Contributed by:
Daniel Smith/YourHub.com
Article Contributed on: 4/15/2009 2:46:21 PM
One of the great things about vacation, besides the getting away, is experiencing places you've not been before, getting photos and sharing them -you'll see a few with this posting.
My 'spring break' vacation recently took me to west Texas, where I've never traveled, as well as New Mexico, where I've been a regular.
Our road trip took us to the Guadalupe Mountains, a national park that I'd only read about. Lee said she had it high on her 'to do' list, so off we went in the Rav 4 (nicknamed Yoda).
Our first stop was Las Vegas - New Mexico - and the historic Plaza Hotel. We only had time for limited sightseeing, unfortunately, before hitting the road for a more southern destination.
Until getting into west Texas, much of the scenery through that part of New Mexico was not all that interesting, so we made a stop in Roswell, where as you might imagine, a lot of things are oriented around the legendary alien saucer crash in the 1950s, where authorities first announced it was the crash of an extra-terrestrial craft, then spent the next few decades backtracking, finally offering an explanation it was a secret cold war project involving high-altitude balloons with dummies.
While our stop was brief, I did make the obligatory stop at the Roswell saucer museum, bought some alien trinkets and took a few photos of the alien-oriented tourist shops. We did not, however, stop at Alien Liquors on the main drag. Enough, we thought.
One of the trip highlights, and highly recommended if you tend toward being amateur naturalists like us, is The Living Desert in Carlsbad, New Mexico. It's perhaps the best environment for experiencing what the desert and its creatures are about in one setting. You'll see a few of the flora and fauna we encountered on a loop hike in some of the photos.
The other highlight, of course in Carlsbad is the Carlsbad Caverns National Park - while the photos turned out okay, they can't begin to picture the sheer immensity of the underground world you'll find there - you could hike for 30 miles in the passages discovered thus far.
Both the Living Desert and the caverns are a must-see' if you're anywhere close, anytime.
The Guadalupe Mountains are a spectacular example of high desert, and the campground had separate spots for RVs and tent campers like us.
We were not prepared for one experience with mother nature there - the wind.
I never knew what the late Marty Robbins meant in his classic song about El Paso when he referred to a young cowboy who was "wild as the west Texas wind."
The winds during our stay were consistently strong and variable, gusting 50 and 60 mph. I heard a park ranger on the phone to a caller claiming they'd had one gust recorded at 80 mph.
I won't describe the scene of us putting up our three-man tent in these breezes, except to say imagine two people enmeshed in a parachute tossed into a wind tunnel. With the help of a few sizeable rocks, we got it up and stabilized, and it stayed put. For two nights, we slept fitfully, despite having hiked on nearby trails during the day - the noise of the wind rattling the tent didn't subside until early morning and then only until just after sunrise.
Still, it was beautiful, the highlight being hiking in McKittrick Canyon, described by some as the most gorgeous spot in the state, and view a homestead built by an oil pioneer well into the canyon, with the bonus of helpful background information provided by friendly park rangers who were there working on maintenance.
Despite being a little hobbled, with the help of a couple of knee braces, an ankle brace and two hiking poles I was able to move right along on the mostly level, if very rocky, trail.
After two nights, we decided to head back north to New Mexico, and visit the acclaimed Bosque del Apache wildlife refuge outside Socorro. While the early spring migration of Sandhill cranes and snow geese had already occurred, there was still plenty to see, and we had the advantage of having the place practically to ourselves.
Driving the observation loops in a stately fashion, camera, telephoto lens and binoculars at the ready, we made two visits in one day and enjoyed ourselves thoroughly. We saw American Coots, Grebes, Cinnamon Teals, Grey Herons, Cormorants and, feeding among the more common Canada Geese, one lone Sandhill Crane - who'd stayed behind for some reason.
Among the more unusual sightings: two large turkey vultures, side by side on the road, their broad wings outstretched like cormorants for drying. Their poses were like cormorants, but their broad size and those reddish, rather ugly heads left no doubt what they were
There's something about the peace of riparian areas like this - the solitude, the scenic settings, the wildlife - I could have spent the entire day there, while Lee hiked a sandy canyon trail and enjoyed herself immensely too.
Then it was on to Santa Fe. Having been down a few times for the opera and to explore ancient ruins or just enjoy the city, I was looking forward to seeing a couple of friends, exploring the area and dining.
One of those would turn out as the trip's worst experience. More later.
We found a hotel that not only was one of the best bargains of the trip, it was far and away the best location and accommodations we stayed in: A small complex nestled in a neighborhood instead of the usual highway frontage road setting, with two spacious rooms, walk-in closet, small bathroom and really nice Santa Fe decor - it was comfy and quiet and a great value for the price.
We cruised through town, examined a few houses for sale, visited the not-to-be-missed Museum of the American Indian and went to an old haunt: Maria's Mexican restaurant. I enjoyed the beef fajitas, though I commented that the beef strips seemed a bit 'tough.'
Our friends, a former Denver college professor and his wife, long-time Santa Fe residents were gracious as always and showed us their new digs: an assisted/independent living community with really nice amenities. The said they were just at the point where keeping a house was no longer a priority or something they wanted to shoulder. We had lunch, and after an all-too-brief visit, decided to head back to Denver ahead of what was billed as a giant winter/spring storm that would blanket three states and give Denver more than a foot of snow.
I dreaded giving up a day of vacation, but dreaded even more the possibility of an ice Raton Pass or being stranded in the San Luis Valley in blizzard conditions. Besides, my intestinal tract had been unsettled the night before.
Splitting the driving, we made the trip in just three hops and in about six hours - with one dramatic episode just before we got into Colorado.
We had passed a big car carrier on one uphill, and he later passed us later on the downhill side. As he passed, I saw a white sedan mounted at the rear on top appeared to sway a little as he drove by, and the car's rear wheels looked to be right at the back edge. We thought it didn't look quite right (the car was at a slant anyway) but didn't get concerned until a few miles later when we caught up to him as we approached another hill.
Now, the topmost car was noticeably swaying left and right, and as we approached, we saw the rear wheels were now hanging completely off the metal rack! I pulled around him, sounded the horn rapidly, and when the driver looked over, Lee frantically pointed toward the rear of his rig.
Fortunately, he must have been feeling the movement or something because he immediately pulled off and stopped. I would have stopped as well but we needed to keep our schedule.
I'm glad we warned him because the thought of what could happen when a car falls from one of those rigs on a highway I don't want to think about.
The rest of the road home was unremarkable - we saw a storm front to the north and west, but beat it home with nary a snowflake to be seen. As it turns out (and as you know) the big storm missed Denver proper, but I was glad we made it home with a day to spare anyway - with good reason.
Later that evening, what have been intestinal upset turned into the worst case of food poisoning I've had in probably 20 years. Symptoms you can imagine - suffice to say I got no sleep that entire night or early morning, and nearly took a trip to the ER, thinking it might be salmonella.
Gradually over the day on Saturday, I recovered thanks to medicine and an empty stomach, but I fasted for the next 24 hours or so. Oi vey, Maria's!
So now, we've done the mountain of laundry that follows such a trip, put the camping gear away and have those memories and photographs to look at and stories to tell.
We love hearing about great vacations, outdoor and indoor experiences and seeing photographs - log on and let's hear about yours next - How about it?