Midnight Serenade at Balmorhea

Lake Whitney State Park, Whitney, TX

Well my prayers were answered and we did indeed have a cool breezy evening. Great for sleeping until about 1:15 am when we were awoken from a dead sleep with BLARING "Norteno" music. Now don't get me wrong, I can groove to some polka swinging Northern Mexican music, but not after midnight and when it's forced on me!
Some yahoos pulled into the entrance of the campground (we were campsite #1) and blasted this song not once, not twice, but four times before the campground host finally came out with a flashlight to see what all the ruckus was about. (I think everyone else was just scared to death and kept a low profile). Before our roving mariachis left, they backed-up, screeched their wheels, gave out a big yelp and took off. It took the sheriff 30 minutes to respond. Needless to say we didn't get a lot of sleep after that. It was pretty amusing this morning talking with the campground host (turns out she's a retired Texas police officer) and the retiree in the bus-size RV across from us. He said he wasn't afraid cause he always carries a .38 in the camper. Ah yeah, almost forgot we are in Texas.
Now back to the beauty and wonderment of Balmorhea State Park. It's a natural artesian spring, in the middle of the desert, from which 1.5 million gallons of water flows an hour. In 1936 the WPA built a "swimming pool" around this. (I've attached an aerial shot of the swimming pool being built in 1936 to give you a perspective of the size). It's the world's largest outdoor swimming pool and holds 3.5 million gallons of water. It takes the spring only 4 hours to fill the pool. Dang! The deepest point is 25 feet. There are low dives, high dives, turtles, catfish and lots of little guppies that like to nibble on your legs. Half the area is all natural (scuba divers come here) and the other half is like a regular swimming pool. It's incredibly refreshing because the temperature stays between 72 and 76 degrees, the water is crystal clear and obviously there's no chlorine etc. We swam until hunger took over. We had bought a couple of Texas size steaks for grilling earlier that day and they sure tasted mighty fine! After dinner we were still so hot that another hour or so swim was in order. We swam until the sun went down.
Today we cut through the heart of Texas on route 67. We expected more of the dry arid flat lands and were pleasantly surprised with the green rolling hills, big long mesas and beautiful wildflowers as we traveled farther into the prairie and lake country. After a very long drive (maybe 8 hrs?) we finally reached Lake Whitney State Park and were rewarded with a great campsite perched over the lake. It's really windy, but it keeps the flies away and the temperature down. We keep toying with the idea of going for a swim, but Ned put up the hammock and my get-up-and-go just got up and went.

Carlsbad Cavern and Texas Heat

Location: Balmorhea State Park, Balmorhea, TX

The wind kept up through most of the night which was much appreciated. Sleeping on the top bunk in the Winniemobile feels like you are sleeping on a veranda during the dog days of summer. We rolled into Carlsbad Caverns National Park in time for the 10:00 tour, the first one of the day. We really didn't know what to expect. Our main reference point was touring Mammoth Caves a couple of years ago. Let me just say that Carlsbad Caverns was absolutely amazing! It also helped that Mandy, our Park Ranger tour guide was engaging, funny and really knowledgeable. I've seen stalagmites and stalactite before, but nothing quite this stunning. We took an elevator down, down, down close to 800 feet underground. There was an old cafeteria (no longer in use) and a concessions stand but for the most part we were just greeted with a dimly lit cave. We took the Kings Palace Tour with Mandy and were able to view several cavern rooms on a path snaking in and out, up and down, twisting and turning through this magical underground world. Every turn you were greeted with another magnificent formation all cleverly lit. We learned that Carlsbad Cavern is a limestone cave in a fossil reef laid down by an inland sea approximately 250 million years ago. We fell in love with the tale of Jim White's discovery of the cave as a 16 year old in 1898. In fact, loved it so much we bought his 1937 book - ghost written by Frank Nicholson. At one point while on the tour all the lights were turned off. We not only experienced the pitch black darkness, but Mandy then lit one small lighter to show how Jim explored 19 miles of this 30 mile cavern by himself! Blew my mind. Ned and I then took a self tour of the Big Room and were equally amazed at the clear pools, magnificent formations and the unique geometry of the stalactites and stalagmites. I tried to take several pics along the way but none of them do it any justice. We timed our tour perfectly too because we were with a really small group and had the place almost to ourselves. As we left, the parking lot was almost full and busloads were being trucked in.
Next in order was figuring out the camping situation for the night. It felt unbearably hot especially after spending several hours underground in cool temperatures. The thought of staying at another dried up desert park seemed rather bleak. We've seen West Texas before and it ain't lush. We looked at a map of our Texas State Park options, saw an oasis in the desert, laughed and said "Well we always had Balmorhea." Six years ago on our first road trip we stopped at Balmorhea State Park and loved it. Even though it's a little out of our way (Ned reminded me that we once drove 200 miles for fried chicken) and a bit "tired", the idea of swimming in clear, cool, fresh spring water was more than we could resist. As we pulled into the campground around 5ish the temperature was hovering near 100 and it was all we could do to get on our suits and dive in. Tomorrow we have a loooong drive so I'll spend some of the time describing Balmorhea with pics. For now, this cowgirl is gonna hit the hay. (And pray for a cool breezy evening).

