US Virgin Islands National Park

As previously mentioned, the US Virgin Islands consists of three main islands, and a bunch of minor ones. We were staying on Saint Thomas, but another highlight of this trip was to cross off another national park, in our goal to visit all of them. The nearby island of Saint John mostly consists of the Virgin Islands National Park.

It is possible to take a passenger ferry over to the island, and walk to the park visitor center, and explore the town of Cruz Bay (where the ferry docks), but we wanted to explore more of the park, which is best done by car. So we headed to the car ferry dock.

Here’s a car ferry loading; the cars all back on, to make it easier to drive off at the other side:

Car ferry

The departing ferry, and another arriving:

Car ferries

Car ferry

We made it onto this ferry, the Big Red Barge:

Car ferry

The cars are packed rather tightly:

Car ferry

Arriving at Saint John:

Car ferry

Driving off:

Car ferry

Why did the chicken cross the road? They’re all over the place:

Chickens

Jenn got her National Park passport stamps:

National Park passport stamp

Info in the visitor center:

Info

Visitor center gift store:

Visitor center

Selfie:

Jenn and David

The visitor center was undergoing some renovations:

Visitor center

Virgin Islands National Park sign:

Virgin Islands National Park sign

Trunk Bay is one of the most popular parts of the park; we hoped to be able to stop here, but they have very limited parking, so we skipped it:

Trunk Bay

Maho Bay is another (too) popular beach:

Maho Bay

But we were able to find parking at Francis Bay, a less popular but still very nice beach:

Francis Bay

We had a picnic lunch on the beach:

Picnic lunch

Parts of the beach were a little rocky, but the sand was very soft:

A little rocky

Underwater photos:

Underwater

Jenn swimming:

Jenn swimming

Video of fish:

Fish

Jenn

Looking like a merman:

David looking like a merman

Fish

Continuing on, we visited the historic windmill of the Annaberg sugar plantation:

Annaberg Sugar Mill

A turtle:

Turtle

Nice view

Annaberg Sugar Mill

Goat:

Goat

Donkeys:

Donkeys

Nice view

Lots of steep roads:

Steep road

Back to the car ferry:

Car ferry

A nice swim, fascinating history, and great to visit one of the more difficult to reach national parks.

Big Bend National Park

We spent a day visiting Big Bend National Park in Texas, our last national park for the year, and our last new one until we visit Death Valley in March.

An interactive map of our route:

Entrance sign:

Sign

Persimmon Gap Visitor Center near the northern entrance:

Persimmon Gap Visitor Center

We asked the ranger about picnic spots; he told us about a secret picnic spot that isn’t normally mentioned, since they don’t maintain it; a couple of shelters, but just one table. So we had a picnic lunch there:

Secret picnic spot

Hazy mountains and views:

Mountains

Panther Junction Visitor Center, which includes a post office:

Panther Junction Visitor Center

You know I enjoy relief maps:

Relief map

Gift store:

Gift store

Mountains

There’s even a gas station, very unusual for a national park:

Gas station

Mountains

Chisos Basin Visitor Center:

Chisos Basin Visitor Center

Window View Trail:

Window view trail

The Window:

Window view trail

Mountains

Hole in a rock:

Mountains

Castolon Visitor Center area:

Castolon Visitor Center

Old barracks from 1919, that burned in 2019:

Castolon Visitor Center

Mountains

Moon over mountains:

Mountains

A scenic drive.

Carlsbad Caverns National Park again

We visited Carlsbad Caverns a second time, this time to do the Natural Entrance and Big Room trails.

On the way, passing the Apache Canyon Trading Post:

Apache Canyon Trading Post

And White’s City:

White's City

The Carlsbad Caverns sign:

Carlsbad Caverns sign

Entrance road:

Entrance road

Again we had a picnic lunch by the visitor center:

Picnic lunch

The visitor center sign:

Visitor center sign

The path to the natural entrance:

Path to natural entrance

We were stopped for the pre-entrance instructions from the ranger:

Path to natural entrance

The bat amphitheater, where people can watch the bats leaving the cave in the evenings:

Bat amphitheater

Heading down into the natural entrance:

Path to natural entrance

An info sign; 1.25 miles, 750 feet of elevation change:

Info sign

The natural entrance:

Natural entrance

Reaching the junction with the Rest Stop and Big Room:

Natural entrance

Rest stop sign

The Big Room trail:

Big Room

Back to the Underground Rest Stop:

Underground rest area

We bought a snack at the shop; the attendant was very chatty with info about the cave, visitors, bats, etc:

Underground rest area

Back up the elevator:

Elevator

The gift shop:

Gift shop

Jenn bought a bunch of postcards; she collects the WPA-style postcards, and this gift shop had an excellent collection, so she was able to get some missing and future ones:

Postcards

A selfie by the sign, with a stuffed toy bat from the gift shop:

Selfie

Guadalupe Mountains National Park

Just south of Carlsbad Caverns National Park, across the border in Texas, is Guadalupe Mountains National Park.

