Guadalupe Mountains National Park, Texas

Saturday, March 24, 2018 – Location:  Guadalupe Mountains National Park near Salt Flats, Texas

It was a beautiful setting at the Roadrunner rest area last night. 

Started out slowly this morning.  Took the time to wash dishes and fix bacon and eggs for breakfast while trying to decide where to go today.  Tough having to make these life changing decisions.

The weather is going to be good everywhere it seems in this part of the country.  Not so back home, so better not get in a hurry.  Several comments mentioned I should visit Carlsbad Caverns which got me thinking.  I did visit the caverns, but it was in the summer of 2007 and I remember very little of the tour.

Checked the mileage and it is only 200 miles.  Perfect days drive!  It was close to 10 o’clock when we pulled back onto I-10 heading towards Las Cruces and beyond.  My GPS said to take Texas Loop 375 to hook up to hwy 62-180 towards Carlsbad, New Mexico.

Kept going up and up and up!

This loop by-passed El Paso, but what a ride.  I think this is the bypass Al, Travel With The Bayfield Bunch:)) mentioned taking to get around El Paso.  The highway went up and over the Franklin Mountains and parts were a grade 8 incline which is tough on my poor RV pulling the Jeep. 

Beautiful scenery, but couldn’t get many pictures.  I had my foot through the floor trying to keep moving on up and white knuckles trying to push us up through the steering wheel.  Got down to 35 mph at one point, but luckily, it is four lanes so everyone just went around me.

Had no problems going back down the other side.  Didn’t have to use any of the truck runaway sand boxes on the way down.  Then I turned onto hwy 62-180 heading northeast for the Chihuahuan desert and the Guadalupe Mountains.

Took this near Salt Flats, Texas.  No town, just some old buildings left.  Absolutely beautiful mountains!

Dolly, Fergie and I stayed one night at the Pine Springs Campground a few years back and really enjoyed it.  So, as I was driving along, I decided to stay there tonight.  That way I can get an early start tomorrow morning for the Carlsbad Cavern tour.

After many stops to take pictures of the beautiful Guadalupe Mountains, I arrived at the campground around 2:30.   The road to get up here was tough, but not as bad as the Franklin Mountains earlier in the day.  Feeling like a hardened mountain climber now!  We’re at 5738 feet here at the campground.

The fee for a night is $8 and $4 for seniors.  Just a beautiful day too.  They have lots of trailheads leaving from this campground, but the shortest one is eight miles round trip.   I know better than to even try.  Plus, no dogs on the trails.

Yuma and I took several walks around the camp and took pictures of the beautiful scenery all around us. 

Then Dolly told me the Loyola-Chicago / Kansas State game was on so had to set up my Dish and watch the game.  Very exciting and number 11 Loyola-Chicago won beating number 9  Kansas State to go to the Final Four!

That’s it for today.  We’re having some strong wind gusts here in the mountains and it is actually spitting a little rain.  Mild temperatures though.

See you later.