Blogs from Guadalupe Mountains, Texas, United States, North America

We said Goodbye to El Paso today as we headed East. There were only 2 items on the agenda for today - Guadalupe Mountains National Park and Carlsbad Caverns National Park. The parks are only about 30 miles from each other so they are both doable in the same day. There was not much to see on the route east for it was mostly just open flat barren land. The cactus trees and bushes started to diminish and any greenery was mainly small brush and grasses. No trees, no buildings, no houses, just land. We drove through a small area known as the salt flats. It was a “shining white expanse of salt-covered earth”. It was an unexpected sight in that desert land. We took in that quick view from the car as we drove by. ... read more

August 10, Wednesday night I camped at Bottomless Lakes State Park in New Mexico. It has been a pretty busy 3 days since I left on Monday. I went to Junction, and Ft Stockton. I invested half a day touring Ft Stockton, and there is a lot to see. Then I went on to Guadalupe Mountains National Park and stayed at the Pine Springs Campground. A campsite there is $8.00 a night. I had the place entirely to myself. Wednesday morning I visited the exhibits at the Guadalupe Mountains National Park Visitor Center then drove Northeast to Carlsbad Caverns National Park. I walked down the natural entrance instead of taking the elevator and then after taking about a 45 minute break and drinking two cups of quite good coffee I invested another couple of hours in ... read more

Guadalupe Mountains National Park The National Park is located in Texas, but the mountains extend into New Mexico. The mountains are surrounded by the Chihuahuan Desert. The highest peak in Texas is the Guadalupe peak at 8,749 feet (2667m). McKittrick Canyon This canyon is located in the Guadalupe Mountains National Park and is considered by many to be the most beautiful spot in Texas in the fall. This hike begins in the desert but ends in a forest. We hiked as far as the Pratt cabin where we met a volunteer who was most informative. I pictured the Pratt family hiking the 2 miles through the canyon to get to the cabin. I was surprised to learn that the cabin was built during the 1930’s when labor was more affordable. The family used a Mercedes to ... read more

It's an understatement to call Texas a land of contrasts. This land is home of the strip mall, fast food, the texas school book depository & grassy knoll of Dallas, and the hideous culture that produced George W. Bush. It's also a land of great beauty, that gave the world Zydeco music (along with S.W. Louisianna), Lightning Hopkins, Stevie Ray Vaughn, Buddy Holly, Willie Nelson, Janis Joplin, and a score of other wonderfull musicians. A few years back, we spent some time crabbing on the Gulf Coast in exterme south east Texas & had a great time. I've also got to spend time in that area studying the accordion. It's a beautiful area with a beautiful culture. Now were in extreme western texas in the Guadalupe Mountains another area of great beauty. We had hoped to ... read more