White Sand and Little Gems

Location: Brantley Lake State Park, Carlsbad, NM

First stop this morning was at "New Mexico's Best Rated Farmer's Market." Turns out - not so much. The market is held on Wed. and Saturdays. The Saturday one is 7 blocks long and has lots of fresh produce vendors. Today's was mainly craftsmen. While it was fun to see their wares we were more in the market for fresh produce. We did manage to pick up some fresh spinach and pecans, a local favorite around here. There are many pecan groves that dot the surrounding area. Next in order was a trip to White Sands National Monument. We didn't have high expectations for this field trip and gosh were we wrong! The visitor center is adobe style and built by the WPA in the mid 1930's. The exhibits and film were really interesting and got us excited about exploring the dunes. Several people were buying sleds to slide down the dunes. We seriously thought about it, but opted instead for the one mile hike that led us over several dunes and through an interdunal area. We were amazed that we had the "trail" to ourselves until we figured out that it was high noon and 94 degrees in the blazing heat. (The ranger warned us against taking the 3 mile and 5 mile hikes, you'd think we would've had a clue). The saving grace was the wind. It was blowing so hard that we didn't notice how hot it was - at first. This hike was absolutely fascinating! We saw tracks from lots of different animals, learned about the flora and fauna in the area and got a close up feel for the amazing beauty of these gypsum sands. What I found most interesting was that the sand is not hot at all. I kept expecting it to feel like the beach when you are hopping on one foot to the other and yelling, "ouch, ouch, ouch" as you get to the ocean. Here the sand is rather cool. Turns out that there is water at approximately 12 in. under the sand! When you bury your hands in the sand it actually feels quite cool. I was goofing off and pretending that I had been crawling across the desert in search of water (yes, Ned documented this) and was quite surprised at the cool, moist feel a few inches below the surface of the sand. We continued to explore the park and enjoyed watching some others sledding. The picnic areas in the midst of the sand dunes look surreal and like a science fiction movie. Turns out this park is quite the little gem.
Leaving the park and heading East we assumed we would be traveling through more of the same arid landscape as is so much of New Mexico. Instead, we drove over the Sacramento Mountains, to an elevation of 8400 feet, and were delighted with the town of Cloudcroft. This scenic drive had cherry farms and apple orchards, lots of interesting rock formations and tons of coniferous trees. We were so fascinated by this little gem that we did a little research on it. Turns out Froders rated it in 2002 as the number 3 most overlooked and underrated destination spot. We concur! Unfortunately, after leaving the Sacramento Mountains we were again greeted by parched landscape and dry hot winds. We passed through a little town called "Hope", which actually seemed quite hopeless. We expected the same when we drove into Artesia. Much to our amazement it had a thriving downtown and we thought there must be a university there when we spotted the football stadium. Turns out the Artesia High School Bulldogs have been State Champions 25 or so times. This town takes their high school football very seriously. Go Bulldogs.
Our final destination, Lake Brantley, was supposed to be an oasis in the desert. Hmmm. The lake has all but dried up and instead of having a campsite on the water it's a good mile away. (See one of the pics). This however did not deter us from attempting to cool off from the parching 95 degree sun. We rode our bikes to the boat ramp, inflated our floaties, and plopped ourselves in the mud puddle. The wind thwarted our attempts to go more than a few feet offshore. Nevertheless, a good time was had by all.

