Southwest Region

Hot Springs

After driving from New Mexico toward our home in North Carolina, Hot Springs National Park was a perfect place to relax, unwind, and rejoice the New Year. The unique blend of a small city, low-lying mountains, and of course the minerals of 143 degrees of water help create this delightful setting. The park collects 700,000 gallons a day for use in the public drinking fountains and...
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Carlsbad Caverns

There is an underground world away from the sunlight called Carlsbad Caverns National Park. Here in southwest New Mexico, there is an incomparable realm of gigantic subterranean chambers, strange cave formations, and incredible structures....
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Guadalupe Mountains

In the northwest corner of Texas are the grand views of Guadalupe Mountains National Park. We hiked in the summer snow along the Devil’s Hall Trail. The Guadalupe peak of 8749 feet above sea level was adjacent to us. No trail was viable since snow covered the path. Therefore, we gingerly stepped in footsteps. However, solitude surrounded us. We saw no other humans or animals....
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Big Bend

We spend our winter vacation driving our 2008 Honda Accord to New Mexico and back to North Carolina. Our objective was to cancel four more parks. Our first achievement was Big Bend in southwest Texas. This is where the road ends at the Rio Grande, the boundary between the United States and Mexico....
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