Two National Parks in 2 days

We are driving to Guadalupe National Park to boondock at the Pine Springs Campground. It is a fairly easy drive beside the wind and all the construction. We get to the park but since we will need the truck tomorrow morning we get the camper leveled and disconnected. The wind is still whipping! After taking Smokey out for a walk, we get ready for our hike to be sure we are back before the sun sets. At the trailhead is a park ranger who asks what trail we are taking. We let her know Devil’s Hall. She says we will want to head back no later than 4:30 as it gets cold once the sun sets. It is about 3:15 so we keep a good pace to make it to the end in no more than an hour.

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It is a cool hike that follows along what would be a river but is dried up. About halfway up we walk the river for most of the whole trail. There are a few neat rock walls that you climb up but the end was the best! The trail name Devil’s Hall is suiting, as it is a long narrow hallway between 2 high rock walls. The wind is extreme between the walls but if you take 3 steps out of the hall you can barely feel the wind, it’s wild. It was a little after 4:30 so we grabbed a few photos and made our way back. We did see a couple with 2 kids that were still heading out towards the hall. Since it was so late we told them that the ranger recommended you be heading back by 4:30 so they may want to consider turning around. We talked about what it looked like at the end and they decided not to go any further. We walked a little with them and chatted as they were also on an RV journey, then we continued at our speed.

We took a wrong turn and made our way on a different trail. It wasn’t the worst but the sun was starting to set and it was getting colder. We finally made it back to the camper just before the sky was dark. I quickly brought Smokey out for a walk. I change into comfy clothes, throw a pizza in the oven, and pour a glass of wine. Chris and I couldn’t believe how strong the wind was blowing. After finishing dinner I clean up and we put a movie on. Once it is done I take Smokey for one more walk while Chris sets the bed up. I brush my teeth and climb into bed hoping we don’t get blown away.

We wake to the wind still blowing just as hard but it is a beautiful sunrise. Since we are boondocking we can’t use the coffee maker so I pull the press pot out, add the coffee and boil some water on the stove.  We are trying to be out by 9 am so after our cups of coffee we shower, eat, then get everything ready. We want to be prepared to pull the slide in, connect, and head out as soon as we are back.

We have tickets for Carlsbad Cavern National Park so we are leaving the RV and will be back in time for a noon checkout. Our drive was only about 45 minutes traveling from Texas to New Mexico. Because we are so close to MST the clock kept changing between the 2 time zones.

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The cavern was way bigger than I could have ever expected. You can take an elevator down to the big room or walk. We walked the path down to the natural entrance. It is a steep 1.25-mile trail with switchbacks that descends 750 feet into the cavern. You then enter the Big Room trail which is another 1.25 miles.

It is an amazing place to see. This is the second cavern we have stopped at since on the road. They are just so amazing to me. Unfortunately, being so big we had to walk through a bit faster than we had wanted. I could spend a full day exploring there. After walking the whole trail we quickly make our way to the elevator. It travels 756 feet aboveground through solid limestone without any stops. At the top is the visitor center so we take a quick peruse and head straight to the truck. Once back at the RV, I take Smokey for a good walk while Chris gets us all hooked up. I put Smokey in the truck and do my quick walk around to ensure everything is good, hop in the passenger seat and we are off to our next stop.

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