Jeff here: Did ya ever just have one of those days, a day from start to finish you just wouldn't change a thing - well that is a summation of our day. Up early, packed and out the door by 8:30. We had the choice of eating with the hoity-toity folks at the Hilton but instead chose to break fast with the local Las Crustaceans at Dick's Cafe where the eggs are eggs and the grease trap was changed just last month.
We hit the road with Siri directing us forward. 72 degree's, clear azure skies, no traffic, good tunes and 8 hours to drive a 4 hour trip - in other words, mellow be us. After leaving Las Cruces, we descended into a vast dessert where the White Sands Missile Range is located. They sometimes close the road so they can test missiles. Glad we missed that.
Our first stop was White Sands National Monument. The white sand is really gypsum and part of an ancient sea that covered most of southwest New Mexico. We drove back into the park 8 miles and rather then try to express the inexpressible, I will let the pictures try to capture the feeling.
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| Yucca |
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| Nature study area with a boardwalk, is that truly a blue sky! |
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| People were sledding on the dunes of gypsum salt |
After Alamogordo (site of the first atomic bomb blast), which left us with that certain glow, we took the longer, more scenic route via Cloudcroft, which lived up to its' name. The road rose to over 8,000 feet with stunning beauty, both natural and interesting. There were lots of old, ramshackle shacks and barns tinging the area with a return to yesteryear. It was relaxing to let the miles flow by immersed in the comfort of being with my TC.
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| Snow in them thar hills at Cloudcroft |
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| Historical Marker at Mayhill |
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| Sign in the window of the Mayhill Market.......we didn't shop there! The sign to the left encourages folks to "kill Obama", does this conflict with the Jesus sign? |
We stopped at Buster's in Artesia for lunch and made it to Carlsbad by 3:30. We checked into The Trinity Hotel and we were blown away. The hotel was built in 1892 and was totally restored in 2007. It has a colorful past. Pat Garrett from Billy the Kid fame worked here as a collector of bad loans for the bank that resided here at one time. We didn't get a chance to take pictures but there will be some coming.
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| Scenery around Artesia |
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| Busters--great burgers |
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| Oil derrick in Artesia |
We took a nap and then took a stroll around old town which was interesting. We found out that Carlsbad is in the midst of an oil boom and hotel rooms are as scarce as hens teeth. We went to the Trinity restaurant to enjoy their offer of wine tasting, which I have to say, we took advantage of, again and again and again. We have plans to dine here tomorrow so we stumbled down the block to The Yellow Brix which is also an amazing restaurant to find in a town the size of Carlsbad.
We are currently relaxing and will be descending tomorrow into the depths of the earth at the Caverns.
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| Just an example of the luxury of the Trinity Hotel--Jeff enjoys the dual rain shower |
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