CARLSBAD CAVERNS AND SAN ANTONIO RIVERWALK

Wow, it's been such a long time since I posted anything to my blog.  This may sound silly but I've been gone so much I haven't had time to post.  We just recently returned from a whirlwind tour of Nevada, Arizona, New Mexico and Texas.  All of this was done camping with my husband, daughter, son-in-law, grandson, and Jack Russell terrier.  (Couldn't leave out the dog because she provided comic relief on the trip).  We were camping this trip in their trailer and the coolest day we had was 106 in the shade.  We started in Las Vegas (110 degrees) and I discovered a new slot machine called GHOSTBUSTERS.  It was so much fun you didn't even mind losing your money (well almost).  We stayed at a beautiful campground in Vegas called the OASIS.  It had a huge swimming pool so we submerged ourselves to our necks to survive the heat.

Next stop the Grand canyon and Sedona in Arizona.  We stopped at Montezuma's Castle then on to Sedona for lunch.  I'm not going to add pictures of this as I have shared these on previous posts.  We went to Sliding Rock State Park but got there quite late and they wouldn't let us enter with the dog, so we will save that for next time.

On to Albuquerque New Mexico, the only thing memorable there was a terrific lightning storm.  After you leave California all the land is pretty much flat with lots of cactus.  We did see lots of antelope on the way.

Our next stop was Carlsbad, New Mexico.  This was the most memorable of all. We went to the Carlsbad Caverns and took an elevator 750 feet below the earth and witnessed some of the most beautiful rock formations you can imagine.  I am now going to try and narrow down some of the pictures but you cannot imagine the immensity of these caverns.  They are seven football fields long.  We walked a mile and a half underground.  

The thought of going 750 feet underground terrified me and I didn't know if I could do it, but when I got there it wasn't like I thought.  You enter a very modern building and go down an elevator to the caverns.  When you get down there it's very cool compared to the 105 degree heat outside.  They have well marked paths to walk along and it's impossible to get lost in the caverns.  I was very proud of myself for doing this until the elevator ride back up.  We started up the elevator and about 50 feet up the elevator stopped.  The elevator operator let out a gasp at which point I clutched my chest (thought I was going to have the big one).  She assured us everything was going to be OK.  I asked her is this happened often.  She said "not very often and I'm always startled when it happens,.  We had to go back down and level out the elevator before we could go up again.  When the door opened I asked her if I could take the other elevator and she assured me that it was safe to try again.  (This was my worst nightmare, being stuck in an elevator 750 feet down).  We did arrive safely the next time.  If you ever find yourself in New Mexico I would highly recommend the caverns, it is a once in a lifetime experience.

Next stop San Antonio Texas.  Among the things on my bucket list to see in life is the San Antonio Riverwalk.  I was not disappointed, it was amazing.  Just as I imagined except for the 105 degree heat with humidity.  We stayed at the Embassy Suites right on the riverwalk and here are some pictures.

This is our hotel in the background.

We also went to the Alamo which is one block from the Riverwalk.  

This was very interesting, they had Davey Crockett's long rifle and the clothes he was wearing when they lost the battle of the Alamo and he was killed.  This is a very sacred place to the Texans because without this battle there would be no Texas.

They have water taxis that travel the canals of the Riverwalk and you can get on and off anywhere along the way.

We said goodbye to my daughter and her family and  took a flight out of San Antonio and came home to some 85 degree temps in Lodi (what a welcome change)  I would love to go back to San Antonio and see more of the sights another time and during a cooler time of the year.

Hope you enjoy my blog, until next time, take time to see  the USA, it's an amazing place.