Every summer, usually around July 4th, I am obligated to travel back home to Carlsbad, NM to visit the family and let them see their granddaughter. This year, the July 4th weekend was supposed to be my 25th Carlsbad High School reunion. However, it was cancelled at the last minute due to “lack of interest.” Regardless, the vacation dates still went on as planned with my daughter and I parting for Carlsbad on Thursday, July 3rd and returning to Houston on Monday, July 7th.
Flying to Midland
The closest commercial airports to Carlsbad are Midland, TX and El Paso, TX. Both airports are about 150 miles away. For some reason, it is more expensive to fly to El Paso, so we always fly in to Midland.
Since we flew out at the start of a major Holiday weekend, I had expected a crowd at the airport. I don’t know if it is just the current state of the economy or what, but checking in today and going through security was the lightest I have ever experienced at Bush Intercontinental.
Our flight was on time and weather was great. We arrived in Midland at 11:15.
Driving To Carlsbad
We had very, very light traffic the entire 150 miles from Midland to Carlsbad. The roadways are all two-lane nearly all the way except for a short stretch on Hwy. 385. We caught a little rain shower around Andrews, TX. I later looked up the precipitation figures for 2008 when I got on the computer and was shocked to see that the Permian Basin area (e.g., the desert) had more rain this year than Houston.
Locking on to a neighbor’s unsecured wireless
I brought my laptop with me on the trip, of course, but Carlsbad is not really known for its technological advances. My mother has a low-speed dial-up connection at the house so I figured I would make do with that. However, a search of the local wireless networks turned up a surprise: there was an unsecured router somewhere close enough to where I could make a connection.
Killer Bees
Once connected to the internet, I looked up the local newspaper online (www.currentargus.com) to get some information about the Fourth of July activities. The headline for the July 3rd edition stated that a swarm of suspected killer bees had attacked a residence in Carlsbad, killed a dog; injured a second dog and a horse the day before http://www.currentargus.com/ci_9770192?source=most_viewed
Wal-Mart doesn’t want our money
My daughter and I tried to go to the local Wal-Mart on the morning of July 4. We needed a few things so found them and got in the checkout line. There were only 2 manned checkout lanes open and 2 self checkout lanes open. All lanes were backed up at least 5 carts long and moving as slow as Big Brown at Belmont. After waiting 10 minutes in the self checkout line and only seeing one person actually check out, we ended up just stuffing our would-be purchases in a nearby empty shelf and leaving the store.
It is worth noting that we went back the next day and were met with a similar check-out experience. This may come as a surprise until you realize that there is no competition for Wal-Mart in Carlsbad; there are no K-Mart, Target, or other discount stores at all. If you want to take your business elsewhere, the closest store is 32 miles away in Artesia, NM.
Roswell
The 61st anniversary of the UFO crash landing in Roswell, NM was celebrated over the July 4th weekend. The festival, held in Roswell, of course, draws some 6,000-8,000 attendees each year from all over the USA and other countries and even with the skyrocketing price of fuel and a struggling economy, this year was no exception.
Fireworks on the Pecos
July 4th always means fireworks and Carlsbad usually puts on a good show. Held on the “beach” in Carlsbad (e.g., Pecos River Recreational Area), the local Fire Department shoots off some $30,000 worth of fireworks every year. As a kid, I really liked the fireworks show and as an adult, I am still awestruck at the display.
Living Desert State Park
High up on a hill on the northwest edge of Carlsbad is the Living Desert State Park- known to the locals as the Zoological and Botanical Gardens, or just Botanical Gardens. A self-guided hike around the 1.3 mile trail will give you some great insight to the life and history of the the Chihuahuan Desert. You will see some 50 species of desert mammals, birds and reptiles as well as nearly 500 varieties of plants and cactus.
Drive-In Movie
Drive-in movie theaters are pretty much a thing of the past, but in Carlsbad the Fiesta Drive-In on Fiesta Dr. is alive and kicking. It has 3 screens and sound is provided via your own FM radio receiver. They usually show first-run movies and have a great concession area. Ticket lines open around 8:00 and the movie usually starts around 8:30 (in the summer). The three movies playing this evening were: The Happening, Kung-Fu Panda and The Incredible Hulk. We chose to see The Incredible Hulk and weren’t disappointed.
Friends
A few of my old classmates and friends still live in Carlsbad. Billy is about the closest and longest running friend I have. We met at the age of 5, grew up on the same street, went to school together and have managed to stay in touch over the years and stop by for a visit when either of us is in town. On this particular weekend, Billy was out of town with his family. His two girls are avid participants in the regional junior rodeo circuit and were up in Carrizozo for a rodeo.
I have an old girlfriend and onetime fiancé, Margie, who still lives and works in Carlsbad. In fact, it was on a trip with Margie to Houston in the summer of 1983 to visit her sister and brother-in-law that convinced me that Houston was the city I wanted to in after school. Margie and I are, of course, no longer together but we still keep in close touch.
Carlsbad Caverns
Any trip to Carlsbad would not be complete without a trip through the Caverns. My daughter and I try to make it out there ever time we visit. On our last visit to the Caverns, my daughter fell on the paved trail, skinned her knee up pretty bad and we had to cut the tour short. This year, we made it through without incident.
I was glad to see a healthy crowd out at the Caverns this year. I had feared that with high fuel prices and the economy the way it is that people might skip this experience.
Here is a link to our Cavern’s pictures. Note as of 7/8/08 that some 300+ pics were uploaded and I haven’t had the opportunity to edit the album yet. Thus, there may be some dark pics where you cannot makeout the formation and some may not be rotated yet.
White’s City, established by and named after Cavern’s founder and explorer Jim White, is the resort town that sits about
White’s City
White’s City, established by and named after Cavern’s founder and explorer Jim White, is the resort town that sits about 20 miles out of Carlsbad and right at the entrance to Carlsbad Caverns National Park.
White’s City was built and has been in operation since the 1920’s. Now the entire town is up for auction on eBay.
Back to Houston
We woke up at 4:30 MST, had a light breakfast courtesy of mom and was on the road by 5:00. Since we lose an hour once you hit the Texas state line, it was really 6:00 when we hit the road. Traffic was light all of the 150 miles back to Midland and the trip from driveway to airport took somewhere around two-and-a-half hours. We arrived at Midland International Airport (MAF) around 8:30 CST.
The flight back to Houston was on time and uneventful. We arrived in Houston around 12:30 PM. All was well when we got the car (I always fear that the battery will be dead or will have a flat tire).
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