Hello From Grants, NM

Tomorrow we'll be back in AZ where we'll spend a few days in Williams, AZ (north of Flagstaff) and then we'll go to Cottonwood, AZ, about 80 miles north of Phoenix before getting back to the valley at the end of the month for a couple of weeks to take care of some doctor appointments and dental work.

Sunrise at The Ranch one morning when
I was walking

We had a great relaxing week at "The Ranch' as they call the Escapee RV Park in Lakewood, NM.  These people are some of the friendliest we've encountered in our RVing days and I don't think this park is anywhere where we would consider 'leasing' a lot, at least in the near future, but everyone whom we met loves it there, loves the wide open spaces, and the fact that the closest convenient store is 15 miles away.  They did warn us of snakes and coyotes but fortunately we didn't see either.  Lakewood in its early day was quite the booming city and was known for its tomato cannery but when the artesian wells dried up so did the cannery, the people moved away, and the rest is history.  That's just the abbreviated version of what happened to Lakewood according to some old timers.

We enjoyed Carlsbad Caverns and will definitely go back in the future and take another tour.  Dick took the King's Palace 90 minute tour into the deepest portion of the cavern, about 830 feet beneath the deserts surface, and was very impressed.  By the description of his tour, I decided that it wasn't for me with the descend and then later climb an eight-story hill, so I did the self-guided Big Room tour while he did his.  Both were 90 minutes so it worked out well and when he got back he said I could have done his tour with no problem.  Bummer!!!!  Remember.....I'm not an 'underground' person so just me doing this self-guided tour on my own was a HUGE step for me..    So we'll go back plus there are other tours to choose from as well including the famous 'bat flight that happens at night during the spring and summer. We did some other walking around and it is just hard for us to believe that someone can stumble upon these caves almost by accident.  Obviously, I didn't see what he saw on his tour but I can't imagine any more spectacular views than the Big Room had to offer.  It's size alone is mind-boggling at 14 football fields, and is relatively level, and the well-lit trails make this a must see for everyone.  We both had many 'speleothems' or cave decorations including helictites, draperies, columns, and soda straws as they're referred to.  Our RV park was about 50 miles from the caverns so after our tour was finished we decided to have some lunch in Carlsbad on the way home and then get back as Murphy probably was ready to go out.

We had lunch at a local 'mom and pop' mexican restaurant in Carlsbad called Rojas that I had read about and it was very good.  HUGE portions, hot salsa (for Dick) and good service.  Since they make everything fresh it takes a bit longer to get your food but it was well worth the wait in our opinion.  By the time we got back to the RV, Murphy was definitely ready for a walk.  One thing we found out that morning was we could have taken Murphy to the caverns and they have a kennel there he could have stayed in.  I didn't investigate to know whether he was in a crate or just in a big playroom with other dogs, but kinda nice they offer that service if you have a pet with you during the hot weather.

Artesia, is a town of about 10,000+ population north of Lakewood.  This area is rich with oil and gas and seems to be booming right now.  It is also home to a Federal Law Enforcemnt Training Center.  There isn't much there in the way of shopping other than a WalMart, another local grocery store, and several convenience stores but they do have wonderful bronze sculptures throughout the downtown and a very nice Veterans Memorial near City Hall, as well as some very good local-type restaurants.  Dick heard from someone that Sam's Club is coming soon which will be a nice addition and you can tell that the oil/gas people are spending some money to improve things in this otherwise kinda 'dumpy' town.

Carlsbad, is a town of about 27,000 people, south of Lakewood, and best known for the caverns which are about 18 miles from town, and the Guadalupe Mountains National Park which is 40 miles away.  The Pecos River also runs through Carlsbad so they've done a very nice job of promoting cruises on the river, Christmas on the Pecos, a little beach area for swimming and, of course, boating.  They also have the Pecos River Flume, a modern aqueduct carrying irrigation water over the Pecos River.  The City of Carlsbad has reclaimed this flume and the surrounding area and are in the process of making it a tourist attraction with park improvements along the river and spot lights at night but when we were there in the daytime, it was pretty weed infested with no irrigation going on at that time.  Carlsbad also has a Living Desert Zoo and Gardens State Park which we'll catch next time.  We had planned to do the sightseeing cruise on the Pecos, however, it closes after Labor Day so that's on the list for next time too.

I must say that we have just enjoyed 'slowing down' a bit and enjoying the scenery around us as we know this summer's trip is coming to a close.  We have decided that we don't have to do it all.....we can come back.....so that said, we left 'The Ranch' this morning and drove about 330 miles to Grants.  This being the first 'official' day of football season and the Packers being on TV, we stopped in time for Dick to see them lose their first game.  Oh well........there's next week!

Calypso, a 20 year old Macaw, owned by a couple down
the row from us at The Ranch.  She walked with him every
morning & evening & he sat on her arm never making a
sound.  She said he talks up a storm at home but is very
shy when other people were around.  

The Flume in Carlsbad

Part of the Veterans Memorial in Artesia, NM, called Freedom's Fire

Caption underneath Veterans Memorial

One of the bronze sculptures in downtown Artesia 

Two 'bronze' oil men probably talking about how rich they are

The Big Room at Carlsbad Caverns

I have more pictures from the Caverns but you just need to go and see for yourself.

This guy was in the middle of the road as we were exiting the park.
There was another car in front of us & we both weren't sure what to do
so we stopped, took a couple of pictures & then he ambled off into the desert.  I'm
assuming it was a big-horned sheep but I don't know that for a fact.

Look who drives anytime Dick gets out of his seat!