Category: 2024 Snowbird Trip
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Manzanita and Smith Springs
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Today, we hiked to one open pool of water surrounded by tall grasses and up to another desert oasis pool that was forested and had delicate Maidenhair Ferns and mosses growing in the crystal-clear water. Both of these places were important sources of water for people in the past, including the last ranch inhabitants and…
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Old Guano Road Trail
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We were in need of fuel, groceries, and a car wash, all of which can be found in Carlsbad, the town 30-minutes north of Whites City. This town is very busy with lots of traffic traveling through. There was a cloud burst while Tony was giving Usain a bath at the A & J Car…
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Devil’s Hall trail and the Cactus Cafe
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Wow—what a fun hike! We had to clamber over boulders in the wash, climb up a “natural staircase” wall, and walk through a limestone canyon that had a twelve-foot opening, making it a narrow “hallway”. It was only a five-mile round trip from the Pine Springs Visitor Center, but it had some challenges and beautiful…
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Guadalupe Mountains National Park
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Two creek crossings, picturesque canyon walls and beautiful plants like the Texas Madrone tree are what you see for the first part of the McKittrick Canyon Trail. The Madrone trees are really beautiful with smooth, red-tinted inner bark seen after the outer bark peels off on branches that spread outward. The leaves are red-rimmed and…
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Addendum to The Big Cave
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Tony shot this video of moisture coming in the Natural Opening. We had some very light sprinkles this morning and that upped the humidity here. I also forgot two things in my post that I found interesting:
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The Big Cave
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Eight-acres for the largest chamber, 30-miles explored length, 1600-feet-deep, 17 bat species—these numbers are impressive and help picture the immensity of Carlsbad Cavern. The 1.25-mile trail begins at the natural opening and ends 750 feet deep at the elevator shaft that brings everyone back to the surface. The trail is made to be accessible with…
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Carlsbad Caverns National Park
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Whites City, which is not a city at all, is the turning point along Highway-180, The National Parks Hwy, for Carlsbad Caverns. The RV park here is not spectacular, but it is convenient to both Carlsbad Caverns and Guadalupe Mountains National Park. We are going to hang out here for one week so we can…
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Permian Basin Oil Field and Whites City
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We drove through the highest-producing oil field, the Permian Basin, in the US today. We saw big Crude Oil tanks, oil refineries, drilling platforms, power-lines, and trucks carrying all kinds of equipment and products. We passed temporary worker housing, many of which were covered RV parks. There were a few gas stations and food trucks…
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Ft. Davis National Historic Site
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Our last day in Ft. Davis was a cold, blustery day. We visited the grounds of Fort Davis, which was an active fort from 1854 to 1891. This was a large, 523-acre fort built into a box canyon with nearby Limpia Creek providing water. During the Civil War, it was occupied by Confederate troops for…
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Madera Canyon Trail
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We tried to hike a Davis Mountain park trail, but couldn’t sign in for it as the office was closed for a meeting. We decided to drive 19 miles up the road, past the McDonald Observatory, to this trail which is owned by The Nature Conservancy as part of the Davis Mountains Preserve. This is…