Guadalupe National Park

Today we saw a sign that merely read “Drive Friendly.” The sign looked like it had hinges on the bottom. We suppose that this allows the sign to open and reveal “Drive Evil.” You never know when there might be a national crisis requiring a good dose of evil driving.

At about 3 pm we saw a storm growing in the distance. The clouds stretched to encompass the entire western horizon, blotting out the sun, reaching to snatch all of the sky into their grasp. Rain fell in dull gray lines, clouding out buildings, telephone polls, trees, hills, even mountains.

We saw six hundred miles of West Texas. Although that might sound daunting when you turn on the TomTom and realize that you have to drive 600 miles, it wasn’t all that unpleasant. Especially since the speed limit in this neck of the woods is a pedestrian 80 mph. Once we got off I-10 we drove a good 30 miles (without seeing another car) from the middle of nowhere even further into the middle of nowhere. We were in a place so far away from anything that you don’t build bridges. You just run the road through the dry creekbed and put a flood pole marked with water depth for when it rains.

And what do you put in middle of middle of nowhere. You put national parks. In this case, Guadalupe National Park. We arrived just as the sun was about to set with no reservations for a campsite. Luckily, the Sunday night camping crowd isn’t that large for obscure National Parks. We grabbed campsite six and put the tent up in the fleeting light.

The sole reason we stopped at Guadalupe was to summit Guadalupe Peak (the tallest point in Texas at 8,742 feet. From trailhead to peak, the vertical elevation we would have to cover was right at 2900 feet. We started out early in the morning (when camping, you wake up when it gets too hot or too bright to sleep) and hoped to avoid as much of the afternoon heat as possible. I always think the being of hikes are the hardest. Not only to you have to make the initial elevation change to actually get into the mountains, but you’re muscles/lungs aren’t ready for what they were getting themselves into. Guadalupe was no different, but we hiked through it. The middle section of the hike contained the only trees (and consequently the only shade) along the trail. The upper section was much like the lower section in that there was no shade and lots of switchbacks. We worked hard, made it to the top, and claimed our prizes. Views of Texas and an advertisement for American Airlines. That’s right. American Airlines. At the top of the peak was a metal triangular pyramid that was dedicated to the “airmen who built our nation’s airways, much like wagon drivers of a previous time”. One side of the pyramid had this plaque, another side had a Post Office Department plaque, and the third side had an American Airlines plaque. No explanation given.



On to Carlsbad to see those caverns.