Carlsbad Caverns National Park, New Mexico

I can't think of a landscape more vastly different from Thailand than far west Texas. That's why I wanted to bring Pinky out west on her last weekend in the United States.

From the high-rise buildings of the sprawling city to the dense jungles and soaring mountains of the countryside, there is nowhere in Thailand that looks quite like the Chihuahuan Desert. Seven hours of driving through completely flat land dotted only with sporadic scrub brushes later, we crossed the western border into New Mexico and arrived in the small town of Carlsbad.

We were unprepared for the weather in New Mexico.

Look, I know it can get cold at night in the desert. I was ready for that. What I wasn't ready for was the 38 degree daytime temperature, the high winds and the constant pouring rain. It's supposed to be dry! That's why it's the desert! It was just a few degrees away from sleeting!

so cold!

We entered the national park, the wind throwing the icy rain into our faces like sharp little daggers, and ran into the warm, dry visitor's center.

Luckily, we were going underground! We hurried along the five-minute walk outdoors to the cave mouth and began heading deep underground into Carlsbad Caverns, the deepest cave system in the United States.

cave entrance

I've been to Carlsbad twice before, but last year James and I just went caving in Spider Cave and didn't go down into Carslsbad Caverns itself. Before that, I was about nine years old, and I don't remember the details all that well. We began winding down deeper and deeper into the cave on the 1.5 mile hike to the Big Cave.

going down

The air in the cave was still, dry, and perpetually 56 degrees. It felt nice!

Inside the caverns, you have to whisper. Every sound carries for miles deep underground.

the cave mouth

We continued our hike, deeper and deeper down into the cave. We had gotten to the park just before they opened, so it wasn't crowded yet. In fact, it felt like we were nearly all alone down in the cavern - like we had the whole place to ourselves!

heading deeper

As we rounded a corner, we came face-to-face with a park ranger.

"Want to hear about the cave monsters?" he asked. He told us about a creepy zombie worm that takes control of cave crickets. Creepy and cool! "But I haven't seen any trolls down here yet."

After he walked off, James and I realized why he had looked and sounded so familiar; it was none other than Dave, one of our two guides who had taken us down into Spider Cave last year!

in the Big Room

It's not easy to get pictures down in a cave, especially when it's so dimly lit down there, but some of the scenes we were able to capture did a lot to show the majesty of that beautiful cavern!

amazing formations

We spent most of the morning down in the cave. It was awesome and so much fun! I'm really glad to have gotten to do so much traveling in the US this year, and I think Pinky was glad to be able to see some really cool stuff as well.

the deepest cave in the USA

Mission San José

In 1720, a small group of Spanish priests and settlers constructed the Mission San José y San Miguel de Aguayo in San Antonio, Texas.

At the time, Texas was a Spanish colony, and the missions were the center of religious and civic life in the New World.

Mission San Jose

Today, though still an active Catholic church, the mission is one of four historic missions in the Spanish Missions National Historical Park, operated by the US National Park Service.

In all, San Antonio is home to five missions along the Mission Trail, the most famous of which being the Alamo.

One of the most famous parts of the mission is the "Rose Window". The story behind the beautifully carved window is debated; some say the artist carved it to honor his fiance who was lost at sea on the way from Spain to Texas, and others say it's to honor Saint Rose.

the Rose Window

Another fascinating part of the building is the small segment of wall that still shows some of the original brightly colored tiles that once covered the church in red, blue, and yellow patterns.

remnants of the original tiles

It was the last day of our Texas road trip. We had time for one last sight to see before heading back up to Dallas.

church entrance

There are four missions in the Spanish Missions NHP, but we only had time for one. We chose San José because it's supposed to be the most impressive of the four, and it's where the visitor's center is. Too bad it wasn't a Sunday - the church holds a "Mariachi Mass" each week! I would have liked to have seen that.

inside the church sanctuary

Though it had been cool for the last few days, it was hot under the bright sun out at the Mission. We didn't have much time to explore, but we spent a few minutes to look around and take some photos of the courtyard and surrounding areas.

mission courtyard

We were soon back on the road heading north, ready for our next adventure!

mission gardens

Remembering the Alamo

The Alamo: the most famous landmark of Texan independence and history. The 1863 battle at the ruins of the 18th-century Spanish mission was a turning-point in garnering support for Texan independence from Mexico.

the Alamo

We arrived in San Antonio in the early evening, checked in to the La Quinta, and headed directly to the Alamo, wanting to visit before the "Shrine of Texas Liberty" closed for the day.

sunny south Texas

 If you've never been to the Alamo before, you might find it a little underwhelming. It's small- a lot smaller than you might expect. It's just the sanctuary of a small, three-hundred year-old church after all. But it's not supposed to be visually impressive; it's about what it represents. The Alamo is a symbol that the Texans united behind, which eventually led to the formation of the Republic of Texas.

cactus

No trip to San Antonio, or for that matter, Texas, would be complete without paying a visit to the Alamo.

at the end of a long day of adventure