New Year Eve

Dear Family and Friends,

Best wishes to you all for a safe and happy New Years Eve. 

Tonight, John and I and our five kitties will remain home safe and sound in the RV.  We have lots of goodies to snack on.  I doubt we will make it to midnight in our time zone, but we are planning to celebrate the New Year in the eastern time zone.

We hope that 2012 is a great year.

Peace to all.

Love,

VAL & JOHN, Sassy, Shadow, Momma Cat, Scooter and Spot!

Christmas Day

Hi Everyone,

This is the time of year that we miss you all the most.  We've found in the past, that keeping busy helps make these special days more tolerable. 

We hung up our stocking by the fireplace with care, and a small tree on the counter top makes it feel a little like Christmas.  Of course, all the white stuff outside does make Christmas in the desert pretties.

Most of the cats!

Group photo!

Stocking are hung by the fireplace with care!

Yesterday we went skiing for the day at Ski Apache.  Originally we were going to drive to Sante Fe to ski, but Ski Apache is closer and they got more snow.  We skiied at times in knee deep powder!  It was a fun and exhausting day on the slopes. 

John on the slopes

Val and John on the slopes

John skiing!

John posing for a picture.

The drive up to Ski Apache was a cold one.  Still some icy spots on the road.  Beautiful views of the surrounding mountainside.  Take a look for yourselves................................

The drive to the slopes!

Hope you all had a nice Christmas.  May we all have a healthy, safe and propserous New Year!

Love to all,

VAL & JOHN & the kitties!

 

White Christmas

Dear Friends and Family,

Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!

We in Carlsbad will be having a White Christmas here in Carlsbad.  At the moment we have between 7-8 inches of snow and it's still snowing.  Supposedly we are opening on delay.  I'm hoping they will come to their senses and close the cave for the day.

John sweeping the snow

At the entrance to the park

John and I in front of the truck

The Highway to the Cave!

Snowing on December 24th!

Seven Inches of the white stuff!

HO HO HO!  Who would have thought we'd get all this snow????
Miss you, love you all.  Have a safe holiday.

Love,

VAL & JOHN & Sassy, Shadow, Momma Cat, Scooter and Spot! :-)

Travel

Hi Friends,

Living in a desert far from any major airport (three hours to El Paso) can be frustrating.  John had to fly to St. Louis last week for business.  The small plane flight from Carlsbad airport was canceled which required a long drive to Albuquerque (4 1/2 hours each way).  UGHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH.

This week he flew to FL to take care of some personal business.  We planned to drive him to Hobbs (an hour away) since United/Continental started jet service there once a day.  Great plans, but the flight got canceled!  I had to drive him to Midland TX where he flew Southwest (thank God for SWA) to FL. 

Thought our problems were over, until he called me from Payless Car Rentals.  They refused to rent him a car because he wasn't carrying his current insurance card (it was in his truck).  They wouldn't call Progressive to confirm.  Note to self NEVER rent from Payless Car Rental again.  He rented a car from Thrifty and ended up with a car battery that died on him the next day.

At least most of the chores in FL were handled.  His doctors appointments went well!!!! 

We will be here in NM for Christmas.  The cave is actually closed once a year - Christmas day.  We might go skiing - depending upon the weather.  I work the rest of the week, which will probably be crazy with the main elevators still not working and vacationers coming to see the cave. 

We wish you great tidings of joy for the holidays.  We will be thinking of our friends and family.  Our spirits are with you all, even if we can't be there in person.

Love to all,

VAL & JOHN & the cats!!!!!

December snow

Hi Friends,

Had to drive John to Albuquerque today to catch a flight tomorrow.  Originally he was scheduled to fly a puddle jumper out of Carlsbad, and continue on from there.  However, we're expecting snow and Carlsbad doesn't have a plow.  So up we drove.

As we got north of Roswell, we began to see snow from earlier in the week.  It is beautiful here when it snows (as long as you don't have to drive 300 miles each way!)

It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas - even in New Mexico.  We'll see if the snow gets here tomorrow or not...

Love to all,

VAL & JOHN & the kitties!

