Texas 2023:
Day 5 - El Paso

	Wednesday, January 25, 2023: We awoke to mostly clear skies and almost all of yesterday's snow had melted. There were just a few frozen puddles in the parking lot to be wary of when we loaded the van.
	The birds in the parking lot were all fluffed up, trying to stay warm until the cold front passed through.
	The ice scraper that we bought several days ago in Oklahoma City was worth every penny.
	We drove past Coronado High School on our way out of town. The Track and Field center had been renamed for US Navy Commander William McCool, who had been the pilot of the Space Shuttle Columbia when it broke up on re-entry in 2003.
	These flocks of geese were likely thinking about flying further south to escape the cold.
	We were still on the lookout for U-Hauls with decorations that we hadn't seen before, like this one with the state of Georgia on it.
	The cotton fields from a few days ago gave way to peanut farms, ...
	... although the peanut fields looked like cotton fields with the sparse snow dotting the fields.
	We reached Seminole, Texas, a little after 10:00 AM, ...
	... even though the clock on the city building disagreed. The two faces we could see had different times on each, so maybe one of other two faces had the correct time.
	We stopped for gas and did some shopping. Texas toast! In Texas! We bought a loaf of wheat bread and four packages of ramen to supplement what other food we already had with us, but left the Texas toast on the shelf.
	Welcome to New Mexico!
	We were surprised at how large the city of Hobbs, New Mexico, was. After passing though tiny towns with populations in the hundreds, it was quite a shock to see a city with more than 40,000 people.
	Just before 11 AM, we arrived on the outskirts of Carlsbad, New Mexico, ...
	... and crossed over the Pecos River.
	We turned off the road at Whites City .... HOLY CRAP! LOOK THOSE HORNS! ...
	... and made our way to Carlsbad Caverns National Park.
	As we drove toward the visitor center, a herd of big horn sheep came down out of the hills and crossed the road in front of us.
	This one stopped to look back at us, ...
	... as the others made their way down into the ravine next to the road.
	There was quite a large herd already in the ravine. The more you look at this picture, the more of them you will see. They blend in so well that we might have driven right by without seeing them if it weren't for the few we'd seen crossing the road.
	The road climbs up and up ...
	... until you reach the top of the plateau where the visitor center is located.
	We parked near the entrance to the Bat Flight Amphitheater and made our way down the path, ...
	... stopping to admire the colorful cactus along the route and visit the restrooms.
	On the wall just past the amphitheater, on the path leading to the natural entrance to the caves, is a Stephen Mather plaque from the 1959 casting series. It was placed here after the amphitheater contruction was completed in 1964.
	We made our way back up the path and around to the visitor center. There was a sign near the front entrance that said the caves were closed due to electrical work, which explains why the park was almost completely deserted. Fortunately, we had been here two years ago and visited the cave then, so we were only here to see the Mather plaque.
	We took advantage of the empty visitor center to look around at the displays that we'd missed the last time we were here. This relief map of the caves is stunning to look at and gives a scale to them that we hadn't realized from our previous visit.
	This sculpture of bats in flight is just inside the entrance, between the ticket counter and the gift shop. There's a plaque on the back wall noting that this is a World Heritage site.
	We thought long and hard about buying this little 3" x 4" cave souvenir, but decided against it in the end. It really needs a light source directly above it, and we couldn't figure out where we would put it. It was beautiful though.
	Back in the van, we ate peanut butter and raspberry jam sandwiches for lunch while we headed southwest ...
	... and crossed back into Texas.
	The snowfall from the previous day still clung to the Guadalupe Mountains, giving them beautiful white highlights.
	Our next stop was the Guadalupe Mountains National Park, ...
	... and we made our way directly to the visitor center, ...
	... and out onto the patio facing the mountains, ...
	... to see their Stephen Mather plaque.
	This plaque was placed here in 1991 and has a great view of Guadalupe Peak, the highest point in Texas.
	If you hold your camera around the back of the plaque, the inscription on the back is visible.
	It says "Colorado National Monument Edition of 1991 3" indicating that it was the third plaque cast from that series.
	There must have been a lot of snow here, judging from what remains on this cactus. Isn't it beautiful, with the spines of the cactus poking through the remaining snow?
	That's quite an icicle!
	On our last visit two years ago, we hadn't gone into the visitor center so we did this time. Their national park passport stamp station had stickers from the current year as well as a large number of sheets from 1997, which is when Guadalupe Mountains National Park was one of the featured stamps.
	They had displays showing the various flora and fauna in the park, ...
	... including this wild turkey and this ring-tailed creature.
	We just love these relief maps.
	Check out the beautiful bark on this Texas Madrone tree. It is mostly gray with wonderful red peeking through in places. Stunning!
	Back on the road, we took our last looks at the mountains ...
	... and the snow-covered hills, ...
	... as we made our way back down to the plains.
	We passed the historic Cornudas Cafe, ...
	... and this flying saucer-shaped building, ...
	... before reaching El Paso, Texas, just before 3:00 PM.
	We checked into the Red Roof Inn, and were thrilled to get a room on the first floor with an exterior door. It makes loading and unloading our gear so much easier.
	Dinner was two of the ramen noodle packages that we'd picked up at the gas station earlier in the day: teriyaki beef for Debbie and chicken for Tom.
	The sun slowly sank, ...
	... setting behind the mountains in Mexico. Day 6 >