RV Living stats from the road

We have been on the road for over 4 months in our 34' motor home named Moose.  With our three slides, we live in 318 sq ft.

Since our last post we have been traveling in Texas and New Mexico covering 1488 miles in 34 days.  

The weather has been in the 80's and down to 20's and everything in between.  Michigan is not the only state that can change 20 degrees in one day's time.  The difference is the day time highs recover rapidly and our average temperature has been about 60.

131 days on the road

4,998 miles 

29 campgrounds

12 states

$17.37 average daily camping cost

Carlsbad Caverns

After the Guadalupe Mountains Texas we headed north to Carlsbad, New Mexico

Entrance to Carlsbad Caverns National Park 

The road up through the mountains to the caverns

Still going up the twisting turning road to the top

After  a quick stop at the caverns we traveled to Carlsbad for camping

First night KOA

Nice park for the night

Second and third night at Brantley Lake State Park 

Brantley Lake State Park was a very nice location, very remote with amenities.

Lake Brantley State Park Site

Returned to Carlsbad Caverns self guided tour, what an adventure

Back to the National Park

Looking from the visitors center to the self guided tour entrance

Amphitheater overlooking the cave entrance

Cave entrance

After entering the cavern the bat cave was to the left

After entering the cavern the views were awesome 

There were some narrow places

The pictures don't reflect the beauty

Some info on the climb down, 1 1/2 hour

At the bottom is a snack bar/ souvenir shop

Facts on the Big room

Unbelievable Caverns

Again pictures don't give the view the credit it deserves

What was beveled to be bottomless turned out to be 140 feet

Beautiful curtains

Small trail outside of the visitors center, it was a 9 mile loop

Guadalupe Mountains

After Big Bend we traveled to the Guadalupe Mountains in Texas, The drive was very exciting with the high wind gusts and 7-8% long mountain road grades. We experienced our first desert dust storm, unbelievably large.We stayed at Pine Springs National Parks Campground, pretty much a paved parking lot with no hook ups. You can hike right from the campground with a starting elevation of around 5600 feet.

Guadalupe Peak 8751 feet tall from about 20 miles out

Guadalupe Peak from about 10 miles out

Guadalupe Peak as you enter the park

Entrance to Pine Springs Campground in the Guadalupe Mountains 

This is our camping spot, no hook ups in a paved parking lot

View of the Campground from the beginning of the trail

The start of Devils Hall Trail

Devils Hall Trail

The trees were very different

Cactus getting ready to flower

Wildlife

Big Bend National Park, Rio Grande River

We spent 3 wonderful days in the park. Our weather was perfect, sunny and temperatures reaching into the 80's.

There are lots of 4 wheel drive only roads in the park.

Gilberto Luna lived in this "jacal" with his large family 

until 1947 when he died at the age of 108.

This is the beginning of the trail through the canyon.

The Rio Grande River, on the right Texas, on the left Mexico.

A view from the trail looking down to the Rio Grande River, notice how small the people are, they are standing in Texas, 

Mexico is on the right side of the river.

Were moving further into the canyon.

We walked up and then down to the canyon floor.

Were on our way back from the canyon and still pretty high up.

Were parked to take a trail down to a place called Hot Springs.

We weren't sure what to expect.

The path to Hot Springs.

We weren't expecting actual hot springs, this water was 103 degrees.  The water flowed over the edge into the Rio Grande River.  Look right behind the lady in the blue swimsuit.  

We got into the springs too.

Today was valentine's day and we were sitting along the Rio Grande river enjoying some tequila.  Out of the brush from Mexico comes a burro with two men crossing the river into Texas, that's how easy it is to enter without going thru customs.

This is the Boquillas Port of Entry within Big Bend Park, where  people legally enter Texas.

Deck spotted a wild boar roaming in the brush while driving.

Once again we were enjoying a view of the Rio Grande river.  

Two people are crossing back into Mexico in a canoe.  

There was a group partying just up from the rivers edge in Mexico we could hear loud music and laughter.

This is a view looking to the right.

A spot in the park with wild donkey's.

There were a lot of wild flowers blooming, this was amazing to see.  Just around the corner to the right over this bridge were the burro's.