Guadalupe Mountains National Park, Pine Springs, TX - Aug 30 - Sep 6, 2007
Photo Gallery
Labor Day Week, 2008, we made the journey once again to Guadalupe Mountains National Park at Pine Springs, Texas. This trip included a side treks to White's City, New Mexico, and Carlsbad Caverns and then to Huecho Tanks State Park and Franklin Mountains State Park in El Paso. The Mexican food in El Paso was fantastic - almost as good as the hot showers at a truck stop on I-10.
It was rainy and drizzly when we first arrived at the campground at Pine Springs, Texas. So, we just set up camp in the back of Rhonda's new Yukon. Rubbermade tubs were set out and covered with tarps and a tarp covered the raised tailgate and the air mattress was inflated. Since clouds covered the tops of the mountains around us, we decided to spend the first few days on short hikes and a trip to Carlsbad Caverns.
After nearly a full week of fog, drizzle, and thunderstorms, we finally loaded up and headed up the trail to Guadalupe Peak. After a night at the campsite near the top, we hiked (or, rather, climbed) up to the peak. The trip back down was an adventure all its own.
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The caverns were awesome. But what really made the day was watching the bats fly out of the cave. At 7:10 PM, the "buzzing" sound began. Then the black spiraling whirlpool appeared and grew bigger and wider. Eventually, the black swarm began trailing off in a north-easterly direction. Five thousand hungry bats per minute spiraled out of the cave to swarm over the landscape with one unified goal ~ EAT BUGS! |
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On Wednesday, we loaded up and went to Huecho Tanks, then to El Paso. | |
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From Huecho Tanks we drove to El Paso for a most welcome shower at a truck stop (the best $10 ever spent!). After a stop for fuel and some fantastic Mexican food, we headed back to Pine Springs on Highway 180.It was raining over the mountains and El Capitan, which afforded a beautiful rainbow. | |
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Halleluja! The rain finally stopped, the clouds broke, and the sun started shining through. So, Thursday morning we picked up our loaded backpacks and headed up the Guadalupe Peak Trail. | |
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Kim's so good... he called home |
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