Carlsbad Caverns to Santa Fe took only 4 1/2 hrs. It was almost a straight route north from Carlsbad. Santa Fe has a population of only 70,000 people but it has a high level of sophistication giving the feeling that you're in a major art center.

Almost due North From Carlsbad to Santa Fe

New Mexico has been a delight to visit so far. Santa Fe is a real treat. This time of year attracts lots of tourists so the main attractions do get a little busy but it's very manageable.  One area we visited is Canyon Road. A real funky place with art, folk shops and Indian jewelry to marvel at. The galleries are very sophisticated and you could spend hours on Canyon Road going into the galleries and looking at the incredible paintings and sculptures.

Another landmark we visited was the St Francis Basilica, a French design but everything else reflects its Spanish influence.  

Outside the Basilica in the square we saw an interesting old cowboy/hippie. Linda asked if it was okay to take his picture.

The Lizard Wall

I loved this picture

We are off to Taos tomorrow for 2 or 3 days then to "Ghost Ranch" where Georgia O'Keefe lived in Abiquiu, NM. 

Check back soon. Bye for now!

We arrived in Carlsbad, NM from Llano Texas on Tuesday 1st of July. We spent three nights here in Carlsbad. The highlight of this destination is the magnificent Carlsbad Caverns. Just unbelievably beautiful.

Here is the route we drove to Carlsbad and the route we will be taking to Santa Fe on Friday 4th of July. Hope we find great fire works Friday night to view!

South Eastern New Mexico is similar to Texas as it seems the whole economy is based on energy, oil and gas productions.Small oil/gas drills spot the horizon in almost any direction you look. 

Overall we really like New Mexico and we love the Carlsbad KOA where we stayed.

Peter cleaning up after breakfast

Just imagine driving through a canyon with steep hills scattered with rocks, sage brush and cactus. Using your imagination you see Indians on top of the canyon walls. That's what this area feels like. Except this time it was my beautiful Linda I saw in a small canyon pass.

We arrived Carlsbad Caverns to find police cars with lights on directing traffic through different areas of the parking lots to get to the main parking entrance because of a car accident. Unfortunately, a car lost control the night before (drinking?) and went over the edge. Had to be Med-vac by helicopter out for medical care. Look closely at the hill for a black SUV being towed up the steep slope.

   

Back to the caverns. The pictures don't do the caverns justice as there isn't any color in the rock formations, mostly washed out earth tones but magnificent in size, shape and sheen. 

Chinese dance troupe

The formations are different and ever changing everywhere you look

Looked like a miniature city

Rock of Ages

The Big Room is as large as 6.2 football fields. 

The caves began forming between 3 and 11 million years ago, after the uplift of the Guadalupe Mountains began. Google this natural wonder, it is amazing. It's the largest cavern in the Western Hemisphere.

Check back soon for an update from Santa Fe.  By for now!

We arrived in Austin, Texas Thursday 26th of June in the late afternoon. Setup camp in a nice RV park only 10 miles outside of the downtown area. Went out for dinner and just relaxed the rest of the evening. Peter said he got the best night sleep yet since we left. The weather is not very hot and our coach temperature is a constant 76 degrees. Very comfortable.

Friday we had an easy morning and then set out to explore downtown Austin. This is a very funky city!

We needed to grocery shop so we went to Whole Foods. What a place!  We have never seen a Whole Foods as big as Austin's flagship store. You need a map to walk around.  Whole Foods had it's start in Austin and we found this old picture of the original store.

The first Whole Foods

Wow, free?

20 ft high wall of "living plants" Really beautiful!

Great way to get around Austin




There are food trucks everywhere with every kind of food you can imagine!

More great street food

Parking in Austin. Small rules!

                         

Great place for lunch

                   

Need I say more?

A condominium that was started and never completed has become the amazing Baylor Street Art Wall.
Crowded with photographers, tourists and the artists themselves, it's a great place to spend a couple of
hours.  The art is constantly changing so it's always a work in progress!

Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center

Arrived Llano, Tx

We arrived in Llano, Texas Friday 29th of June. Llano is a small, old, sleepy Texas town with a population of approximately 3300 residents.We are visiting Linda's old friend Paul and wife Kimberly. Great people! They live on a farm they purchased last year. Paul from Long Island, NY has become the farmer and Kimberly is a OR nurse in a nearby hospital. They have a beautiful house with goats and chickens and sometimes unwanted visitors like scorpions, snakes etc.

2 week old goats

Mom with her babies

Goat with attitude

We stayed at an RV park on the river which was beautiful!

Paul and Kimberly took us to a place called the Slab.  Slabs of concrete were layed over the dry river beds to get across.  They've since made it more of a one lane road but it's still under water at certain times of the year.  It was really gorgeous.  There is a lot of flint which the Apache indians made into knives, etc., and

the rock is beautiful granite.  It was an amazing day.

Voted Best Bar-B-Q in Texas several years in a row is Cooper's in Llano.  It really was fabulous!!

Another favorite watering hole is Castell general store in a sleepy little town, but don't be fooled. On the weekends 700 people come on a Friday or Saturday to drink beer and listen to music. Even our little car would have parking problems. A really cool place!

Next stop Carlsbad, NM.  Come back soon !