Thanksgiving

Hi Friends,

It's been a busy Thanksgiving week.  I had to work on Thursday, as CAVE only closes for Christmas.  Last year, we worked Thanksgiving without any turkey, or lunch provided.  So this year, I organized a Thanksgiving luncheon for the staff.  We got a turkey donated and I bought a ham.  My co-workers all brought a dish and we had a very nice Thanksgiving lunch cook by my wonderful husband!  It made the day much more tolerable to be away from family and friends.  You were all missed, but at least we had bellies full of great food.

Friday was busy at the CAVE and today was downright awful.  Ten (10) busloads of tourist.  The first bus was unloading only seconds after the staff van arrived.  It was nuts from opening until I left at 4:15.  There was a 45 minute line inside the cave to exit. 

My days off are Sunday and Monday and I'm happy to be starting my weekend.  I'm tired and have had enough of visitors for a few days. 

Not sure what John and I are going to do tomorrow.  I'm thinking of sleeping in for starters.

Love to all,

VAL & JOHN & the kitties!!!!!

Busy Saturday

Hi Friends,

Went caving yesterday in the Guadalupe Room.  This is the second biggest room in the cave, but it's off limits to all except NPS personnel and limited to five people per trip.  This is the third time I have been in the room, and now I've been signed off to lead the trip.  At the moment, there is only one other Interpretive Ranger who can lead trips into the Guadalupe room. 

It's quite a beautiful place, but extremely physical to get there.  I have the bruises and sore muscles to prove it! :-)  We went off trail on Saturday morning about 8:30AM, caved our way to the Guadalupe Room, the Soda Straw Room and into the tiny Canary Room.  We had a great group of rangers.  We got back out about 12:30PM.

Saturday night we went to Ocotillo Performing Art Center in Artesia, NM (about an hour north of Carlsbad).  We went to see "Take Me Home" by Jim Curry, who does a Tribute to the music of John Denver.  Wasn't sure what to expect, but was quite impressed.  He does look a lot like JD did back in the 80's, and his voice is similar.  He doesn't imitate him, but sings the song with passion and truly enjoys his music.  The hall was very small, but had good acoustics. 

We both enjoyed the concert.  The photos that were flashed on the screen behind him (just like JD often did) were beautiful.  We noticed a couple of photos of Glacier - one of St. Mary Lake, which was the boat tour I did all summer.  Another was of Logan Pass, yet again another place I spent a lot of time this past summer.  Lots of great memories.

Long day, but quite enjoyable.  Glad we had the extra hour of sleep last night.

Hope you all remembered to turn the clocks back this morning.

Love to all,

VAL & JOHN & The kitties.
 

Halloween Hike

Hi All,

We went down to McKittrick Canyon down at Guadalupe National Park in TX. It was a beautiful day and the colors are close to peak here in NM and TX.

Guadalupe National Park Fall Colors

Robbie, John, Lee and Val McKittrick Canyon

Fall colors in Guadalupe National Park TX

The Grotto - McKittrick Canyon

That's all for today.  Hope everyone had a fun and safe Halloween. 

Love to all.

VAL & JOHN & the kitties!

Halloween

Hi Friends,

Almost Halloween, and the staff at the CAVE love to celebrate Halloween (or any other occasion). So there was a pumpkin carving contest the other day, and a party on Friday night.

My boss lent me his wife's old Octopus costume and we got John a dracula cape. He painted his face to look like a ghoul and off to the party.

Most of us had to work the next day, so John and I didn't stay too late, but it was fun.

Fort Davis

Hi Friends,

Yesterday we drove down to Fort Davis in TX. It's about a three hour drive. It was a military outpost used in the mid to late 1800's which provided protection to travelers taking the southern route to California. It is part of the National Park Service, and well worth a couple of hours to visit.

We went down to Alpine TX, which is a town between the Fort and Big Bend National Park. Eventually, John and I plan to take a long weekend and go down to Big Bend for some hiking. Still waiting for cooler temperatures. The mountains near there were beautiful, and friends tell me Big Bend is spectacular.

Today we hiked "Old Guano Road" in Carlsbad Caverns NP. It's only a six mile round trip hike, gaining about 800 feet. The hike goes through the burned area from the fire they had this summer. The views from the ridge are interesting, and with the burn, a lot of plants that normally would prick, stick or poke you are dead, or trying to come back.

For the rest of the day I plan to kick back and relax and watch some football. Caught the end of the Bronco game and watched them make a comeback and beat the Dolphins.

That's it for now.