The Kindness of Strangers New Mexico Style

Location: Siesta RV Park, Mesilla, NM

The campground fairies only made a brief stop to Canyon Lake Marina Campground. In other words, they left tp, but the showers were still locked up. I know people love to bash the government and praise free enterprise, but in our many years of camping nothing beats the State and National Parks. I want to publicly thank the 48 states we've camped in for their campground aesthetics, professionalism and cleanliness. (As an aside when we asked one of the private campground workers about the locked showers the response was "Complain at the office, I'm f***ing done." ) Soooo, we moseyed on down the road to Lost Dutchman State Park and asked to use the showers. Let's just say the experience was close to nirvana:)
After finally getting cleaned up we made it to Roper State Park much sooner than anticipated. Again, with the temp being in the 90's, we weren't in a hot springs state of mind. We decided driving in an air-conditioned car listening to an audio book of Mark Twain's "Life on the Mississippi" was much preferred. All the other state parks were either too far or too soon so we finally opted to end our day in Mesilla, New Mexico right outside of Las Cruces. Six years ago, on our first road trip across the U.S. we drove thru Mesilla and loved the quaint town with its chill vibe. We found a private RV park (it is what it is), unloaded our bikes and explored the town. A Mexican restaurant patronized mainly by locals was recommended to us. We were out front, on our bikes, still "on the fence" when a really sweet elderly couple came by and told us we should definitely try it. The woman started describing in detail the signature dish (stacked enchiladas with green sauce and an optional egg on top) and we decided to give the place a try. No sooner had we sat down and ordered drinks when an appetizer appeared at our table. It was compliments of this cute couple!! Now, how wonderful is that?! We held up our drinks and said to them, "California thanks you." They responded that they used to live in Long Beach, but NorCal was okay too. After dinner they stopped by, wanted to make sure the dinner met our expectations, and gave us other recommendations in town. This is why we love traveling so much. Your day can start out with a grumpy, burned out employee and end with a kind act from a stranger. Tomorrow we hope to check out a farmer's market in town and visit White Sands National Monument. We love to eat local food so we are really looking forward to tasting the local, fresh fare.

