Aug 26th to 28th - Carlsbad NM to Kerrville TX

Aug 26th – Fri – to Carlsbad NM
After replacing the landing jack clips and moving to the dump to empty our waste tanks, we were on the road about 9. This meant we avoided rush hour traffic which can be pretty bad in Albuquerque. Terry thought we would take I25 south to I10 but when I checked on the GPS, it was almost 100 miles further than going about 40 miles east on I40 and then south on 285 – thank you Wanda!
We stopped for diesel in Vaughn, for a sandwich in a rest area somewhere south of that and pulled into Carlsbad RV & Campgrounds just after 2. The temperature was 103 so after setting up and drinking a glass of ice water, we checked out the indoor “heated” pool. I still can’t figure out where they got cold water for the pool as I could not run enough water to get cold water in our tap! It took Terry a while to ease into the pool but it was very refreshing.
On the way back to our rig, we paused to speak to a couple who had just checked in and who we had passed on the highway earlier today - we recognized their tow car. We told them that we were going to the bat flight this evening at Carlsbad Caverns and they decided to go as well. The bat flight program started at 7 and the bats started flying out of the cave about 7:40. It was very disappointing as there is a much smaller colony this year due to dry conditions and fewer mosquitoes for the bats to eat. Last year the bats looked like smoke coming out of the cave and formed visible “clouds” as they flew away.
It was still 91 degrees when we got back at 8:30 but the AC was doing a good job.

Aug 27th – Sat – Carlsbad
We lazed around a bit and had breakfast before we went back to Carlsbad Caverns. We walked down the Natural Entrance and then did the loop around the Big Room. We have done this before and it is amazing how much you don’t remember. It is so incredible that we have Senior Passes and get into national parks for free as it certainly encourages us to repeat these visits. The 2 larger elevators are being renovated but there weren’t a lot of people so we didn’t have to wait to take the elevator 750 feet back to the top. Even a wait would have been better than walking back out the Natural Entrance – 1 ¼ miles with an elevation gain of 800 feet.
Back in town, we filled up with diesel and stopped for a hamburger for lunch. We relaxed for a while and did some research & emails on the computer and then went to WalMart for some ingredients for dinner.

Aug 28th – Sun – to Kerrville TX
I personally think we are crazy – heading east & south in the summer when nearly everywhere in the country is having hotter than usual temperatures.
We left at 8 intending to stop at Sonora Caverns but decided we had enough caves for a while and carried on to By the River RV Park & Campground just outside of Kerrville and just off I10. We did stop for fuel & lunch in Ozona (!!) but otherwise just cruised along the freeway and kept the AC going. There is not much to see in the part of Texas that we drove through.
Apparently a lot of snow birds stay in the Kerrville/Fredericksburg area of Texas because of the low prices and moderate temperatures. The employee who checked us in was from Colorado and didn’t know the winter temps here however.
We are in a large, shady spot on a sluggish fork of the Guadalupe River. When we set up, it was 104 outside and 100 inside. We sat outside in the shade for a while to give the AC time to get the inside cooled off, took a walk to the river proper and then crashed inside. We got a bit of a thunder/rain storm which really turned up the humidity and definitely convinced us to watch TV inside for the rest of the evening.