Park 4: Great Sand Dunes National Park, CO:  We left Santa Fe on Hwy 285 for the 172 mile drive to Great Sand Dunes National Park, about 35 miles northeast of Alamosa, CO.  It's difficult to comprehend the size and height of the dunes, the highest and largest in North America.  The 30+ square miles of dunes are nestled up against the Sangre de Cristo Mountains.  This natural ecological system is comprised of rocky peaks, pine forests, grasslands, wetlands, creeks, and the dunes.  No where else on earth is this diversity captured in one ecological location. 

We struck out across the snowmelt Medano Creek with the intent to climb the highest sand dune at over 650 feet above the dune floor and a mile from the parking area, but climbing through soft sand and blowing winds at an altitude of 8,000 feet proved to be no small task.  With about 100 feet of altitude remaining to the peak, we quietly cried "uncle" to the dunes as we encountered the steepest and softest sand of the climb.  Perhaps another day....  The pictures don't do this park justice!

Odometer: 3215 miles.

Spacious skies above New Mexico

Quiz Bowl State Championship

Casa de la Cuma B&B

Sunset at La Fonda Hotel

Santa Fe, NM:  Traveling north through New Mexico, we passed miles of flat prarie land and mesas, only stopping once to watch our nephew's Quiz Bowl State Championship on the cell phone.  His team came in 2nd, but he was named MVP!  It was amazing to be able to watch his competition live in the car as we drove through Nowhere, NM!

We arrived in Santa Fe about 3:00 and checked into the Casa de la Cuma B&B for the weekend.  It was close enough to walk to the plaza of that historical city to enjoy the art, music and fantastic food!  We returned to the La Fonda Hotel's rooftop bar for sunset and then dined with the singing waiters at La Cantina.  Also enjoyed the creative southwestern cooking at The Shed.  Santa Fe was a nice stop for some retail therapy after so much nature . . . . Actually, John had scheduled the car for a routine service.  Life is good! 

Odometer: 2960 miles.

Park 3: Carlsbad Caverns, NM:  What a day at Carlsbad Caverns!  I take back my "seen one, seen them all" comment about rocks.  This pile of rocks was certainly different, readily apparent when we entered the mile and a quarter steep switchback natural walking entrance!  No elevators for John Morris.  When we entered he handed me a 3 inch flashlight, as if that would calm my fears about being underground for 6 hours!


Natural Cavern Entrance

Column in Big Room

Stalactites and Stalagmites in Kings Palace

If you haven't been here, put this on your bucket list! We took the King's Palace Tour with a veteran NPS Ranger to the deepest part of the paved trail--830 feet below ground level.  The four large chambers toured were highly decorated over millions of years by dripping sulphuric acid.  It is really impossible to describe the unusual beauty.  When the ranger turned out the lights for us to experience total darkness, she asked for volunteers to test the echo in the cave.  The familiar hymn, "For the beauty of the earth" just came out of my mouth.   
We then walked the 1.3 mile Big Room perimeter on our own with more glistening formations to see.  Awesome!  The NPS has done an incredible job making this natural wonder accessible for most people. We finally took the elevator to the surface at 4:00.  We returned at 7:00 to watch the nightly exodus of the Brazilian free-tailed bats from the natural entrance; this sighting in 1898 supposedly led to the modern day discovery of the cave by Jim White, a 16 year old ranch hand.            

Odometer: 2,686 miles 
Pedometer: Unknown, but certainly exceeding 10,000 steps!

Park 2: Guadalupe Mountains Nat'l. Park, TX:  Left Hot Springs on Wednesday at 6:30am---long, hot (108 degrees) drive across to Pecos, TX for the night, then on to Guadalupe Mts. NP today.  This 40 mile mountain range was once a reef growing beneath the waters of an ancient sea on the West Texas/New Mexico border. 


El Capitan in background-8,085 ft.

After having our passport stamped at the Headquarters Visitor Center, we hiked the 2.5 mile loop trail to Smith and Manzanita Springs and picnicked at Smith Spring, high on the canyon wall where a veritable garden of maidenhair fern surprised us in this desert climate.  Drove on to Carlsbad, NM for the night & fantastic BBQ at Danny's. 

Odometer: 2,572 miles.

Canyon trail to the springs

Picnic at Smith Spring

Park 1: First stamp in NP Passport



Bathhouse Row & Arlington Hotel

Park 1: Hot Springs Nat'l. Park, AR:  April 24: Our first stop on our National Parks journey was our hometown of Hot Springs National Park, Arkansas, which is the longest preserved area in the national park system.  In 1832, President Andrew Jackson set aside the hot springs as a special reservation, and it became a national park in 1921.  The park preserves 5,550 acres containing 47 thermal springs that produce 700,000 gallons of water daily at 143 degrees!  OK, that is our first and last commercial, we promise. 

Odometer: 1,692  miles.