Highway 93 2024
  
 

Day 03

June 19

  
   
   
  I've got to get away early because I have a specific Carlsbad Caverns tour appointment at 1:15 PM and I have over 400 miles to cover to get there.  
   
  The streets are deserted at this early hour but that comes as no surprise.  
   
  It is way too early to be hurtling through the Texas hill country where wildlife is more than abundant. But sometimes a feller just has to do what he has to do.  
   
  This is one of the few times I am actually glad to reach the interstate as the wildlife possibilities are little more limited.  
   
  Once I get some daylight I make a quick fuel stop for BlueBelle and ...  
   
  a little fuel for me.  
   
  As I rush along it sure don't look good but I see some blue in the distance so I just keep rolling.  
   
  I find the terrain out here very interesting as I see some distant mesas then ...  
   
  rolling hills stretching across the horizon, then ...  
   
  what looks like an ancient Egyptian pyramid in the distance.  
   
  Soon I leave I10 behind and pursue Highway 285 north toward the caverns.  
   
 

Along the way I see several places where they are doing a 'burn off' which I guess is normal but it sure makes me stop and think. Here is the 'official' explanation -

If there are sudden increases in pressure as the gas comes to the surface, explosions may occur. Burning off the gas is a way of reducing the pressure. This is known as "safety" or "non-routine" flaring.

 

  
   
  Out here, often it is hard to tell where the mountains stops and the sky start.  
   
  I find it really strange that from the direction I am coming, there are no major signs indicating the turn off to the caverns. This is a National Park and usually the signage is very good. But I figure it out and find the entrance in short order.  
   
  It's a nice run in but I am very observant about the speed limit as this would be a federal ticket.  
   
 

I'm finally there and I shed my riding gear and secure it to BlueBelle. I'm a bit early for my scheduled tour so I go up to the desk. I ask -

"Can I get on an earlier tour since there appears to be time?"

"Yes we can do that. Do you want to walk down the natural entrance or take the elevator?" he asks me.

"I'm old and tired so I'll take the elevator" I reply.

He directs me to that option and a young ranger gives me the dos and donts while in the caverns.

  
   
  It is interesting that they have pressurization 'chambers' entering and exiting the caverns. I notice on the elevation that I am over 700 feet underground. Once I get into the caverns I look for a place to wait for the guided tour. Once again, there is no signage, no indicators, no instruction or even a ranger to direct me as to where the tour will begin. I wander around the immediate area and I am thoroughly confused. I'm pretty good at following instructions due to my USMC training, but there has to be some to follow. I finally spot a sign that says 'Self Guided Tour' so I figure that seems to be my only option at this point. I just hope the signage is decent enough to follow. I strike out and immediately enjoy the various views and the 56 degree temps.  
   
  I used to do quite a bit of wild cave exploration growing up but I never ran into any formations quite like these.  
   
  The icicles in stone are amazing as they seem to be dripping from the ceiling.  
   
  And there are very curious rock formations everywhere like this one they call a 'lion's tail'.  
   
  Fortunately the signage is pretty good but there is a mystery. Along the way are small plaques with numbers on them. I presume there is connection with the numbers and information but it is nowhere to be seen from my vantage point. In my walking I come upon a group of formations called the 'Fairyland'.  
   
 

Some places have signage with some explanations, but most do not. When I see this I can't help but think of a piece of music I practiced early on in my piano training. It is called 'In the Hall of the Mountain King' and is a piece of orchestral music composed by Edvard Grieg in 1875. It was written for an opera and scene is this -

"There is a great crowd of troll courtiers, gnomes and goblins. Dovregubben sits on his throne, with crown and sceptre, surrounded by his children and relatives."

  
   
  I find the various types of rock formations fascinating as this looks like a waterfall that has been frozen in time.  
   
  The singularly long finger of stone pointing upward grabs my attention as I pass by.  
  v
  This a good view of stalagmites growing from the cave floor with some impressive stalactites hanging from the ceiling.  
   
  Then I come to the 'Silent Bell' formation which is still wet and still growing.  
   
  It has been an interesting walk though I would have liked to have been on a guided tour. I decided that these caverns are a lot like Bryce Canyon with its 'hoodoos' except they are underground.  
   
  I go back out through the pressurization chamber and make my way up to BlueBelle and the ever present heat. Soon I am on my way ...  
   
  back down the mountains and up to Roswell, better known for the 'Roswell Incident' back in 1947.  
   
  I was curious about Roswell as I have been through Area 51 on more than one occasion which is another 'hotbed' of supposedly 'alien' activity. Here it is less 'covert' and more open as even the local Dunkin Donuts gets into the act.  
   
  Located on the main drag of the city, Roswell also has a UFO museum and research center and ...  
   
  has a UFO Festival that I believe is held annually.  
   
  When I arrive at my motel for the evening I find that ...  
   
  even they get a little into it.  
   
  I find a safe place to park BlueBelle for the evening and get her tucked in.  
   
 

What I don't find out until I arrive is there has been a very serious forest fire in Ruidoso and Roswell is the closest major town that people can reach without being blocked by the fire. Fortunately I made my reservations a long time back as there are no motel rooms to be had in all of Roswell. And the motel is having a hard time as many of their cleaning staff have not showed up because of the fire. So I have a pretty good wait for a room but I figure that is a small problem compared to what a lot of folks around here are dealing with. A man sitting next to me tells me -

"My house in Ruidoso is nothing but a pile of ashes now. My uncle had just closed on a house Monday and was going to move into it today on Wednesday. Now there is nothing to move into since it too is a pile of ashes."

I also get to meet Lilly, the wonder dog, who has fled from the flames bringing her master with her.

  
   
  Most of the dining places are pretty well filled with people so I scope out my options. Right down the street there is a Whataburger and I haven't been to one in many years. They branched out into Tennessee many years ago and then closed them all down. Now they are staging a comeback with a few selected stores in Tennessee.  
   
  It's still a pretty good burger and fries and it certainly fills the empty spot for the evening.  
   
 

As I wander back a lady standing outside notices my USMC hat and asks me if I am a combat veteran. I tell her -

"No, I was in during Vietnam but the USMC kept me stateside the whole time programming their computers."

She's a combat veteran of the 'sandbox' wars and we get to talking about various matters. She lives and works right in Ruidoso and came to Roswell when the residents were required to evacuate the area. When I tell her I am on a motorcycle ride, she warns me that the roads that I had planned on taking tomorrow are blocked by the fire and traffic. She kindly writes down a new route that she says will be more interesting and avoid all the fire trouble. I thank her and wish her well and make my way back to my room so I can change my route. With that bit of business done, I find my route to land of Dreams easy enough without a GPS.