Guadalupe Mountains National Park

We are off to the Guadalupe Mountains National Park.  Where in the world is that you ask?  SE New Mexico south of Carlsbad Caverns.  And it is a national park so I get the stamp!! Woo hoo.  

Our Rouge from Silver City to Guadalupe Mountains by way of El Paso, Texas

Long trip today.  Will stop in Las Cruces near New Mexico State University to purchase some suppies from a natural foods market (Toucan market), then back on freeway to a Flying J for fuel just before we cross the texas border through El Paso and Ciudad Juarez.  Then 130 miles east into the mountains.  The only RV campsite it a parking lot near visitor center on south side.  80 miles of hiking trails and I have a sore heel.  Maybe I can bike there.

from the Park website

I guess the area is really beautiful  and really really isolated.  Our kind of place.  Hope to see the Blood moon in a couple days.

Looking at the highest point in Texas, 8746 ft.  We behind that top right point

The campsite is in the parking lot.  No hookups but great views and only $4 per day.

Our campsite  nestled in amongst other RV's. 

We have some new interior decorations.  Sraddha got an early birthday present.

Our new painting.  An original purchased in Silver City.  Fits on wall next to Fridge with our Suaguaro NP poster.

 We get set up in camp, go to visitor center and find that the Frijole ranch is still open for another half hour so we zoom over there to take a look at the first homestead in the area.

Frijole cabin

The winds are really blowing at 40 mph with some higher gusts. We decide to go for a 2.5 miles hike

View from Smith Spring Trail looking east to Midland, Texas

What began as a little 1/4 mile walk out to see Manzanita Spring, turned into 2.5 mile loop with incredible wildflowers.  more on that next post

Manzanita spring

The flowers and rocks are amazing.  This whole mountains were once a coral reef in a Permian sea, 250 MILLION years ago so the rocks are very different as you can see.

Hamburger sandwich anyone?  That is a rock

I come back last night and find this photo in my email from Dr. Peter taken during the last board meeting I attended at the clinic last October on our way south for winter.

It's supposed to be REAL windy here today with gusts up to 70 mph so we delaying our hiking in high country are bringing in the slides, leaving the RV here and going to Carlsbad caverns for the day.