Looking for Mr. Wright

Location: Canyon Lake Marina Campground, Apache Junction, AZ

Last night was pretty magical. We decided to sleep on the top bunk of Winnie, partly for the cool breeze and partly to see the incredible night sky. Light from the campers' fires danced on the canyon walls, the stars were brilliant in the sky and the moon shone brightly down on everything. The sun woke us up this morning and the desert continued to amaze us. Bunnies were hopping around, the birds were serenading us and the moon still shone brightly in the sky. Who knew the desert could be such a vibrant place! Reluctantly we left Joshua Tree National Park and headed towards Phoenix. Our original plan was to stay at a hot springs, but the thermometer was pushing the 90's and soaking in 104 degree water no longer seemed appealing. Instead we decided to check out Taliesin West in Scottsdale. Years earlier Ned and I had toured Frank Lloyd Wright's home in Oak Park, Il and did a walking tour of the homes he designed. We were wowed by the architecture and fell in love with his style. We really thought we were in for a great treat today. We took the 1.5 hour tour which ended up being close to 2 hours. Unfortunately, we were a bit underwhelmed with the experience. Our illustrious guide, Don, spent most of his time being put out by us mere mortals who couldn't possibly comprehend the greatness of this institute.
What we did learn is that Taliesin West is a working architecture school and foundation that continues Frank Lloyd Wright's legacy. The actual architecture itself is not nearly as impressive as what we've seen in Oak Park and Sedona. I enjoyed some of the art sculpture created by artists in residence, but the craftsmanship of the buildings and furniture was pretty crude. If you're in Scottsdale I recommend doing the tour for the historical significance, but don't get your hopes up for the architecture.
Since we blew off the hot springs our next goal was to find a place to camp for the night and, better yet, a place to cool off. Never fear...I had a back-up plan! (Yes, my blue book itinerary contains such contingencies. Ned is laughing as I type this.)
We drove through Lost Dutchman State Park but the idea of camping in blazing heat among the cacti didn't look that appealing. We drove another half hour to Lake Canyon Marina. It's a private campground and not nearly as nice as State Campgrounds, but it has a lake! We are parked pretty much in a road, but our campsite is right on the lake. We didn't waste any time blowing up our dollar store floaties and cooling our heels. Our entertainment has been watching John Q. Public wading waist deep in the water with coolers, chairs and towels and sneak around the cyclone fence next to the boating ramp in order to avoid paying the day use fee. This place looks like a war zone after the Memorial Weekend. The ladies room has no tp and the showers are locked, but I'm still hopeful the camp fairies will visit in the night and straighten things out. It's a far cry from our magical desert night, but I ain't complaining! I'm sitting near a cool lake with my honey in the mountains of Arizona. Life could be worse...

On Our Way!

Location: Joshua Tree National Park, CA

We spent three glorious days in Arroyo Grande with a Russell-Nelson-Duni family gathering. Molly was able to join us, which made the weekend all the better. The highlight, of course, was playing with our 3 great-nephews who are 4, 2 and 5 months old. Luke, Sam and Zach kept us entertained, in-stitches and well occupied. My favorite activity with them was playing superheroes while jumping on the trampoline. We toured the Arroyo Grande Strawberry Festival and enjoyed the "Something Ridiculous" Jugglers, the belly dancers and lots of people watching. Molly convinced me to buy a coin sash and I practiced my best untrained belly dancing moves walking around the streets of AG. The great thing about being on vacation is that you leave all your inhibitions at home. Ned and I got the best send-off EVER! As we were leaving this morning the entire crew came out to the driveway and serenaded us in four part harmony with "Happy Trails To You." Eric - the baritone was particularly robust! It was much appreciated gang and I'm sure we will be hearing your voices and keeping that image with us for many states. (p.s. Molly, thanks for the cutest shoes ever!! Wasn't quite sure how I was going to fit in the SEVENTH pair of shoes for the 6 week trip, but don't worry I managed.)
After a long drive along the coast and through LA we arrived in Palm Springs. Neither of us had a memory of being there so we decided to play tourist and ride our bikes around the main drag of town and check out all the movie star homes. The downtown was buzzing, but the residential area of all the mid century homes was pretty chill. We particularly enjoyed the several sculptures of Marilyn Monroe. What a hoot. After an hour or so of peddling we had a picnic in the park then headed for Joshua Tree National Park. We toured the visitor's center and took a drive through the main area of the park admiring all the blooming Joshua Trees. An interesting fact we learned was that when a Joshua Tree blooms it creates a new branch. If you see a Joshua Tree straight up, with no branches, it has never bloomed. We're camped at Indian Cove campground snuggled against a crop of rocks. For our 9th Anniversary we gave each other a new awning for Winnie. It's kinda fun sitting out of the sun, under the awning, drinking a cold glass of Viognier waiting for the chicken to cook on the barbie.
I'd call this a pretty good first day on the road. We are looking forward to the desert night and what it will bring. It should be gorgeous with the near full moon.