Passing through the town of Carlsbad again on the way there:

Carlsbad

Cave people art:

Cave people art

We stopped for lunch at a tiny separate section of Carlsbad Caverns NP, Rattlesnake Springs Picnic Area:

Rattlesnake Springs Picnic Area

They have a very nice picnic area in an oasis of trees, which we had pretty much to ourselves (only one other group in the distance):

Rattlesnake Springs Picnic Area

Rattlesnake Springs sign:

Rattlesnake Springs sign

This area has a spring that is the source of the water for the caverns:

Spring

Spring pool:

Spring pool

With fish:

Fish

Continuing on, we entered Texas:

Entering Texas

Mountains:

Mountains

A brief stop at the small McKittrick Canyon Visitor Center of Guadalupe Mountains National Park:

McKittrick Canyon Visitor Center;

Then on to the main part of the park:

Guadalupe Mountains National Park

Pine Springs Visitor Center:

Pine Springs Visitor Center

You know I enjoy 3D relief maps:

Relief map

Inside the visitor center:

Pine Springs Visitor Center

We walked along the Pinery Trail, about a mile of nature trail:

Pinery Trail

Pine Springs Visitor Center

Pinery Trail

We took a look at the “campground”, little more than a parking lot (and too small for our coach):

Campground

We were impressed by El Capitan mountain:

El Capitan mountain

A rest area and view:

Rest area

El Capitan mountain again:

El Capitan mountain

A quick spin along Frijole Ranch road:

Frijole Ranch

Then back north into New Mexico, a much-needed carwash, and back home to our coach.

Carlsbad Caverns National Park

We visited Carlsbad Caverns National Park in southern New Mexico:

Carlsbad Caverns sign

The road to the visitor center:

Road

We had a reservation for a ranger-led tour, so after checking in, we had a picnic lunch:

Picnic

Back to the visitor center:

Visitor center

Bat artwork in the foyer:

Bat artwork

The ticketing area:

Tickets

There are two ways down to the caverns: elevators, or the natural entrance. This time, we took the elevators. They lead to the underground rest stop, with food, swag, and bathrooms:

Underground rest area

We joined the ranger for our guided tour:

Ranger guide

He was a bit of a character, with multiple philosophy degrees. That definitely showed in his talks, with discussions of paradoxes and raising questions about the caverns.

The tour we went on was the King’s Palace tour (the only one offered currently). It gives access to caverns not open to the general public, via this gate:

Gate

Heading down:

Heading down

Stalactites:

Stalactites

The King’s Palace room:

Kings Palace

The ranger passed around an old photo showing the room (sorry, not a great shot of it):

Old photo

Through a tunnel to the next room:

Tunnel

The Papoose Room:

Papoose Room

Tunnel

The Queen’s Chamber:

Queen's Chamber

An actively dripping column; the ranger turned out the lights and we sat by this in total darkness for a few minutes, just listening to the dripping of the water:

Column

A fossilized bat:

Fossilized bat

Queen's Chamber

Telephone:

Telephone

Queen's Chamber

Tunnel

Back to King’s Palace, on the other side:

Kings Palace

Tunnel

Green Lake

Green Lake (a small pool):

Green Lake

Heading up some stairs:

Stairs

Column

The end of the tour at the exit gate:

Gate

Looking down:

Looking down

Old stairs:

Old stairs

Looking down

Swiss cheese:

Swiss cheese

New York Skyline:

New York

Info sign:

Info sign

Back at the underground rest stop:

Rest stop

Rest stop shop:

Rest stop shop

Restrooms:

Restrooms

Another map:

Map

Exit to elevators:

Exit to elevators

Elevators:

Elevators

Heading up from 750 feet underground:

750 feet underground

The elevators debouch into the gift store, of course:

Gift store

An impressive 3D map of the caverns:

Relief map

Jenn just hanging around:

Jenn

Another gift shop and restaurant:

Gift shop and restaurant

Gift shop

Gotta have her pressed penny:

Pressed penny

Back outside the visitor center:

Visitor center

White Sands National Park

While in Las Cruces, we visited the nearby White Sands National Park.

