Living Desert Zoo & Gardens, Plus Southwest Judy, Bob, & Two Black Dogs - (Carlsbad, NM)

Hey, this Mountain Time Zone might not be so bad.  It was light out at 6:00 am and Linda was the first one up.  Of course I didn't get to sleep in.  "It's a pretty sunrise, come take a picture."

So we started with a little sunrise over the campground.

Hey, if she gets up at 6:00 each morning, her coffee will be done by 8:00 and maybe we can get our days started a little sooner.  :)

Before we got going today, we called America's Best Campground to do a little Rally follow-up.  With 34 rigs and 72 people ready to commit, we were comfortable giving the campground a number so they could get a contract in process.

So we requested 50 RV sites.  That put is in the "contract pending" status rather than the more precarious "thinking about it" status.  :)

We should have the contract this week.  Once we get the contract signed and sent back with our deposit of $25 per site, we will then be "officially" booked for our June 11 - 15 dates.  And we can breathe a big sigh of relief.  :)

I'll have an online registration form and information on how to go about making the deposits posted in the next day or two.

We don't anticipate having any problem filling up 50 sites.  Once things are official, the time gets closer, and folks see the quality seminar line-up and itinerary we will have, I think those will get taken pretty quickly.  :)

We can exceed 50 and add more as we go up to the registration deadline of April 30, 2008 (as long as there are still spots available in the campground).  We understand that a year in advance is a long way off, and it is too early for lots of people to commit - heck, I'm pretty sure we wouldn't commit that far in advance.  :)

But we are not including any cabins in our initial contract, so if you want a cabin I would recommend registering as soon as you are sure so those don't get reserved out from under us.  Hotel rooms shouldn't be any problem.   

Okay.  Moving on. 

Now that we are here in the Carlsbad area, we debated what to do first.

The dilemma is that we are at the end of a month where we are tight on budget, we need to get more diesel, and the venues we want to go to are a bit of a drive.  Plus, because of one of those two or three commitments we have each year, our time in New Mexico is limited on this pass.

So our mindset has been to squeeze as much in as possible while we are here.  But you know what?  I think it's time to change that mindset.  New Mexico will be here for awhile, so I think it's time we relax and get back to our slow pace.  We'd much rather explore each area thoroughly than rush through, even if it means fewer areas this time around.

Whew!  I feel better.  A month certainly isn't enough time for a whole state.  It's not even enough time for half a state for us.  So we'll pick a few spots and take our time as we head north.  But we'll be back.  :)

I debated playing golf since the public course in Carlsbad is cheap, but instead we chose a fairly close attraction that would only take a couple of hours or so.  We went to the Living Desert Zoo & Gardens State Park.

It was a place we had come across online and somewhere several folks recommended.

The Living Desert Zoo sits on a ridge overlooking Carlsbad and the Pecos River.

The zoo consists of a 1.3 mile self-guided trail through native plants and representative habitats.  We enjoyed learning about the plants more than the animal exhibits.  Never thought I would say that.  :)

But we did get a few animal pics like the Roadrunner in the walk-through aviary.

And the endangered Mexican Wolf.

And the chubby little Prairie Dog clearly eating his corn-on-the-cob the wrong way.  :)   

But, as I said, we really enjoyed all the different kinds of plants and beautiful blooms.

This Agave Century Plant's stalk managed to sneak through a trellis.

This is a cactus bloom.

And we found this pretty little coneflower.

I've always been a fan of water lillies.

At the end of the self-guided tour is a "Succulents Of The World" greenhouse.  There were some really large and unusual plants in there.

Linda with a Ponytail Palm.  This shot is for Marilyn who carries and cares for a little Ponytail Palm as she and Ed travel full-time.  :)

According to this palm, they might need a bigger rig one day.  :)

It was a nice little park for $5 each.  Would I recommend it?  Sure.  Is it a MUST see?  Nah.

After a quick trip to Wal-mart - the big grocery run can't happen until June gets here  :) - we came home and got ready for our evening.  We were meeting Southwest Judy, Bob, and the two black dogs for the first time.

We have been corresponding with Judy for quite some time, and she is a frequent contributor on the Forum and in the Journal comments which we, of course, appreciate very much.  It was great finally getting to meet her and Bob .... and the two black dogs, Rio (right) and Rama.

We had an enjoyable couple of hours before setting off in their Ford F550 to Artesia a few miles north for dinner.  We ate at La Fonda Mexican restaurant which was pretty good and very reasonably priced.

