CARLSBAD CAVERNS, NM - GETTING TO THE BOTTOM OF THINGS

The underground "lobby" at Carlsbad Caverns National Park.

It had been a long-time goal of mine to see the caverns. My first attempt was on my first business trip for my previous employer. The government had been shut down by political games and I found myself staring at orange pylons blocking the entrance.

On my last trip for that employer I found myself once again in the area and dropped in for a few hours to explore. The caverns were open and I fulfilled my ambition to walk through them marveling at their amazingly whimsical formations.

Synchronicity at its finest.

CARLSBAD, NEW MEXICO - THE PECOS RIVER

From its headwaters in the Sangre de Cristo mountains northeast of Santa Fe, the Pecos River runs nearly a thousand miles due south as it crosses New Mexico and settles into Texas, finally merging with the Rio Grande.

Despite a well-earned reputation as a wild river at the northern end, the waters are serene and gentle as they approach the southern end of the state. Here they neatly bisect the city of Carlsbad, NM, providing drinking water and a welcome aquatic respite from the surrounding desert areas of New Mexico and Texas.