Big Bend National Park

 As we were leaving the Guadalupe Mountains the weather across the US was turning cold.  A bomb cyclone was pushing arctic air over the continent and our trip through central Texas was expecting temperatures in the teens F.

We shifted gears and headed for southern Texas instead.  The first stop on the new route was Big Bend National Park.  We only had time for a half day visit, which was not enough.  Big Bend is huge and could easily take two or three full days just to drive to all the different sites.

We explored the northern part of the park as far south as Panther Junction and took a short drive up into the Chisos Mountains.  We will have to go back to see the big bend in the Rio Grande that the park is named for.

See the park map here.

After miles of flat desert we started to see hills and mountains as we got closer to Big Bend.

After miles of flat desert we started to see hills and mountains as we got closer to Big Bend.

We saw javelinas on the way to our campsite

Our campsite was mostly empty.  We enjoyed the silence of the desert as we watched the sun set

In the morning we drove into the park.  We were only staying one night and so had to be out of the campsite by noon.

A massive landslide showing how erosion happens slowly and then all at once.

The desert of Big Bend

The Chisos Mountains would be as far as we would go this trip.

Deinosuchus lived in Big Bend when it was on the shore of the Western Interior Seaway. 

Alamosaurus femur

Pterosaurs lived in Big Bend

Rocks around Chisos Basin

There was a noticeable change in vegetation once we climbed up to Chisos Basin.

Leaving Chisos Basin and returning to the desert floor

We left Big Bend and headed to Del Rio

Big Bend was the tenth National Park we visited since this adventure began in July

Texas was the ninth state we had visited and was soon to become our home base.

Guadalupe Mountains

The Guadalupe Mountains are a mountain range in south east New Mexico and west Texas, south west of the city of Carlsbad, New Mexico.  The mountain range is bookended by Carlsbad Cavern National Park at its northern end and Guadalupe Mountain National Park at its southern end.

We stayed on federal land near Carlsbad Cavern in New Mexico and visited both parks from there.

Caves like Carlsbad Caverns and Lehman Caves are dissolved out of limestone (calcium carbonate) by acidic water seeping through cracks.  The limestone is the result of millions of years of sea creatures dying and accumulating at the bottom of the sea.  This area was underwaterThis area was underwater from about 100 million years ago to about 66 million years ago.

Limestone cliffs near Carlsbad Caverns

As with the pistachios, we discovered that we were there at the wrong time of year for the bats.  They are there only in the summer.  We need to come back when its warmer.

Amphitheater seating to watch bats emerge from Carlsbad Caverns

The natural entrance of the cave leads to a 1000 ft descent to the big room.  That is about the elevation of the Empire State Building.  There is an elevator if you don't want to climb back up.

The natural cave entrance

The winding path leading down to the Big Room

The big room is impressive for its sheer size.  There are so many formations that they all blend together, but the overall experience is very impressive.

Limestone formations

Cave draperies

The Big Room

A reflecting pool

The Big Room

The little plateaus show a sustained water level at some point in the past 

Map of Carlsbad Caverns

The next day we crossed the border to Texas to see the Guadalupe Mountains National Park.

Crossing the New Mexico/Texas state line

El Capitan dominates the skyline at the southern end of the Guadalupe Mountains 

El Capitan

We took a hike through the foothills of the Guadalupe Mountains to two major water sources in the area, Smith Springs and Manzanita Springs.  It is an amazing place to spend a morning walking.

Manzanita Spring with El Capitan on the horizon

Smith Spring

We headed out to the south toward Big Bend National Park.

Miles and miles of Texas (look up the song)

Alamogordo

While in Alamogordo we visited McGinn's Pistachio Farm, White Sands National Park, tried to visit the Trinity site in White Sands Missile Range and had our broken leaf spring replaced.

McGinn's pistachio farm added the giant pistachio and a short tour to add another revenue stream.  There is also a shop that sells pistachios and ice cream.

The worlds biggest pistachio.

Our tour bus

The tour consisted of a lap around the orchard but the guide was very knowledgeable and we learned a lot about pistachios.

We need to go back in July to hear the popping of the shells.  When pistachios get ripe the shells pop open.  During a two week period there is a near constant chorus of pistachio shells popping.

Pistachio trees

White Sands is a dune of gypsum crystals that washed down from the surrounding mountains.

Gypsum sand dunes

Gypsum sand dunes and the mountains the gypsum came from.

Dune sledding

We tried to visit the Trinity site, where the first atomic bomb was tested, but we were stopped by a locked gate.  We found out later that there is just one day a year when the gate is unlocked and you can visit.  The rest of the year it is the impact zone for live fire exercises for the military.  We'll have to get back there on the third Saturday in October.

We had to extend our stay in Alamogordo to get a leaf spring replaced.  See this post for more info.

We took highway 82 to leave Alamogordo.  The highway climbs to the town of Cloudcroft at 8,800 ft in the .  There was snow on the ground and people riding inner tubes.

Snow near Cloudcroft

We left the mountains and descended back to the desert and headed south east toward Carlsbad.

Heading east into the desert