After leaving Austin, out trip was pretty unplanned until we reached San Francisco. Eugene & Elizabeth, who we stayed with in Austin were an amazing help at making some decisions on what route we should take. I'd never heard of Carlsbad Caverns before, but they raved about it, so we took the road West through Texas to drive North through New Mexico, stopping off at the caverns. We took a long drive day to make it to Whites City, the closest town to the caverns. To call it a town is fairly generous. A 'city' is just a bit silly. We arrived at 6 and the only light we could see was the reception of the motel. Everything else was done for the night. So, that's where we stayed. 

New Mexico was never really on my radar as somewhere that I had to visit. Apparently it's the 'state of enchantment' although a guy we chatted to told us it's more like the 'state of entrapment'. 

We visited the caverns early the next morning and were totally blown away. There's only one photo of it here, because photos don't really do the place justice. If you ever find yourself in Whites City, definitely stop by! 

Next stop Santa Fe (via some alien spotting in Roswell)...