January 1 - 11

When I wrote last, we had just arrived at our campground near Carlsbad.  We spent 7 nights there.   It was nice.  Many of the people who were there own their own sites and they are there most of the winter.  We stayed in a site of someone who either hadn’t arrived yet or was away for a while.  It was different than most of the places we stay.  It was more like a club rally.  There was a calendar of events and things going on every day. 

We arrived on New Year's Day and Mom and Dad were in the club house eating soup, within an hour of our arrival.  Mom and Dad went to some of the other events and I got to socialize with a few of the other people’s fur kids.

We also went out and explored.  One day, Mom and Dad went to Carlsbad Caverns.  Lucky for me I read the brochure before we left for the caverns.  Poodles aren’t allowed in the caverns AND they wouldn’t even let me sleep in the Jeep.  I would have had to check into the pay by the hour “hotel” at the Caverns.  PLEASE, I’m not THAT kind of Poodle.  I decided to stay home. 

Mom and Dad had fun at the Caverns.   They hiked in through the natural entrance, did the self-guided tour of the big room, and then took the elevator back to the surface.   It was a total of 3 miles.  The caverns look pretty cool.  Here are some of their pictures.

They saw a formation that is called the Lion’s tail.  I think it should be renamed the Poodle’s tail.  Let me know if you would be willing to sign my petition!

Another day we went to Sitting Bull Falls.  I got to go along on that trip.  It’s in the Lincoln National Forest and they are much more Poodle friendly.

One day we drove through Cloudcroft (in the mountains) and to White Sands, near Alamagordo.  This was a really weird place.  There were white drifts that looked like snow, but it was warm.  There was sand everywhere, but it didn’t smell like the beach and there weren’t any salted seagulls or dried fish.  I wasn’t sure what to make of this strange place.  However, in true Poodle spirit, I embraced the experience and explored.  Here are some pictures.

Another day, we drove to Roswell.  Mom and Dad went to the Roswell Museum and Art Center.  It is a museum that had Art and History from the area.  In the museum, they had Robert Goddard's workshop.  Goddard is the father of modern rocketry.  They said that it was one of the best free museums they have seen.  They highly recommend it.   We also had an alien sighting.  It was Roswell, after all.   Thankfully, Dad didn’t let the aliens take me. 

A few days, we just took it easy.  One day it even snowed - nearly a 1/4 "!!

From Carlsbad, we went on to Las Cruces for one night.  Mom and Dad had lunch in old Messila and walked around town.

Then, we drove to Willcox, Arizona.   We stayed there for two nights.  The day we were there, Mom and Dad went to Chiricahua National Monument.  They did a 3 ½ mile hike on the Echo Canyon Loop.  They said that it was amazing how much the scenery changes when you are only 30 miles off of I-10.  They both said that it was well worth the drive.

Tonight we are in Tucson, AZ at the Gilbert Ray Campground.  It’s a county park.  We stayed here last year and it’s one of our favorite campgrounds in the south.  This is our camp site.

Sunset was really pretty.

Goodnight!