We're home again. Left Carlsbad to drive back south and west into Texas and through the Guadalupe Mountain range with a short stop at the visitor center at Guadalupe National Park to see
what it was all about. Then through El Paso and points west. Drove until dark and stayed one last night at Roper State Park

near Safford, Arizona. Sneaked in a little birding this morning and were rewarded with a good long look at a vagrant Red Throated Loon on the lake. The picture is my attempt to use my camera to take a picture through the lens of my spotting scope. You will have to trust me that it truly was a Red Throated.

Thanks for riding along on our bicycling adventure! Someday we'd like to share with you ALL of the pictures that I took! Happy Trails. . .

Carlsbad Caverns and Christmas on the Pecos

We're in Carlsbad, New Mexico. Went to tour the Carlsbad Caverns today. Really awesome. This one is huge. I'm not the most comfortable in caves but this one is worth the drive off the beaten path to visit. The geology and the enormous amount of geologic time to create this wonderland drop by drop is so interesting to me but at the same time, if I let myself think of the absolute darkness underground I could bolt in a second.
Tonight we took a boat ride on the Pecos River to view the city's Christmas lights of the decorated homes along the river. "Christmas on the Pecos" is a tradition here and they do a admirable job.

Birding at Lake Charles, Louisiana wet lands

Stopped for two days of serious birding near Lake Charles, Louisiana. The inner coastal wet lands here are wintering havens for thousands of snow geese, and literally millions of ducks of various kinds along with resident herons, egrets, and a myriad of shore birds. Feast for the eyes. We spied some alligators also.
This area still shows evidence of Hurricane Rita--another reminder of how devastated the Gulf Coast was from the season of hurricanes. Recovery is ongoing.