Tombstone/New Mexico/Guadalupe Mountains (Days 5-7)

Day 5: Arizona to New Mexico

During our second night of camping in Catalina State Park, we were hit with some unexpected rain...which put a figurative and literal damper on the process of packing up camp. Nevertheless, we persisted, and departed eastward for our first stop of the day, Tombstone, AZ. You can probably guess the itinerary: we visited some saloons (including my favorite, Big Nose Kate's) and watched historical reenactment of the gunfight at the O.K. Corral. It's a fun place to walk around if you can lean into the kitsch. We ended up spending a bit more time here than expected (forgetting about the time change from MST to MDT screwed up some plans...whoops), but you can definitely fill anywhere from a couple of hours to a whole day here.

We said goodbye to Arizona (for now) and headed to Las Cruces, NM for a delicious dinner at La Posta de Mesilla. The building dates back to the 1840s, and was used as an important stagecoach stop, post office, and hotel before converting into a restaurant in 1939. The restaurant is enormous, and even includes a piranha tank! Dinner included one of their signature dishes created by the restaurant, the tostada compuesta, along with some fajitas, and of course - sopapillas. I don't love/am not great at taking food pics, but you can trust it was thoroughly enjoyed.

​Day 6: White Sands to Carlsbad

After spending the night in Alamogordo (and traveling through our first border patrol checkpoint), the next morning we headed to White Sands National Park - which, in a word, is otherworldly. These stunning gypsum dunes are a must see if you are in the area, and if you are really short on time, you can drive through the entire park in an hour. We had a bit more time than that, so we opted to rent sleds and try our hand at riding the dunes...Alex was much better at this than I was. ​

From White Sands, we drove to El Paso, TX for two specific reasons: cowboy boots and food (and a Whataburger Mexican Hot Chocolate shake, for good measure). Mission #1 was not completely successful, but still enjoyed our visit to Tony Lama's Boots. I did at least find a cowboy hat, and Alex bought me a shirt. Wide foot problems...may have to get some cowboy boots custom-made one day.

​Our next historic Southwest restaurant stop was L & J Cafe in El Paso. Originally opened as 'Tony's Place' in 1927 (as a bootlegging joint with home cooking), it opened legally in 1934 - although bootlegging and gambling continued inside false walls throughout the establishment. Their signatures are a THICK chile con queso, green chile enchiladas, and of course, more fajitas. It's a good thing we never get sick of Mexican food!

Day 6/7: Guadalupe Mountains and Carlsbad Caverns

Sadly, we had big plans to spend a night camping and exploring Guadalupe Mountains National Park (which is vastly underrated), but when the weather forecast called for high winds/dust storm advisory, we opted to stay the night at a motel in Carlsbad, instead. We were lucky enough to spend a little bit of time exploring what we could of Guadalupe, including what would have been a stunning campsite overlooking Guadalupe Peak (the highest point in Texas). The following day, we were able to tour a historic homestead in the park (Frijole Ranch Museum) - built in 1876, these are some of the oldest surviving settler structures in the area.

The one thing I will note about this park is it most accessible to those who are more interested in hiking/backpacking/camping...there is no scenic drive through the park, and much of it has to be explored via trails. However, I was glad to see there were multiple accessible campsites in the campground, and you can park very close to the museum, at least. If you are heading to Carlsbad Caverns and not afraid of being somewhere rather remote, Guadalupe Mountains is only 45 minutes away and well worth a stop.

Last but absolutely not least for this post - Carlsbad Caverns National Park! This is of course a well-known attraction (for good reason), but on this day, we were especially grateful for a refuge from the dust storm. I was a little nervous because caves give me some claustrophobia...but did not have any trouble here, as it's enormous. They say the Big Room could house the U.S. Capitol building 2 times over....I believe it! We opted to take the elevator rather than the much more strenuous Natural Entrance hike, but you still get to stretch your legs plenty as you walk the 1-1.5 mi path through the Big Room. Not a hot take by any means, but it's a must see - and fairly accessible, as well. 

Next up: We are heading to Big Bend and won't have service for a couple of days, but I'll catch up on the next stops (Marfa, Big Bend) next week!