Love to all,

VAL & JOHN & the kitties!

Busy weekend

Hi Friend,

Yesterday I went into the Guadalupe Room, which is the second largest room in Carlsbad Caverns. It is not open to the public. This is the second time I've been there, and I'm being trained to lead other staff members into the room.

It's a very beautiful part of the cave, but physically challenging. The entire time you are 'off trail'. You start by going to the "Hall of the White Giant". That is physically challenging in itself as you have to corkscrew you body through some tight squeezes, go through the pinch, climb on your belly for a while, chimney through a tight section of the cave, before climbing a ladder (it's about 8" wide) and then go up a knotted rope. Tired yet? LOL

Once you get to the "White Giant", you have to slide down a mud hill (which is a bitch to get back up later). Kind of like sledding, skateboarding, and snowboarding mixed with mud. Next you have to chimney down an area, go over breakdown (large rocks that fell thousands of years ago) and past some very beautiful stalagtites and soda straws where they are close and it's slippery.

It takes about two hours of caving to get to the Guadalupe Room, which is beautiful with dripping water and active formations. The final destination is the "Canary Room" where there's a formation that looks like a canary. Also in the same area is the 'WoodPecker'.

Didn't get home last night until after 11PM. I was filthy, sweaty, and exhausted. Slept in this morning until after 7AM!

Today John and I went down to Guadalupe Mountain National Park in Texas. We did a short hike called "Devil's Hall". It's only 4.5 miles long. We had hoped to see some fall colors, but for the most part, the trees aren't changing yet. Nice hike, helped stretch out my sore muscles.

Back to work tomorrow...

Miss ya,

VAL & JOHN & the kitties! :-)

The Land of Enchantment

Hi Friends,

New Mexico, known as the 'Land of Enchantment' has many different personalities. Where we live, in SE NM we are mostly desert, although the Guadalupe Mtns are visible to the west.

Temperatures are finally dropping around the state. This morning we woke up to the 50's, a welcome change from the heat. There were parts of the state that got snow this morning. We could still use some more rain, although we had some rain earilier in the week.

Plan on doing some hiking tomorrow. Not sure where we're going yet, but we have a friend who's coming with us who will share some of her favorite hiking spots with us.

Hope all is well with you all,

Love to all,

VAL & JOHN & the kitties......

Carlsbad in autumn

Hi Friends,

Although it's officially now autumn it's hard to tell here in Carlsbad NM. It's hot - going to go up to 99 today! :-( Yesterday we drove up to Riudoso to escape the heat and did some hiking up there on the 'Crest Trail'. It was beautiful, but even warm up there.

I can't share any pictures as my camera has broken. John has shipped it back to the manufacturer for repair/replacement. John did take a few pictures, but he hasn't sent me them yet.

I'm getting used to the new routine at the cave. They have made some changes since we were here last, including going to nine hour days, which gives us a 3 day weekend every other week. That will be nice when the weather cools down. I will also be leading all the tours once I get checked off on them.

The cats have adjusted well to being back in the desert. They are quite resilient and are becoming great travelers. No mice to see (or eat when they get inside), but there are a few birds that entertain them when they're not sleeping! :-)

That's all for now.

Love to all,

VAL & JOHN & the kitties! :-)

Back at the CAVE

Hi Friends,

We're back in Carlsbad and today was my first day back at the cave. It was good to see the cave again, and see a lot of my old friends.

After work tonight, we went to the "All Employee Picnic" that they have annually. Got to see more people who I haven't seen in a while. Lots of hugs, good food and fun times.

That's it for now...

Love to all,

VAL & JOHN & the kitties!

Goodbye Carlsbad

Well friends,

This is the official last post from Carlsbad NM. We are packing up this AM and pulling out in about two hours. Said our final goodbyes last night to friends and we're ready to leave.

For those of you who are interested, you can follow us on our new blog: glaciersummeradventure

Thanks for following our adventure last year. We hope this upcoming summer brings more fun, friends and life long memories.

Love to you all,

Valerie & John

Moving on

Hi Friends,

I've got two more days working at the CAVE before our big move north. The past two weeks here have been tough - I've been sick and poor John has had to work and take care of me. I've got enough antibiotics in me to start a pharmacy, but I'm winning the battle.

