I look to the mountains ...

Guadalupe Mountains NP 

After leaving Carlsbad Caverns we headed southwest to Guadalupe Mountains NP in Texas. Again, this is the far western little piece of Texas that slides in between New Mexico and Mexico.  It was stunning and I was a happy camper once again.  Traveling, especially last summer and this winter/spring has helped me to confirm that my soul needs either mountains or large bodies of water, and preferably both. I'm perfectly happy to visit other places. I enjoy seeing them and learning about what makes them special and unique. It's funny because I was chatting with several folks who commented that they knew people who didn't like being in the mountains with trees. It felt too claustrophobic and they missed being able to look out and see for miles and miles in every direction.  But for me, I need to go to the mountains or a large body of water to feel at peace, to be zen, for all to be well with my soul. Thank goodness our country has such a diversity of landscapes, geography and geology and a diversity of people with different likes and dislikes who inhabit it.  Plenty of room for all. 

Now that we've established that I'm a happy camper, let's move on to this park. The Guadalupe Mountains are very interesting. They just rise up over 3000' above the Chihuahuan Desert. Not only do they contain many fossils from the Permian Sea, they also have the three highest peaks in Texas.  Apparently these mountains were a reef in the sea. 🤔 I have a hard time picturing that, but that is what they say. 🤷 On the other hand, I had no trouble picturing El Capitan which sports a 1000' cliff face. It makes for dramatic scenery.

We did some really great hikes. On one, to "Devil's Hall" we happened upon a multigenerational family group of bighorn sheep with at least three babies, excuse me, lambs. We watched them for almost half an hour. Observing the dynamics between the different members of the group was very entertaining. And of course, I took a gazillion pics!  Another hike followed a wash down a canyon. The mountains were bare, except for some cacti, but down by the washes there were trees that had just started leaving out. I do so love those fresh new leaves. And they even had some maples ❤️ A couple of miles down the trail was a guest house/lodge that had been built. It was so charming. The entire structure, including the roof, was made of stone. We sat on the front porch in big wooden rocking chairs in the sun. It was hard not to consider the hike satisfactorily completed, but we still had several more miles we wanted to cover, so after another half hour or so … we dragged ourselves away and continued our hike.

We ended the hike at a grotto, turned around and headed back. The trail still kept going …

And now … pics!

The hike to Devil's Hall left from our campground and followed a wash up through a canyon, mountains on each side.


Texas Madrone tree.

Juniper cones look like berries. They are coated with a waxy substance that helps to protect them from the heat and dryness. 

Who doesn't love a blue butterfly!

The bighorn sheep family

Mamma 

Two old babes 

Mamma with the littlest baby

The three musketeers (note the little guy hiding to the left) and see their little horns starting. So cute.

Hello sweet one, mamma's right here.

This is the stopping point for many on the hike to Devil's Hall. It's called the Devil's Stairs. However, if you approach it from the side, you can sort of climb/shimmy along a ledge and then climb up when it's wider.

We made it! Devil's Hall.

The cliffs are very steep and tall

Martin taking a break (or rather waiting for me while I take pics 😂)

The view from our campsite

Another pic of the Texas Madrone tree.

I thought the dried seed pods were beautiful

Remains of the stop of the Butterfield Overland Route, a mail route like the pony express, for the southwestern section of the US.

Remains with El Capitan towering behind.

Another shot of El Capitan.

We went to a farmstead one day.

The main house and outbuildings.

I've become fascinated old fencing.

Lizzard

This farmstead was built here because of a spring. It's always about a water source in the desert. When we walked out to the spring we saw this old dead tree. Check out the cactus growing on it!

Our second big hike, Mckitrick's Canyon

The white gravel in the center of the pic is the "wash" (empty riverbed) when it rains they can get flash floods.

The guesthouse/lodge. All built of stone. Check out the roof.

Some flora that caught my eye

Last year's seed pod 

And some pretty little flowers

The grotto at our personal turnaround spot on the hike. 

Benches at the grotto

Heading back now. Just for perspective, that tiny little white dot above the mountain is the moon 😂

More pics as we head down the canyon 

Baby maple leaves ❤️

I have to comment about the camping accommodations.  The area for tents is beautiful, spacious, and really lovely.  The area for RVs and campers …not so much…it's a parking lot!  But on at least three sides are these fabulous mountains and views, so it really wasn't as bad as we were prepared for it to be.

Anyway, there we are, all "tucked in" in our campsite. 😂


One last view of El Capitan as we were leaving.

A picnic area. So check out the sun/wind protection on these tables! 😳

You didn't think I'd have a blog without a sunset pic did you?


Next stop: City of Rocks State Park, NM

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