July 21, 2011
Carlsbad, New Mexico is perhaps best-known for the stunning Carlsbad Caverns, despite the fact that the caverns are actually 23 miles from Carlsbad, much closer to the tiny town of White’s City. Carlsbad proper is a small but vibrant arts community. Dad and I had the good fortune to visit during the 40th birthday celebration ...
July 20, 2011
When Dad and I planned this summer’s road trip through the American Southwest, we created a loose itinerary based on major attractions. The Alamo is one the Old West’s most famous sites, so we planned a trip to San Antonio, Texas. When we got to San Antonio, we were happily surprised to discover a plethora ...
July 19, 2011
It is truly amazing how many times you can read a book or see a movie without retaining all of the details. Young Guns II, the 1990 sequel to Young Guns that highlights the further exploits of Billy the Kid, is one of my favorite films. I love the sequence in the brothel, when the ...
July 18, 2011
When Dad and I were in Roswell, New Mexico, we stopped by the official Visitor Center. A wonderful representative there helped us plan a new route–the Billy the Kid Scenic Byway, which runs through the Hondo Valley region and includes the town of Lincoln New Mexico, where Billy the Kid got his start as an ...
July 17, 2011
Dad and I learned a very interesting lesson during our Western adventure this summer: Texas is a big state. Of course, we already knew the facts and figures, but maps simply do not do it justice. Even more importantly, we learned that West Texas is desolate. When we left San Antonio, headed for Carlsbad, New ...
July 10, 2011
My love affair with travel began as a small child. Dad was in the Navy, so Mom and I frequently made the journey between Norfolk, Virginia and her parents’ home in Lakeland, Florida. When I was nine, Dad got a civilian job with the Department of Defense. Whenever we could, Mom and I accompanied him ...
July 9, 2011
The Three Rivers Petroglyph Site is in the middle of nowhere, along Highway 54 between Carrizozo and Tularosa, New Mexico. Managed by the Bureau of Land Management, the site’s tiny budget does not leave room for a Visitor Center, gift shop or restaurant. But there are clean restrooms and a small ranger station staffed by ...
July 8, 2011
New Mexico’s Carlsbad Caverns National Park is the third largest cave system in the United States and arguably one of the best-known. I am a bit of a cave nut, so when Dad and I planned a Southwestern adventure, Carlsbad Caverns was one of my must-do attractions. We visited just days before a wildfire raged ...
July 7, 2011
Southern New Mexico is an interesting study in contrasts. Barely had the Old West died out, its outlaws and lawmen dead or too old to continue fighting, before the atomic age began. Although the atomic age officially started with the detonation of the first nuclear bombs in Japan during World War II, the groundwork was ...
July 7, 2011
Dad and I are on an extended RV tour of the Southwest this summer, after wintering in Central Florida. Planning a cross-country trip can be tough, especially when many of the best places to see have little or no online presence. So we created a loose schedule based on the big, obvious destinations. Our plan ...
