time to see all of Carlsbad Caverns. However we get there a couple hours before the caves open (didn't factor in the timezone shift. this will become a recurring theme). So with a few extra hours on our hands we decide to track down some aliens and head to Roswell, New Mexico. Roswell is an unusual town. There's a small pocket of stores/museums that embrace the alien culture, however all the locals we talked to seemed angry with it and considered it a stupid joke. So much so that we went into to the Roswell information center and asked the experts what we should do in the city. He rattled off a few historical and art museums in the area. When we asked where we could find some aliens, he suggested Texas or Long Island. Perfect, glad we came. We find a UFO museum/"research center" and take a tour. Basically a bunch of pseudo science and conspiracy theories, but we got some funny pictures and Jake got a t-shirt...so let's call that a success. We also had mexican for lunch.Carlsbad Caverns- Finally the caverns. There's a few ways to get in and out of the caverns.
You can either walk in and out or take an elevator. I know it's weird, also pretty much the entire cave has a paved pathway and railing as well. Guess it's good so that literally anyone can access and enjoy the caves, just seems a little bizarre. We decided to walk down and then take the elevator out, despite urgings from Jake to walk both ways. The caves themselves are amazing. You wind your way deeper and deeper into the belly of the earth and you quickly feel the light and heat leave you. It was in the 80's at the surface entrance, but with in 5 or 10 minutes we had reached the constant 52 degrees stasis in which the cave remains. As soon as you enter you walk past the batcave. Sorry ladies no Christian Bale. The residents of this cave are mexican split tail bats, and unfortunately they are still vacationing in mexico for a few weeks, so we don't get to see the famous sundown bat flight. If you're planning on going, make sure to coordinate with the bats, they apparently put on a great show.The actual cave formations are incredible. It gives you a really strange sense of time, knowing that your entire life is just a blink of the eye to these rock monoliths. It's kind of like going to an art gallery where the pieces have been worked on for millions of years and are still under construction. We each take about a hundred pictures and talk to an older gentleman who had visited the caverns over 70 years ago when he was in high school. Overall, well worth the time.
fuel, food, cactus, and jelly (no longer beer)- Driving through New Mexico we wind our way back south to
Texas to make our stop in Mexico. Along the way we are driving into a 30+mph head wind. Jake almost loses an arm trying to open his car door. We can pretty much lean forward 20 or 30 degrees and let the wind hold us up. We're super low on gas and stop at a tiny truck stop service station. Jake and Tim go in and the following hilarity ensues:Before Tim can tell the store mgr how much we owe, the mgr pulls out his binoculars and reads the gallons and dollars off the pump.
Mgr: "Where you boys from?"
Tim: "Pennsylvania"
Mgr: "Heck, they ain't no pennsylvania plates"
Tim: "They're new"
Mgr: "What you boys doing out here?"
Tim: "We just got back from Carlsbad Caverns and are on our way to El Paso, then Juarez"
Mgr (shakes his head and makes the sign of the cross): "Don't you boy's catch nothin you can't get rid of"
El Paso- We make it to el paso and check into a ho-jo and then off to eat again. How bout mexican...ok. We drive by UTEP seeing their stadium and a little of their campus and then retire for the night. The air conditioner rattles ominously through our slumber. More on this later.
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