The day started off bright and sunny as the three of us headed down to the breakfast area for a quick bite before loading up the car and heading to the Monument. Fairfield Inns now offers gluten free options, which turned out to be chocolate muffins from Udi's, I have to admit I was surprised and delighted with this discovery. Needless to say I definitely had one of them.
After breakfast we headed to the monument where we started at the visitor center to do a little shopping and checking out the displays.
Driving out to the scenic drive entrance the change from 'normal' desert scenery with hints of white gypsum doesn't prepare you for that first glimpse of the dunes. With the scattered growth and white hills it looks totally out of place. We pulled off at the first opportunity to go walk in the gypsum and was surprised to find out how compacted the gypsum was. When we got out on the dunes the first thing we did was shoot videos for Bobbi and Helen to post on their Younique Facebook pages. From this I learned how horrible a videographer I was. While Bobbi's was useable, we had to trash Helen's as you could here my breathing which made her video sound more like a stalker video.
Then Bobbi and Helen had this idea to write the grandkids name into the sand to send to the families. Then we climbed back into the car and continued around until we found a dune that only had one family sitting on it enjoying lunch. So I chose this hill to make my charge up in order to take some pictures and also say I did it! So I started up the slope, figuring I would move fast and impress Helen and Bobbi with what great shape I was in. And then 15 seconds later I went, never-puff-puff-pufff-mind and took my time the rest of the way up.
And then I had to come down which started out slow and ended as a short little run.
After this we decided we had had enough and headed out for Carlsbad, NM. And once again we changed our trip, during the drive back t Alamogordo we discovered that we could actually visit another national park and only add about 1 – 1.5 hours to our trip. So off to Guadalupe Mtns NP, one of the least visited parks in the U.S. And no wonder, we find on line that the visitor office closes at 4 and all our watches tell us it's 3:45, we have only 15 minutes to get in, get stamps in the passbooks, and get out, So as we rush to accomplish everything the ranger comes over and explains that no they are not on Central time, but instead on Mountain time and it;'s only 2:45. Disaster averted.
We were invited to see the park video in their theater, as it was only 20 minutes long, we said why not. So we sit down expecting the slick shows we had seen in other parks, but NO it was a video straight out of the 60's and 70's! Bobbi and loved it as it was a throwback to the days of RVing with the family when we were kids. It turns out that there are lots of hiking trails, but few that only take a short amount of time so we passed. We did however visit the old stagecoach building that had been in use for only a year oafter completion before the stagecoach moved it's operations further south. The country is beautiful and worth the time, especially if you are visiting Carlsbad Caverns.
From here we drove to Carlsbad Caverns NP only about a 45 minute drive. We arrived in time to attend the evening Bat Program. This was amazing as you watch thousands of bats leave the cave and fly off to do their nightly hunting. Unfortunately they do not allow video or pictures at the bat program so I made do with the following.
From here it was off to check in at the Fairfield Inn & Suites in Carlsbad, Where we checked in just in time.
Tomorrow the Cavern!!
Central Coast Senior 
Leave a comment