Had such a great time at Carlsbad Cavern yesterday I decided to go back first thing this morning and do the "Big Room" self-guided tour. The "Big Room" is truly big; the size of nearly 7 football fields. The largest single cave chamber by volume in North America. Once again, I was the first one there since my "five star" campsite sat right at the entrance to the park! Opted for the elevator down and when arrived at the bottom I eerily had the entire cavern to myself. No time to take a mis-step into the "Bottomless Pit"!! The immensity of some of the formations is unreal. "Giant Dome" is over 60 feet high! Words cannot describe the magnificence and photography barely can. But here's my feeble attempt:
Feeling "cavern" fulfilled, we headed North and eventually West through the Sacramento Mountains. The approach to a pass in Cloudcroft, NM involved a long, steady inclining plateau from 4000feet to nearly 9000feet elevation. The winds were howling again and the knuckles were now a permanent shade of white. Little did I know (and probably a good thing!) that the trip down from the pass was the true white knuckler with the 8% downhill grade and lovely switchbacks! Surprise at the Top was snow. Cloudcroft got six inches; it was pretty and the roads remained just wet and not slippery. Coming out the western side of the pass it was sunshine and a brisk canyon drive down!
"It's all downhill from here"
Traveled safely into the Tularosa Basin and onto Alamogordo, NM. We are still in the Chihuahuan desert but there are huge irrigated fields of Pistachio's and Pecans. Who would have thought! Alamogordo is home to Holloman Air Force Base and White Sands Missle Range. Alamogordo, NM got it's first start in 1898 as a railroad town and when steam locomotives were replaced with diesel the town withered away until it's second start with the introduction in 1942 of Holloman AFB. The Air Force latest jet, the F-22 Raptor arrived in June 2008. The base has a training wing from the German Air Force and I am keeping eyes peeled for "Snoopy and the Bloody Red Baron"! On our way to the campsite, Shona spots a Custard Stand and it's time to hit the air brakes!!! She has her plain vanilla custard and me a huge hot fudge sundae. Suddenly my knuckles aren't so white anymore! |
It is now onward to Oliver Lee Memorial State Park. Left onto Dog Canyon Road and 4 miles to the base of the Sacramento Mountains and the entrance to Dog Canyon. Needless to say, Shona is "over the Moon" with the long overdue recognition for the canine breed that helped settle the West truly deserved! This Park is truly a little piece of paradise. We set up camp and wander through the beautiful desert setting and eagerly await the next few days of adventure.