We left Fort Stockton on Friday and drove to a BLM campsite near Carlsbad, New Mexico. The campsite is a flat open camping area on Government land where you can camp for free - no hookups but the price is right.
Our campsite - this is a large open area in the desert about 10 miles from the city of Carlsbad. It is a good location as it is near town but also about 15 minutes (the opposite way from town) from Carlsbad Caverns National Park which is one of the places we want to see and about 45 minutes from Guadalupe Mountains National Park. The first couple nights there was only one other camper here and this evening it looks like there will be four. The place is very clean and very quiet and peaceful - except for the wind - the wind was really ferocious today.
Our camper from about a mile away using a telephoto lens.
We went and checked out the City of Carlsbad today - this is a panoramic view from a hilltop overlooking the city. We hiked up a trail we found behind the University Of New Mexico satellite campus (click on the picture to enlarge)
The entrance to Guadeloupe National Park
El Capitan (the other one) the rocky outcropping to the left of the mountain and Guadalupe Peak - the highest point in Texas at 8751 feet (the park is in Texas) - we had to drive back to Texas to enter the park. We enjoyed the park even though it wasn't on our list of things to see - we were so close that we decided we should check it out.
We had planned to do a long hike while here but unfortunately most of the trails don't allow dogs so that didn't happen. We were however able to do the "Pinery Trail" which has the remains of a stage stop from the 1800's (enlarge the next two pictures for details).
Donna and Darby on the trail to the stage stop ruins
The ruins of the main building
The remains of one of the outbuildings
Just about a mile down the road from the main entrance is the Frijole Ranch which is the most complete example of a working ranch from the 1800's in the Guadalupe Mountains
The main ranch house and outbuildings
One last view as we were leaving
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