Carlsbad, New Mexico (Day 2)


Day 2 at our KOA campground began surprisingly lazily. We had a leisurely breakfast, took Pepsi for a non-rushed walk, admired all the bunnies on the campground and then took our time to write our last two blog entries.

After lunch we made our way to Sitting Bull Falls. The drive was interesting. The roads became smaller, steeper and more winding as we moved into the Lincoln National Forest area. We were not only welcomed by two cows lining the road, but also by very dark clouds and lightning.

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The signs, “Don’t Enter When Flooded” became a lot more significant to us. When we were surrounded by three thunderstorms we considered turning back but pressed on instead through the beautiful mountain area.

We were well rewarded. Sitting Bull Falls is 130 feet high and has lovely pools for swimming that create an oasis in this desert-like surrounding.

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After our swim in the cool water we had a long talk with Ranger Zane Corman about trails, caves and above all, mountain lions and snakes, a definite reality in this area. We learned that mountain lions cowardly attack from behind and that rattlesnakes do not necessarily rattle before they bite and that they are able to leap the length of their body.

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Dinner was at Lucy’s Mexicali Restaurant, an extremely busy Mexican restaurant in Carlsbad. It was definitely worth the wait.