Month: March 2018

SW Trip Stop #7, Kartchner Caverns State Park

We were lucky to get a site for one night at Kartchner Caverns State Park. It is a beautiful park that is less than twenty years old with wet caverns, which are still growing.

Camping At Kartchner Caverns

Kartchner Caverns in Benson, Arizona, is about an hour away from Tucson. Our son lived in Tucson  several years ago and suggested we visit.  It is the newest, most modern State Park we have seen in our travels and we had a perfect spot just a few feet from the bathhouse.  There were sidewalks everywhere with prickly pear and barrel cacti and mesquite trees for landscaping.  Very pretty!  Below is a link to the park.

https://azstateparks.com/kartchner

While we were there, the weather was pleasant in the daytime and not very cold at night.   We really liked having such a modern bathhouse so near.  The park has restrooms, showers, and a dump station, but no sewer or laundry.  Our site was $35,  a little high for a state park, but worth it.

Campsite at Kartchner Caverns
Site # 37

The countryside around Kartchner is very beautiful and the sky was so blue!

Countryside across from Kartchner Caverns
Across the street from the park

We had reservations for a cave tour early the next morning.   Reservations are recommended and we had booked them on line the day before.

Path to Discovery Center at Kartchner Caverns
Path to the Discovery Center

Kartchner Caverns Cave Tour

The cave tours begin at the Discovery Center and then a tram takes you up the mountain.  The tour was very interesting with cave formations resembling curtains, bacon, and columns.  Two young men discovered the caverns in the 1970s but they kept it secret for many years.  Consequently, the structure around it is relatively new.

It was cold in the early morning and we wore coats to the  Discovery Center, but the cave was 70 degrees with 99% humidity and too warm to keep them on.

The tours last about 90 minutes and photos are not allowed.  They are strict about visitors not touching the formations as well because the cave is still growing and touching can cause harm.

Conclusion

We came back to the campsite and cooked breakfast before heading out.

Teardrop camper with man seated
Our setup at Kartchner

Kartchner was a leisurely break for us.  The park features beautiful views, friendly camp hosts, immaculate facility, and the caverns for entertainment.

If you are interested in how we planned for this trip, a link follows to the post.

Planning That First Long Trip

 

Retired couple

Next stop Tucson!

 

 

 

SW Trip Stop #6, Las Cruces, New Mexico

Las Cruces, New Mexico is a beautiful part of the country. We just had one night there, but we wish we could have stayed longer.

Beautiful New Mexico

This was our first time to visit New Mexico and the beautiful countryside was amazing. I took the photo below at the Visitor’s Center.

Man standing by cacti
New Mexico Visitor’s Center

Also, the ride along the interstate in New Mexico was very picturesque.  For much of the time, train tracks paralleled the road off in the distance. The trains with the mountains behind them was a lovely sight.

We saw something on this leg of our journey we have never seen before, tumbleweeds crossing the road.  They were quite large and we tried to avoid them on the road. Interesting!

New Mexico countryside
View from my car window

Seeking a Campsite

Las Cruces was just a one night stopover with no prior reservations.  We called that morning and were very lucky to get a spot at Siesta RV.  When we arrived, Mike, who checked us in, told us that many people had called after us and could not get a site.  The campground was totally full.  Lesson learned:  call early in the day for a reservation if you do not have one during the high season.

The campground had partial hookups, cable, and a laundry, but the sites were very close together.   Mike was great!  He even reopened the office to get us change for the laundry.

I neglected to take a photo of our site, but we just put our interior gear on a picnic table.

The campground was just off I-10 and near Target, Wal-mart, Cracker Barrel, and Holiday World, a large RV Dealership.  Holiday World had the Little Guy Max and the T@B 400, both of which we had been wanting to check out.  They were very nice and we spent some time with another Mike who showed us the campers and gave us lots of info about them.

Mesilla

The small town of Mesilla was within walking distance and is well-known for its shopping and restaurants.  Most noteworthy, Mesilla is one of the oldest and frequently visited communities in southern New Mexico.   It was voted best vacation getaway in New Mexico for 2013 and 2014.  I wish we could have spent more time there, but we had reservations at the next stop.

We chose La Posta for dinner because it was mentioned in reviews of the town. It was incredible!  The building is in a former stagecoach station and a favored stop of the Butterfield Stagecoach Line.  The restaurant has been in operation since 1939 and has authentic Mexican food that is fantastic.  The food is made from centuries old recipes handed down from three families.

It also has beautiful decor.  Live tropical birds and aquariums are in the entryway.  Additionally, the restaurant has beautifully decorated the individual dining rooms.

La Posta Restaurant
One of La Posta’s dining rooms

After the RV visit and meal at La Posta, we did laundry.  It seems we cannot totally escape domestic chores.

In conclusion, Las Cruces and Siesta RV was a great place for us to stop on our way out west.

Next stop, Benson, Arizona.

Retired couple