Reviews

Read more about the article Elephant Butte Lake State Park

Elephant Butte Lake State Park

We stayed at Elephant Butte Lake State Park for several days.  This state Park is located in South Central New Mexico in the town of Elephant Butte.  The water levels are down to just 3% capacity according to the Las Cruces News. This resevior is part of the Rio Grande Project, to supply power and irrigation to Southern New Mexico and Western Texas.  When built in 1916 it was the largest man-made lake in the world!  Over the past few decades, southwestern states like New Mexico have on average experienced warmer temperatures, earlier springs and less snowpack in the mountains.  There…

Continue ReadingElephant Butte Lake State Park
Read more about the article Carlsbad Caverns National Park, Travel update

Carlsbad Caverns National Park, Travel update

Due to Covid everyone must get online tickets to tour Carlsbad Cavern.  We had tickets for 9am on Monday!  There are 2 ways to get into the cavern...by elevator that goes down approx. 1000’ or you can walk the Natural Entrance that followed the first explorers’ route, also descending approx. 1000’; we chose the Natural Entrance!  This route enters through a large “natural” hole and the path is similar to hiking the Grand Canyon!  It is hard to explain how steep the paved trail is, with switchback after switchback and fairly dark.  The “natural entrance” travels about a mile and…

Continue ReadingCarlsbad Caverns National Park, Travel update
Read more about the article Brushy Mountain State Pen!

Brushy Mountain State Pen!

We left Richmond on Thursday, spent the night in Wytheville, VA then headed to Melton Dam State Park outside of Knoxville.  Our site was a challenge due to it being on the edge of the road with just enough space for the Airstream and monster truck! We had the Airstream perfectly situated and realized the hookups were too far away!  So we had to maneuver again in a very narrow area....Our destination for this stop was Brushy Mountain State Penitentiary for a tour!  Brushy Mountain State Pen operated from 1896 - 2009 and housed the most dangerous men in TN.…

Continue ReadingBrushy Mountain State Pen!
Read more about the article Arizona-Sonora Desert Museum

Arizona-Sonora Desert Museum

Yesterday we toured the Arizona-Sonora Desert Museum adjacent to Saguaro National Park.  The concept of the museum is to allow visitors to see the nature of the desert in a natural setting.   The museum consists of several buildings that include live habitats for reptiles, butterflies, hummingbirds as well as a vast area of a desert zoo.  We headed to the reptile building and saw the local rattlesnakes (so we can identify them to the medics when we are attacked by one hiking), but quickly left because this building was also a Covid incubator!  We then went to the outdoor…

Continue ReadingArizona-Sonora Desert Museum