Lemonade, Synapses and More

The good news is that we’re in one of our favorite RV parks, Escapees Ranch in Carlsbad, NM.  Yes, we’re still here.  The bad news is that the part is in Dallas and it will take at least 2 days to get here.  The good news is that the diesel mechanic came out yesterday and diagnosed the problem and ordered the part.  The bad news is that we spent all day Monday waiting for Vince, a different mechanic, who assured us all day that he’d get to us before the end of the day and then never showed up.  The good news is that we have several lazy days to just hang out while we’re waiting.  That’s the lemonade.

Such is life RVing.  Things break.  In this case a valve on the air system that powers our air brakes, fills the air bags we ride on, and powers the jacks.  We packed up Monday morning, thwarted the Lord of Rig (Beanie), got him in his carrier and headed out the gate, only to realize that we were not aired up like we should be.  Our butt was literally dragging.  Luckily the Escapees had room for us to return to our site and settle in to find help. Turns out that there is a desiccant/dryer as part of the air system that needs maintenance every 2 years or so.  Oops, guess we missed that day at boot camp.  Apparently we got condensation in our air system and then it froze and split a brass valve.  It gets cold in the desert you know.  That’s the synapse part – we keep learning.

But, we like Carlsbad.  The people here in the park are great and have been helpful with advice and hugs.  The Carlsbad Cavern was amazing, and best of all, it was practically empty.  We wandered through like we owned the place, marveling at the formations.  It’s hard to capture the enormity in photos. 

The Great Room - total floor space equivalent to 14 football fields.

60 ft. tall stalagmite

We also toured a nice state park that is half botanic garden (for the Navigator) and half zoo (for me).  I like good zoos.  Maybe because I grew up going to the Milwaukee County Zoo, one of the best in the country.  Maybe because I believe that once we see live animals, we can better appreciate their counterparts in the wild that we don’t see, and hopefully that inspires us to consider them as we impact the world.  This Living Desert Zoo and Gardens is worth a visit.  Oh yeah, they did a good job with the plants also, in case you care.   http://www.emnrd.state.nm.us/spd/livingdesertstatepark.html

Young bobcats acting like cats everywhere

Native female elk

Vulture sculpture at the zoo

Another Carlsbad attraction is the Flume.  A large, 100 year old aqueduct used to divert water from the Pecos River to farm land for irrigation.  It is an impressive edifice.

Back at the RV park the local animals were hanging out on the road.  In addition to the cattle we regularly see roadrunners and other birds.  

So here we are, still in Carlsbad.  The cats are content and the rig is warm.  Life is good.