Artesia is a town just north of us. In its "Old Town" it has some phenomenal large bronzes. One is of an oil rig, commemorating the men(& women)who spawned the oil industry in the area. It covers 1/2 of a block. My favs are three bronzes on street corners that form a triangle of a cattle rustler, a ranch hand and the trail boss. They are all in action - the ranch hand is firing a gun to let the trail boss know that he has spotted the rustler. The trail boss is spurring his horse forward to get the rustler, and the rustler is on the ground with the rustled steer - reaching for his gun and his horse.
This is the Trail Boss.
We also took a couple of trips to Carlsbad. It is a good sized town with lots to see. For Christmas, they do "Christmas on the Pecos", which is a ride on the Pecos River in a boat to see the Christmas lights on all of the houses that go all out along the river. There is also an Old Town area, that includes the beautiful Eddy County Courthouse.
We also went to a wine tasting at an old redone hotel - The Trinity Hotel.
Outside of town is the Living Desert Zoo & Gardens. It is a beautiful place, even in the winter when a lot of the animals are hibernating (yep- even here) and the trees are bare.
There is a 1.3 mile trail that takes you through the variety of habitats found in the Chihuahuan Desert. It was fun to learn the names of some of the plants we've been seeing. There were a few animals to see in the zoo along the way. Mountain lions were almost as interested in us and we were them. There were some endangered species that the zoo is trying to help. They have a successful Bolson Tortoise breeding program. The adults were walking around while we were there. We also saw an endangered Mexican Wolf. It was HUGE - and quite beautiful.
This was another of my favorites - a Burrowing Owl. They live in burrows other animals have dug and are active during the day.
Not a favorite, but fascinating to see anyway, were the snakes in the Reptile house. All different sizes and species - I was shocked at all of the different kinds of Rattlesnakes. It was a little unnerving to see one shaking his tail, poised to strike.
Another day, we made the decision to drive down to Carlsbad's claim to fame - the Cavern. What a lovely drive!
and this was the view from the top looking toward Texas!
There are two self guided cavern tours, that are free with park admission (thanks to Ron's Life Time Senior National Park pass that was free too!). One starts at the Natural Entrance.
The trails were steep, but beautifully maintained, and the cave was breathtaking.
The trail went on for about 1.25 miles and believe me, we oohed and aahed the whole way. I was amazed after the narrow passageways in Wind Cave, at how big the rooms were. I hadn't seen anything yet. The Natural Entrance trail brought us to the second free tour - the Big Room! It was huge! The trail around it was over a mile and you can't keep your mouth closed, it is that beautiful.
My pictures don't begin to do the Cavern justice, so if you are ever anywhere near Carlsbad, make it a point to go. Or, if you are a fan of caves, plan a trip to see it. It is truly spectacular.
Well, we are heading west soon. Happy trails!
No comments:
Post a Comment