March 19, 2023
Quality time with a grandchild one-on-one is precious. It reminds us of the times we spent with each of our own children solo when they were growing up, and how we were able to get to know each one better when we were not in the middle of managing all four at once in our busy lives. We just returned from a 7-day road trip with our first grandchild, Logan, who has been learning about national parks in fourth grade. This adventure established a precedent we are committed to repeating two more times. We had planned two weekend camping trips with our grandkids last fall and had to bail on both of them. We figured out a way to extend the first row of seats in our Nissan van so Logan's feet didn't hang off the edge and avoid using a tent. It worked out pretty well even if it meant some contortionism for us oldsters to get on and off the sleeping platform.
West Texas bound
We found ourselves traveling down I-10 again just a few weeks after our visit to Junction for sheep-dog trials (see previous blog post). This time, we went as far as Van Horn before venturing northward to Guadalupe Mountains National Park. Our plan was to visit three national parks with him and share our passion for traveling, camping, national parks, and geocaching.
Approaching the Guadalupe Mountains, El Capitan
Our campsite was next to the trailhead for Guadalupe Peak. Brian and I hiked to the Peak in 2006 with our youngest son. We are way beyond being able to hike 4+ miles each way with more than 3,000 feet elevation gain these days, but are so glad we did it back then...one of our best travel memories. Being Spring Break, the trail was very busy with hikers setting off early each morning and returning later in the day, sometimes by flashlight. We hope Logan will return one day and hike to the top, perhaps with his father or brother.
McKittrick Canyon Nature Trail - only one mile, this we can handle these days
overlooking McKittrick Canyon
desert sunset from our campsite
On to New Mexico...
Two days before arriving at Carlsbad Caverns, I realized I had made a major goof in not researching the current guidelines. Timed entry reservations for the self-guided tour in the caverns are required and NONE were available for the whole week ahead. We had to content ourselves with the Visitor Center exhibits and park film. I will know better next time. (NOTE: Many of the national parks are overcrowded these days and require timed entry reservations. I don't expect pandemic-related policies such as these will ever be rescinded because they also alleviate overcrowding. Just a word to the wise for any of you planning on visiting national parks in the future. Even experienced NP visitors such as us can be caught off-guard. We learned that some visitors reserve multiple time slots if they are not sure of their exact arrival time, making it more difficult for others. )
A Birthday Celebration
A 10th birthday calls for a special breakfast for a chocolate-loving kid. And a growing boy can eat all of it!
One More National Park and a Surprise Along the Way
After leaving Carlsbad, we headed westward across Lincoln National Forest and the high country near Cloudcroft. I did not mention the possibility of encountering snow to Logan, but as we topped out at 8,400 feet elevation, there it was! Remnants along the roadside.
Baby carrot from the cooler
Good cell phone signal in Cloudcroft made it possible for Logan to call home on his birthday. Then it was the steep highway grade down off the mountains into Alamogordo, NM. We settled into Oliver Lee Memorial State Park campground and enjoyed our first showers in three days. Logan sought out another kid to hang out with and we met up with him and his parents the next day out at White Sands National Park.
I think the highlight of the trip for Logan was the gypsum sands of White Sands National Park. We purchased a sand sled and set off into the dunes. His campground friend found us and they had a blast together.
Logan and Brian set off into the dunes
Largest gypsum sand dune field in the world
Logan with his campground friend from Kansas
Desert sunsets are magical. The sinking sun lit up the mountains behind our campsite.
Some points of interest before returning to Texas . . .
Sculptures of burros in Carrizozo, NM
Valley of Fire lava flows just west of Carrizozo
Smokey Bear Historical Park, Capitan, NM
Near the location where he was found as an injured cub in 1950 in Lincoln National
Forest. After living out his life at the National Zoo in Washington, DC, he was
returned to New Mexico for burial in 1976.
If you are part of our generation or spend any time in national forests, you know about
Smokey Bear, but his story seems to be unfamiliar to younger generations.
Smokey's final resting place
Our last planned stop was our favorite Texas state park - Caprock Canyon in the Panhandle. An hour before sunset, the weather was cold and blustery (39 degrees with wind chill 28) and forecasted to get colder overnight. We drove through the park to see the bison, then pressed on another hour to a motel. The bison were easy to locate, but the prairie dog mounds were empty. I guess the little guys were keeping warm in their burrows.
Motel breakfast - back in Texas
Note about geocaching: Logan had 80 geocache finds posted to his basic account before leaving home. We purchased a premium membership for him because of his renewed interest in the game. He now has 146 finds and became quite adept at finding them. He enjoyed logging his finds on my phone and watching his numbers increase. He LOVES numbers and math, like his grandfather.
