southerntidesfl
- Feb 10, 2022
- 2 min read

CAVES, SLEDS AND TUCSON

Moving onward...Our next destination was Carlsbad Caverns National Park and the Guadalupe Mountains in southern New Mexico. We overnighted in our first BLM (Bureau of Land Management) camping area, where the overnight temps dipped into the low 20's.

We toured Carlsbad Caverns National Park taking the elevator 750 feet underground. It is so dark, when you step out of the elevator, that it takes several minutes for your eyes to adjust. The caverns are beautiful and only illuminated with dim white lights. It really makes you sense the depth of these caverns, which actually increases your anxiety levels at times. 😳 We walked around the trail, throughout the "Big Room" of the caverns, for approximately 2 miles and then found our way topside to enjoy the outdoor views.

With 16 degrees predicted for the next morning, we decided to find a campsite with electricity to assist our furnace in keeping us warm. We located a Harvest Host winery, Balzano Family Vineyard, very close that actually provided power at no extra cost. The wine, snacks and electricity were amazing!! We also enjoyed visiting their farm animals before retiring for the evening.

White Sands National Park was our next destination. On the way we stopped at Pistachioland and loaded up on nuts 😂 Yum 😋

We camped at Oliver Lee Memorial State Park, which had the most beautiful views of the mountains above and the valley below. It was our favorite park so far! We played in the sand dunes during the day and then went on a sunset stroll, led by a park ranger, which was super informational!

The road was calling, so we headed out with Tucson as our next major destination. We stopped at another Harvest Host winery, Lescombes Winery, on the way and enjoyed more good wine. There's never a shortage of that going around for us! 😜

We have been able to see so many good friends and family along our way, and Tucson was no exception. Gil and Linda, dear friends we hadn't seen in years, invited us to "mooch dock" on their property and it was exceptional! We enjoyed great meals, having happy hour on the back porch, visiting the Saguaro National Park, touring the perimeter of the Airplane Boneyard at the Davis-Monthan Air Force Base and just plain catching up! Their beautiful property is completely fenced in and Harlie was in heaven, as she was not restrained with a leash. Thanks Gil & Linda! We will be back 😊