sitting area.  We hung out there in the PM.  Everything is covered with dust.  On the positive side, clothes and dishes dry in a flash.  On a negative note, our skin is drying out almost equally fast.

DINNER: Since it is so dry, most of West Texas has a burn ban in place.  Since we cannot make a campfire, I'm cooking everything inside.  I'm trying to keep the Air Stream "fresh" by not cooking meat or chicken inside.  So, I invented something again tonight.  I sautéed onions, leftover zucchini, garlic, mushrooms and a few slices of turkey lunch meat.  I added cream and Parmesan to make a cream sauce and served it with delicious Pappardella pasta I still have from the San Antonio shopping trip.  At the end, I sprinkled some black truffle oil on top....how gourmet!  Someone had left a bottle of it in the kitchen area, and I thought I'd try it.

Day 229. March 23, 2014. Our anniversary!

LOCATION:  Another day in Marfa, in SW Texas, 50 miles north of Mexico

WEATHER:  Much cooler.  High about 50.  Super windy

George was doing some computer work, and a reminder popped up that it is our anniversary.  We had both totally forgotten!

Trains go through here all the time, very near our campground.  You can see some tumbleweeds

We toured more of the art installations in town.  An artist/architect bought an old army base outside of town, and built these artistic blocks around the grounds.  The former barracks are now homes for artists in residence.

These are some of the food options in town...

Or these Aiir Streams that are now food trucks and shops

For our anniversary dinner, we went out for pizza.  The restaurant is in an old gas station, with the other half an art gallery.  We had a white pizza with spinach, jalapeño, ricotta and mozzarella.  The clientele was interesting to watch...a big Mexican family get-together with 3 or 4 generations, some wealthy looking ranchers, some funky looking artists, and of course us tourists.

Back at the campground, here is the registration office.

Day 228. March 22, 2014. Quirky Marfa

LOCATION:  Marfa, TX, In far SW a Texas.  About 50 miles north of Mexico

WEATHER: Nice, high about 70

We spent all AM working with Apple on computer stuff. Very stressful.  Then, we went into town and had lunch (rice and beans) at Planet Marfa. We walked around town to visit some of the many art installations.  You open a door of a building that seems decrepit, or part of something else, and encounter this wonderful art.  We saw this special exhibit.

The downtown square is nice.

This is the famous El Paisano Hotel, where the cast of Giant stayed.  It has been nicely refurbished.

We had a beer at Padres.  All the bars have live music.  The problem is that they don't start playing until 10:00 or so, past our bedtime.

  We are in the land of Air Streams.  In our campground, there are 4 out of 8 campers, including a vintage 1961 one.  In the town, there are several that appear to be permanent homes.  There is also a collection of old ones that form a group of shops and restaurants.  

Marfa is a neat combination of cowboys and artists.  There is a short video on Marfa on 60 Minutes to give you a flavor of the town.

DINNER:   Eating from the back-up food box....  I sautéed some black  pepper-flavored SPAM with garlic, mushrooms and green onions.  I served it with orzo to which I added a bit of cream cheese for texture.  I know many people don't like SPAM, but we do, and it is great for camping.