Today I drove 246.4 miles traveling from El Paso, Texas to Artesia, New Mexico.
I am spending the night at the Hampton Inn in Artesia, New Mexico.
I have a studio suite with two queen beds.
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Hello family and friends, It was another fine day here in the southwest. I left my very nice hotel in downtown El Paso just after sunrise at 7:00am local mountain time. I had to drive 106 miles northeast to Guadalupe Mountains National Park.  On the drive over here from El Paso I could see these mountains up ahead for over 75 miles. There are no roads in the park just a bunch of hiking trails, and I can't do those of course. So my exploration was limited to the vista points along U.S. Highway 62 which you can see in the picture above on the right. The pictures above and below are of El Capitan.  The picture below was taken after passing a car that was on fire. It was really ablaze with no emergency vehicles there yet.  It was very windy. Huge gusts of wind were almost constant. But that dark blue sky and the sun in perfect position made this photographer very happy. In my opinion this is the most beautiful site in all of Texas. Below is a side view just up the road from the previous pictures.  Below is the entrance to the visitor center.  There are many outstanding views to be found along U.S. Highway 62.  It was only a fifteen mile drive to New Mexico and I would be leaving Texas after ten days in the state. Below is my farewell shot in the state from the New Mexico border.  I use many resources to plan my trip. I use the site Roadside America to find obscure places. Well, they suggested I visit these aliens at the trading post in Whites City just in front of the entrance to Carlsbad Caverns National Park.  I probably could have skipped Carlsbad Caverns National Park since I didn't think I could be on my feet long enough to do the cavern tour. But the road into the park is scenic and it was only seven miles long.  Below is a picture from the road inside the park.  Although Carlsbad Caverns is rightly known for its famous caves, there are also more than 50 miles of aboveground trails that explore the desert landscape.  When you get to the visitor center, where the cavern tours depart, on the other side you can look out onto the wide open spaces of New Mexico.  I was probably only in the park for about a half hour. From here it was a 21 mile drive to the town of Carlsbad. Below is the Lake Carlsbad Beach Park in Carlsbad.  You can drive along the hill to the west of Carlsbad for and elevated view of the city.  After Carlsbad it was a 35 mile drive to Artesia which is 40 miles south of Roswell. The population of Artesia ia about 13,000 people.  Downtown Artesia boasts one of the best collections of bronze sculptures in the region. I scootered down Main Street and had a look. Below is the "Derrick Floor," a bronze artistic representation of a four-man crew on a drilling rig. The drilling rig is a 100 percent life-size sculpture cut off at approximately 34 feet in height.  Below is "Woman's Intuition." Martin Yates was part of the partnership that was responsible for the Illinois #3 oil well. After two unsuccessful drilling attempts, Martin asked his wife, Mary, to select the new drilling site. She did, and the rest is history.  Below is "The Partners." Mack Chase and Johnny Gray are captured leaning on the hood of a pick-up, typical of the way in which they made many of their deals.  Baish Veterans Park sits in front of City Hall and honors North Eddy County’s veterans. "Freedom's Fire" is a sculpture that was designed and created by Beverly Paddleford. The Bald Eagle is symbolic of our great nation, always meeting the call to protect freedom.  Also off Main Street is the Heritage Walkway. Murals running the length of the buildings on both sides with fountains.  I could show you about a several more sculptures, but your probably bored to death already. So I'll close with one last one, "The Rustler." In this scene, the Rustler has the calf down and is preparing to alter the brand, but realizes he has been spotted and is preparing for a gun battle.  I ended my day here at the Hampton Inn in Artesia. I have a very comfortable studio suite on the third floor overlooking the dumpster. Restaurants in town seem to be limited to the usual fast food outlets. I got my dinner from Little Caesar's. This is the first time I have ever eaten there. It was tasty. Got way too much though, only ate half of it. Good night, Tim |
Covers 246.4 miles from El Paso, Texas to Artesia, New Mexico. |
Click on the arrow above for tomorrow's adventures.
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