Adventure on our Road Trip to Wiener Dog Races in Buda, TX - Day 2

DAY 2 ... Thu, 21 Apr.

We had many plans for the day.

So we woke up Early, packed up the car, ate breakfast at the hotel and Hit the Road.

First Stop......

White Sands National Monument, New Mexico.

By the way we happened to hit all the National parks at the right time. 

It was National Parks Week .  They were all free, for the first part of our trip.

This is a large place...

We decided to do the Dunes Drive, it is an eight-mile (13 km) scenic drive, it leads from the visitor center into the heart of the gypsum dunefield. The 16-mile (26 km) round-trip drive takes approximately 45 minutes. However, you may want to allow additional time for taking walks in the white sand, photography, or learning about the natural and cultural history. The first four miles of Dunes Drive are paved and the last four miles are a hard-packed, gypsum road. The road is suitable for cars, motorcycles, recreational vehicles, and buses. Along the road, you will find wayside exhibits, hiking trails, picnic areas, vault toilets, and parking areas.

First we stopped at the Dune Life Nature trail 

This is the Nature trail where we learned about the pocket mice. 

Now where did they go? 

I need to find one.

Checking out the dunes with dad....

We Even got in a Practice Race!

*

Found a hole of a pocket rat...

Just had to try and dig the pesky thing out.

Ezri wanted in on the dig. She can be a pushy little sister. So I took a breather and Let Her have a Crack at it.

Enough! ....... let the pro take over.

I could have kept digging all day. 

But Dad said, "enough digging", 
we need to get going so we have time at our next Destination. 

So Back in the car for a  181.6 mi  to 

 Carlsbad Caverns National Park, New Mexico 

@ 12:30 pm we made it to Carlsbad Caverns National Park. I was hoping I would get to see the cave with Mom and Dad. I was up for another adventure, especially down a tunnel. But the place said, "no dogs allowed" :(. They do run a kennel. It is located off the Gift shop, so that the Pets stay comfortable while they wait. Mom put our bed in the cage with water and treats. At least we got to wait together in the same cage. I was not really happy, the other dogs were making so much noise. I said to them, "Really!!! Like you have never been told to wait before???" I said sarcastically. At least we were in the other room, where there was much less noise. Hurry back mom and dad! So Mom and Dad went off to to explore for about 3 and a half hours.

So in the afternoon, all we got to see was the parking lot and the kennels at Carlsbad Caverns. Maybe that is why it has bad in the name. Thanks Mom :(

Here is what Mom and Dad told me about what they got to see. 

 

 

The Big Room hike is a 1.25 mile hike down the Natural Entrance trail it is extremely steep, descending about 750 feet. You have the opportunity to follow the footsteps of early explorers as you see formations like Devil's Spring, the Whale's Mouth, and Iceberg Rock.

The Natural Entrance is not an accessible trail. Please assess your fitness before attempting this strenuous walk.  But they were running out of time because they need to be back to the kennel by 4:30 to pick us up. 

Once you reach the big Room there is a circular route taking approximately 1.5 hours, it passes many large and famous features including Bottomless Pit, Giant Dome, Rock of Ages, and Painted Grotto. Highly decorated and immense, the Big Room should be seen by all park visitors. the Big Room? At about 8.2 acres in size, roughly 6.2 football fields would fit into the Big Room! It is definitely well-named as this is the largest single cave chamber by volume in North America. Other caves might be longer or deeper, but few can live up to the grandeur of the Big Room of Carlsbad Caverns.

They got only as far as the Big Room and it was time to start back so they could pick us up on time. The Kennel only stays open till 4:30 and they did not know how long it would take them to walk back up the trail.

Now off to the Hotel, We are tired....

Best Western Stevens Inn, 

1829 South Canal Street, Carlsbad, NM 88220

Chilling by the Pool

What a nice way to end the Day.....

Stay tuned for more exciting adventures.....