Day 7 - a little more

Ken worked all day 8-5 Eastern from the camper.  Then he successfully converted one of our two Honda 2000i generators over to low pressure propane so that it can run off the propane that we use for the camper fridge, grill, and stove.  

He took the tray off the front of the SUV to work on the generators and we are going to the Bat Flighht program at Carlsbad Cavern NP this evening (no photos allowed).  This will also give us a 40mi. round trip test run of our SUV as we plan to have the transmission checked out in Albuquerque in a couple days.  Albuquerque is about a 4.5 hour trip from Carlsbad.  We plan to stop for some sightseeing in Roswell on our way through.

The kids and I went swimming while Ken worked, then there was a thunder storm.  The stiff breeze and "chilly" 91F temperature was very welcomed by all of us Northeasterners.  

Driving into Carlsbad Cavern NP

Carlsbad Cavern NP - a few evening photos before the Bat Flight program.

(note: Ken checked the transmission fluid once we got to the visitor center and it appears to be overfilled - at this point we should be fine driving to ABQ with the camper in a couple days.  My cousin is helping us set up an appointment at a shop to get everything checked out and an oil and fluids change.)

Back to Carlsbad Cavern NP - the drive up the mountain was exceedingly beautiful.  The Guadaloupe Mountains look like a wasteland from a distance, but up close, they are teeming with life.  The CCNP Visitor's Center sets utop a smaller mountain.  We were shocked by the strength of the wind when we got out of the car - and bewildered by the expansive view.  Breathtaking.

The Bat Flight ampitheater was about 90% full of people, including a school bus full of high schoolers.  The Ranger gave instructions about no noise, no electronics, no cameras during the bat flight, sadly the group of school kids in front of us had decided that the "even a sneeze can affect the bats" warning did not apply to them. Thankfully, the bats put on quite a show dispite the added noise.  It was an incredible experience to witness the maternal colony of Brazilian (?)-tails circle and swarm out of the depths of the cavern into the twilight to consume 1/2-3/4 their body weight in moths and insects.  A huge black speckled highway formed to the south of the cave's natural entrance as close to half-million flying mammals went out for the hunt.  

Sunset from the Visitor Center.

As we headed back to the RV Park, we stopped for a few extraterresterial photos:

More Carlsbad Cavern NP tomorrow as we descend into the depths of the Earth, and as the children add another badge to their Junior Ranger collections.

Day 7

Good morning!

In order for us have an extended vacation, Ken is working remotely one day per week.  Today is one of those days. Unfortulately, the wi-fi here is unreliable, at best.  We are at the Carlsbad RV park in Carlsbad, NM approximately 20 - 30 minutes from Carlsbad Cavern NP.  Our plan is to just rest and relax today, perhaps do some laundry, swimming, etc., then go to the Bat Program this evening.  Carlsbad Cavern NP is well known for its Bat Flight evening program where visitors can witness the bats leave the cave for their evening hunt.  Tomorrow we plan to tour the Cavern and some of the children will do the Junior Ranger program.  As it turns out, there will be no Cavern tours on Friday, so our timing is perfect for a tour on Thursday.

The campground here has an indoor swimming pool!!!  So, no need to reapply sunscreen every 20 minutes while swimming, although we still need it for walking around the campground, etc.

We are having a couple problems though.  The A/C in the camper did not seem to be working last night. (It was 107F at 7pm Mountain last night!)  The transmission on our Excursion got hot yesterday and we had to let it cool before proceeding.  When we stopped to set up camp, we realized that there were dried splatters of an oily liquid along the driver's side of the vehicle and the camper.  Ken checked it out and believes that the seal around the transmission line is leaking as the pan was full of fluid but when he checked the transmission fluid dipstick, there was plenty of fluid.  My cousin in Albuquerque is helping us to get an appointment with a mechanic for Saturday as the RV park manager here siad that the local mechanics are not good and to drive at least an hour north to find a decent mechanic.  Our situation does not seem critical, but it does need to be attended to before we enter the Rockies.  We will know more when we drive to Carlsbad Cavern' Bat Flight program this evening as we will leave the camper here at the rv park when we go to see the bats.  It is about 20 miles south of here, so if all goes well, we will hitch up Friday morning and head toward Albuquerque with a stop in Roswell along the way.

Not sure if this photo shows it, but the fluid sprayed the entire length of the camper as well as part of the Excursion.

Zeke on the swing set in the sprinklers at almost 8am Mountain time.  We have stayed on Eastern time and have not attemped to adjust.  

Our 2003 Excursion with a front hitch mount rack and both Honda 2000 generators.  So far, we have not used the generators as we have been staying at RV parks with electric hookups.  We drydocked one night at a Bob Evans resteraunt in Ohio and one night at Mammoth Cave NP, but it was cool enough to sleep without the A/C.  

Day 6

Today we have a long haul drive ahead: Ardmore, OK to Carlsbad, NM via Texas.

This is what Oklahoma has looked like pretty much the entire time we have been here on US-70 across the southern part of the state and through Choctaw Nation:

Oklahoma reminds me a lot of western NY, rolling hills, lots of fields with cattle, and long stretches of highway with a small town here and there where there is a gas station and a few houses.  There are lakes and ponds along the highway as well.  Occasionally a deer will cross the road in front of us, which is not fun with the long braking time needed for the camper!

We crossed the Red River into Texas around 10:50a Eastern time.  

"Yeeeeeeee haaaw!"

And Ken found a Mexican-style music channel on the radio - and he really likes -these- signs, although we are actually traveling in the 60-70mph range.

Miles and miles of Texas!  We saw our first cacti in Red Springs, TX.  Prickly Pear cacti along a hedgerow of brushy trees -- but I didn't get a photo.  It seems like Texas is comprised of vast cattle ranches with some wind farms and oil rigs here and there.  Most of the named roads off the state road are red dirt.  

We will be passing through Lubbock then continue southwest into Carlsbad, NM. 

For those who are curious about such things, everyone has had a good attitude thus far with onlya couple   little squabbles about electronic chargers and storage for electronics.

Cattle

Ken and Abby have better photos.

We did stop for about 15-20 minutes outside Dickson, TX to let the transmission cool, but we are back on pur way now.