Carlsbad, NM & Ozona, TX

I only use the simple uploader,and always forget that it will only upload so many at a time, and the order is always in reverse UGH! - So, these will be a little mixed up. We had a great time in Carlsbad! We had a premium campsite with a patio, firepit (for s'mores) and a swing - so loved it! We went to the Carlsbad Caverns and did the Big Room tour. We would love to go back and do the Natural Entrance, but need to wait until the kids are a little older. The second day we went to Sitting Bull Falls, the boys did NOT want to leave, and wanted to know if we could go there again once we got to Virginia. Clearly even the map on the wall of the camper with the stickers marking where we are is not clearing up the whole geography thing. BUT they can find most of the states, and are learning some of the capitals. Carlsbad is definately a place we want to go again.

Ozona? Not so much. Ozona is in the middle of, well, nowhere. And, 5 1/2 miles away from the campsight (a truck stop - no picnic tables, no shade, but it did have a pool) one of the tires on the camper shredded. So, in 105 degrees Matt had the privilege of changing a tire on blacktop. He says that if any of you are having trouble sleeping, this works better than a pill! Fortunately, there was a tire store that was open at 8 a.m. to get a replacement spare. We will be getting at least 1 more in San Antonio, since there is another tire ready to go. Matt thinks he will change that one though in the comfort of a campground. Hopefully.
This is just outside the Natural Entrance to the Caverns, we didn't go in, but wanted to see it. At dusk each night bats fly out, there is a whole little theater viewing area to watch them come out...

At Sitting Bull Falls, too tricky for Stephanie to come over. The falls were 55 degrees, then spread out into several little pools. James & Andrew for some reason have started checking nutritional information (calories) on the back of everything. We did not teach them this. But they already say they are fat - generally right after they eat when they have a little puppy belly each. And the doctor told me "not to worry" when James lost 6 pounds just over a year ago......I still can't believe that.

Stephanie playing in one of the pools - she really was there!

We spent the most time at this pool, there were rock walls for climbing and the water was about 5 feet deep so there was some jumping and swimming going on. The water down here, was still cool but considerably warmer than 55 degrees.

I tried to put a picture here that shows the backdrop for the pond, but blogspot cropped it. I'll e-mail it if anyone is interested. It was BEAUTIFUL!!

This picture should be last, James went down this "waterslide" then Andrew, and finally Stephanie had to get in on it - she actually went down twice!

Andrew and Kerttu at the beginning of the walk through the Big Room. The little paddles were for self quidedn tours, at each various points you punched in the corresponding number and learned a little about the history of the caverns. There were both kid and adult versions. The boys did not miss a number and listened to some of them twice!

In the caverns listening to the "bats" talking to them. Stephanie was not happy she didn't have her own, so we let her listen to ours a couple of times, but the adult one just isn't as much fun.

You were not allowed to speak above a whisper in the caverns, and the kids managed it, although looking at this picture it's probably hard to believe. We were in the cavern close to 2 hours!

Well, that's it for now, we are in Fredericksburg heading for San Antonio today. Will hopefully get an update in on our stop after that - I think Lake Charles, LA.

Michelle