Oh, and we did have freshly made, fluffy sopapillas with honey.  Unfortunately, I got the instructions in the "comments" on how to eat them a little too late.  :) 

After a couple of hours there, and me almost walking off without my camera - that would have been really bad - we went back to their rig.  They have a McKenzie Medallion fifth wheel, but are considering a change to something with a little more storage.

They are experimenting with full-timing for a year or so to see if it's the lifestyle they want.  They do want to travel extensively, but are not sure about full-time.  It's an experiment most folks never have the guts to take on.  :)

We had a great time really getting to know them and learning about their favorite New Mexico camping spots.  Of course, as usual, Judy, Bob, and Linda kept the conversation flowing while I mostly sat back and listened.  Every once in awhile, I'd get a word in.  :)

Every time we meet readers, I hear "Howard's much quieter than we expected from reading the Journal."  But they usually understand why I do my talking with the keyboard after seeing us together.  :)

I think we could have talked all night, but I was getting sleepy and, after seven hours of putting up with us, I figured Judy & Bob deserved a break.  :)

We made our way home to the bright light of the moon in the clear skies.  We had to dodge our share of Nighthawks, Desert Cottontails, Jackrabbits, and a Mule Deer along the way.

A gorgeous night to top off a good day of nature and a great evening with new friends.  :)   

Comments

[Al Viscardi]

Hi Howard and Linda.
Welcome to New Mexico.
Howard, if you are going to be in the Four Corners area, consider playing golf at Pinon Hills Golf Course (Farmington). We live there, so let us know.The course is widely known as one of the best in the country.

Al Viscardi

[Lee Ann McCormick]

Looks like you are settling into New Mexico very nicely! Love your campsite & todays pics also. Do not miss the Big Room in Carlsbad Caverns. It is spectacular. Wear good walking shoes & take your time! You can get by with sharing one of the audio guides, as the markers are spaced quite abit apart, easy to share. And only $3 each to enter the caverns, good for 3 days! A great buy..Enjoy!

[Judy]

Howard and Linda we enjoyed your company and the meal also it was alot of fun.
southwestjudy & Bob & 2blackdogs

[Fran]

A little education on Texas State Parks...and most other state parks, nationwide.

If you purchase a Texas State Parks Pass ($60.00 for one year) you do not have to pay the entry fees for up one year...(can be almost 13 months if purchased on the 1st day of March, the pass is good until March 31 or the last day of the month the next year, in which it was purchased. You can read about Texas Park passes at the following website.

http://www.tpwd.state.tx.us/spdest/parkinfo/passes/

Most people do not know that most states do not have big budgets for state parks. Texas Parks specifically have had about 65 % reduction in funding from the legislature. Many parks have closed due to a lack of funding. The way the parks department makes improvements, etc. is to charge an entry or parking fee per person or per vehicle. In Oregon, it is per vehicle...in Texas with a Parks Pass you AND your guests (in your vehicle) all may enter on your pass per visit.

In Oregon, the annual pass is $25.00 (2006 Rates) and the time frame is the same as in Texas...A two year pass is real bargain for $40.00.

In Oregon, they call their daily $3.00 entry fee a "parking pass" so it is per vehicle. So a pass would save you money after camping 8 days...

In Texas, I have taken as many as 8 persons (Girl Scouts over age 12) in on our vehicle pass. All you need to pay for with a parks pass is the camping fee.

If you enjoy state parks as much as Ken and I, and you are going to be in the state an extended period of time, a pass would probably save a you money.

[Howard]

Fran,
Thanks for the information. Almost all state parks have daily entrance fees.

Some states, charge campers the daily fee per person per day on top of the camping fee. Some charge campers the daily fee per day, but it is per RV, rather than per person. Some charge a one-time entrance fee just for the first day, but not for every day you are staying. And some don't charge an entrance in addition to the camping fee at all.

Most states do have annual entrance passes and even annual camping passes.

For those states that charge a daily entrance fee on top of the camping fee, you simply have to do the math. It's easy to determine whether an annual pass is worthwhile if you know how many nights you are staying in state parks in a particular state.

With us making it up as we go, we didn't know how many nights we were going to stay in state parks in Texas. We gambled that it would be less than 10 nights - the breakeven point for the annual pass. We were wrong. :)

So annual passes can save you lots of money. Or they can cost you more than necessary. Definitely consider them if you will be in a particular state a long time.

But the state parks fee structures differ so much, you have to look at each one closely. It can get confusing, so get out the calculator. :)