The last few days have been packed with cool park visits. Leaving the Guadalupe Mountains, I traveled north to the New Mexico state line, and into Carlsbad. Of course, Carlsbad Caverns National Park was on my list, so I stopped in first thing in the morning to see what it was all about. Walking in, it felt a lot like Disney World. Long lines (more spring breakers), tons of gift shops, and trinkets with bats being sold at every corner. I try to sign up for a tour through a more secluded part of the caverns, but to no surprise, everything is sold out for the week. That’s fine, the self guided tour into the “big room” is all I was really expecting anyway.
As I use my National Park Pass to buy my entrance ticket, I realize that just 2 weeks into my trip, and it has already paid for itself. $80 for every national park, national forest, BLM area, anything and everything! Such a deal. As I stroll outside, the air is a cold and clear 51 degrees. A welcomed improvement from the low 30s I slept in the night before.
The path leading in is steep and ominous. The temp slowly rises as you descend into what appears to be pitch black. Once you’re down to where no daylight reaches, the park service has many lighting arrays highlighting the underground structures. There are cameras at every bend, watching visitors, and ensuring no damage is done to the fragile stalagmites and stalactites. I worry about the cave species and all of this lighting, but I assume park staff has their checks and balances.
The Big Room 
The Whale’s Mouth
The caverns were AMAZING! I highly recommend anyone traveling in this area to stop in. The big room is the largest cavern in the Northern Hemisphere! Some 700 feet down, it’s like being in a huge concert hall with changing scenery at every step.
My favorite, the lion’s tail 
Is this Predator or a jelly fish?
About 2 hours later, I come to the end of the cavern trail, and end up, at….. A god damn gift store in the cavern??? And elevators?? Really???
So, I’m about to be upset about the gift store and the elevator, but it’s actually a pretty historic setup.
1931?? Jesus… 
Elevator showed feet instead of floors
After meandering through the gift shop, I decide to leave the park, as the crowds have picked up. I drive west, hoping to get to White Sands with enough daylight to play in the dunes. Coming down from a mountain top in the town of Cloudcroft, my damn check engine light comes on. Talk about some serious panic. Only scattered small towns are around, and being a Sunday nothing is open. Of course my mind wanders to the worst possible situations… As I come down from the mountain top and look west, I see White Sands. Too bad my anxiety was so bad at this point I couldn’t really enjoy this view.
Pulling into Alamogordo, NM I find a KOA with good reviews on Yelp. I stroll in, stressed about my truck, and stressed about trying to find a spot for the night. The guy at the front (Alan) is super kind, and tells me they are slammed packed due to spring break. I tell him I don’t need hook-ups, water, anything. Just a place to park. I think he was too nice to turn me away, so he allows me to parallel park near the bathroom for the night. I think he also sees I’m stressed (man I suck at hiding emotions) and asks if everything is ok. I tell him about my truck, and he comes outside with me and tries to diagnose what’s wrong. Super nice and helpful. As I find out, everyone I meet in this town is amazingly nice, especially the folks in the RV park.
I head down to Autozone in town to see what codes my truck is throwing. Hope it’s something stupid…. And it is! Oxygen sensor! So I buy what they have in stock, buy a O2 socket wrench, a pack of beer, and head back to the RV park. 20 minutes later, the check engine light is off, and I still have tons of time to go play in the dunes! On top of that, the couple next to my truck tells me the KOA lets you borrow sledding disks for free! Score!
Nothing for miles 
Sweet dunes
White Sand dunes is like the beach for these people. Tons of people grilling and tanning. But everyone is right next to the parking lot. A mile walk an there is noooooo one around. I’m told by the ranger that GPS and cell phones do not work out in the dunes, so I make sure to walk straight West out, and straight East back in. It would be very, very easy to get turned around out there. As I try to find the biggest dunes to ride, I realize it’s a lot like surfing. The dune behind the one you’re on always looks bigger… Also, these dunes are made from Gypsum from prehistoric lakes that are now long gone due to climate shifts. Making them hard enough to fly down, but still soft when you wreck.
Ok this post is long… One more stop…
After a night at the friendly KOA, I head north to Albuquerque. As I’m driving, I see the ground turn from the normal desert color palate to straight black. Wtf is this??? I see a sign for a BLM property and pull in.
Lava! 
More lava!
Valley of Fires apparently is a 5,000 year old lava flow that engulfs a section of New Mexico. It has similar characteristics to the Hawaiian lava flows (as the educational displays tell me). I walk the trail for a bit, then continue my trek North. My flight leaves at 5PM, so I have just enough time to visit a brewery with my brother in law before heading to the airport. On my return, John promises a visit to the airplane he is learning to fly (C-130J? That could be wrong). No pictures allowed of that, sorry!!