This park features the world’s largest gypsum dunefield. Until December 2019 it was a National Monument, and many of the signs have yet to be updated:

White Sands sign

White Sands visitor center:

White Sands visitor center

In addition to the park service visitor center shop, there is a commercial gift shop onsite:

Gift shop

We do enjoy the cactus candy:

Gift shop

They have disc-shaped sand sleds for sale (and can buy back); we thought about it, but decided not to bother:

Sand sleds

Jenn does enjoy her pressed pennies:

Pressed pennies

A flowering shrub out front was covered in butterflies, moths, and bees:

Butterfly and flowers

The entrance station:

Entrance station

The road between sand dunes:

Sand

Sand dunes

About halfway the pavement ends, so one is driving on compressed sand:

Driving on sand

Sand dunes

They have several picnic areas, with lots of shelters:

Picnic shelters

We parked at one, for a picnic lunch; the shelter didn’t do much to block the strong wind, though:

Parked at a picnic shelter

A selfie:

Selfie

We climbed the dune behind the shelter:

Picnic shelters

Shiny gypsum sand; a nice property of it is that it doesn’t get hot:

Shiny sand

Sand dunes in all directions:

Sand

Other people sledding by the picnic area:

Sledding

Shadows:

Shadows

We then went to a boardwalk in an area with more foliage:

Boardwalk

Boardwalk views

An interesting park, somewhat different than the sand dunes of Great Sand Dunes National Park, but fascinating in its own way.

Great Sand Dunes National Park

We visited Great Sand Dunes National Park in Colorado:

Sign

Mountains and sand dunes:

Mountains

The picnic area parking was full of people who had inconsiderately parked there then gone to the dunes, but we found an empty amphitheater as an alternative place to have our picnic lunch:

Amphitheater

With a better view of the dunes, anyway:

Amphitheater

The visitor center was being renovated:

Visitor center

So they had a temporary visitor center building set up:

Visitor center

Jenn enjoys collecting cancelation stamps:

Cancelation stamp

And smashed pennies (with a couple of fascinated little girls watching her):

Smashed penny

The temporary gift shop:

Visitor center

Then we headed out to the sand dunes:

Sand dunes

A selfie:

Jenn and David

We rented a couple of sand sleds from the KOA RV park:

Jenn with sand sleds

Sand dunes:

Sand dunes

Jenn:

Jenn

Sand dunes:

Sand dunes

Jenn preparing to slide:

Jenn preparing to slide

Me with a sand sled:

David with a sand sled

Jenn waxing her sand sled:

Jenn waxing sand sled

Selfie:

David

A video of Jenn sliding down a sand dune, and wiping out at the end:

Sandy Jenn:

Jenn

Kite:

Kite

Beard in the wind:

David

Grasses and rainy mountains:

Grasses

Log and dunes:

Log

The dunes with the stream in the foreground:

Sand dunes

Impressive sand dunes, and a fun experience.

Rocky Mountain National Park day 2

We visited Rocky Mountain National Park again, checking out different areas.

Starting with the Fall River Visitor Center:

Fall River Visitor Center

Entrance sign:

Entrance sign

Rocky Mountains:

Rocky Mountains

Again we stopped at a picturesque picnic area for lunch:

Picnic area

Onward:

Rocky Mountains

Holzwarth Historic Site:

Holzwarth Historic Site

Kawuneeche Valley

A ranger memorial at the Kawuneeche Visitor Center:

Ranger memorial

Cancelation stamp:

Cancelation stamp

A relief map:

Relief map

Rocky Mountain National Park day 1

We visited Rocky Mountain National Park in Colorado:

Sign

In the Beaver Meadows visitor center, a relief map:

Relief map

A line to get into the park, which was using a two-hour window timed entry system:

Line

We headed along Bear Lake Road, and stopped for a picnic by a creek:

Jenn

Rocky Mountains:

Rocky Mountains

Another stop at Sprague Lake:

Sprague Lake sign

Sprague Lake stream

Fish in the stream:

Fish

Sprague Lake:

Sprague Lake

Selfie

Sprague Lake

Bridge

An accessible campsite:

Accessible campsite

Sprague Lake

Rocky Mountains

We enjoy winding dirt roads… so headed up the one-way Old Fall River Road:

Old Fall River Road

The dirt road ends at the Alpine Visitor Center:

Old Fall River Road

Alpine Visitor Center:

Alpine Visitor Center

Jenn

Rocky Mountains

Elk:

Elk

Outside the park, more elk on the side of the road:

Elk

We also saw a moose:

Moose

Golfing to the Sun and waterfalls in Glacier National Park

Once the family arrived at the campground, we did another couple of trips into Glacier National Park. I didn’t go on one, but for the last trip, we all went to West Glacier Village for lunch, swag shopping, and mini golf. Then went a bit into the park to look at some waterfalls.

The Café:

Café