From Yuma to Carlsbad via Las Cruces

So leaving Indio in California we have some serious driving to do the first day's plan was to get to Yuma, visit the prison and sleep there, we decided to push on and try for Gila Bend at the door of the Sonoran National Forest, this way we could stop and sleep in Tuscon to spend some time with a friend that lives there. It didn't work out because they had previous plans for thanksgiving so on the second day we made it to Las Cruses in New Mexico, a good spot to go refill our groceries and since it was Black Friday we also did a bit of shopping, then we hit the road for a third day passing trough El Passo Texas and then driving to Carlsbad New Mexico the site of the famous Carlsbad Caverns National Park, I'll get more into it on my next posting.

Saquaro in the Campsite

As we were arriving at our fisrt stop at Gilla Bend we were passing trough a forest of Saquaro cactus and the sun was setting I was very much in the need to stop and take pictures of them in the sunset, but unfortunatly by the time we were parked the only one available was in the campground and didn't offer much possibilities. Not the shot I had in my head but I did the best I could with it.

Saquaro in Nature

The next day as we crossed the National Forest I pulled over and took some pictures. Then back in the car for the long drive to Las Cruces.

Rock Formations in the National Forest.



So we got to Las Cruces as the night was setting in, we parked on top of a high mesa overlooking the city and we were so tired that we went to bed right away. The next morning when I went outside to walk to the showers it was very cold and we had heavy rain all night. There was a storm front closing in and it was causing the clouds to roll in over the mountains and on the city in the valley down below.

Zoom in on the clouds passing over the mountain

A wide shot with the city of Las Cruces at the foot of the mountains

We then hit the road again with Carlsbad as a destination for today. In order to do so we first have to drive to El Passo and then use secondary road trough the high desert and a mountain range with a low cloud cover. Quite a ride we got ther at sunset once again.

A dry lake in the high desert of New Mexico

El Capitan in Guadeloupe Mountains National Park as we are crossing the mountain pass, we are now only 40 to 45 miles from our destination.