We will leave Carlsbad for Montana on Thursday. That gives us Wednesday to get all the loose ends taken care of. There are a lot of them, and of course we have the cats too! I'm not sure how excited they will be for a four/five day journy north through Colorado and Wyoming, but it's time.

I will miss the many new friends we've met, but there are three other CAVE personnel going to spend the summer in St. Mary with me. It will be nice to have familiar faces, but most of all, we're excited to be going to GLACIER! I will start a new blog soon and post a link on this one for you all.

I hope you will follow our enw journey to St. Mary, Montana and all that Glacier will have to offer. It's a much shorter season (May to early September), but hundreds of miles of hiking, plenty of animals (bears, moose, cougar, sheep, bighorn, etc), lots of birds, and the Going to the Sun Road still is being plowed. So please join us on our next adventure: GLACIER NATIONAL PARK, MT, USA!

Miss ya,

VAL & JOHN

Underground of Enchantment

Hi Friends,

Today is the opening at Carlsbad Museum is the 'Underground of Enchantment'. It shares the beauty of 'Lechuguilla Cave' with the public. Lechuguilla Cave is a cave they are still exploring in Carlsbad Caverns National Park. To date, it's 130 miles (yes miles) long.

Because of how delicate the cave environment is, only about 100 people are permitted to enter the cave each year. You must have vertical rope skills to enter the cave. Once inside, it is still a challenge to go up, down, and carefully navigate the cave.

Life forms found in this cave do NOT exist anywhere else in the world. Scientist believe that if there is life on Mars, it may be similar to what exists in some of the cave pools in Lechuguilla.

Since most of us will never be able to go into this cave, this exhibit is very exciting. They will be showing 3d pictures of the cave! It opens today in Carlsbad and will be here for several months. After that, the exhibit will travel to outher areas and states.

I've attached a link for those who are interested. I'll be there this afternoon and hope for a great turn out.

Love to all,

VAL & JOHN

Fire

Last week we had fires both east and west of Carlsbad. The fire west of us burned over 50,000 acres, including parts of Sitting Bull Falls, where John and I hiked a lot this past year. The fire started by campers who didn't put out their campsite. The other fire was started from a spark after a tire blew out. That's how dry it is out here.

The smoke was thick in town, in the cave, it was everywhere. Now, I don't know if it's a coincidence, but I have come down with a nasty chest infection and a horrendous cough. It's finally breaking up now, after four days on meds, but I still feel like crap.

Soon, I'll be ending this blog. In just over two weeks will be my last day at CAVE and we'll pack up the cats, RV, and start our journey to GLACIER! Details on that blog to come soon. I hope you will all follow the new blog as well.

Love to all,
VAL & JOHN

Changes

Hi Friends,

Long week at the CAVE. There have been lots of changes as personnel, both permanent and seasonal move on to new assignments and opportunities. Some of the permanent staff aren't being replaced because of budget cuts. Some tours will be reduced in how often they're given, other tours no longer have trail rangers. Makes it harder to keep an eye on 55 people as you herd them through the 'King's Palace' alone.

I will be working at Carlsbad Caverns until May 18th. The new seasonals will have started by then, so it should be an interesting few weeks. There are several rangers who will return from last summer. It will be good to see them again. As for the new faces, time will tell if they will last, and if they will like working in a cave.

John's been working on minor repairs to the rig to have it in shape for the long haul up to Montana. We're both hoping gas prices don't go much higher. It's going to cost a small fortune to move the RV 1400+ miles. Despite the cost, we are both excited to head to Glacier for the summer.

Of course, we're hoping that the snow stops flying up there. I've gotten several emails from my new boss, most of them mentioning that they're still several feet of snow and still coming down most days. Today on the Glacier webcams were the first 'bluebird' days that I've seen.

Windy and hot in the desert (I know, it seems to be a repetitive complaint of mine). Makes for lousy hiking. Already in the 90's most of the week. Still dry, although this week I don't think I heard of any new fires around. I guess we should count on blessings on that count.

Hope you all have a Happy Easter.

Love,
VAL & JOHN

Desert in springtime

Hi Friends,

Even with the lack of rain, the desert is beginning to bloom. Leaves have returned on the trees, the ocotillo is beginning to bloom as are the cactus. If there was some rain, I can only imagine how beautiful it would look.

Really need rain, there have been fires throughout New Mexico and Texas. Still none around here and the incessant wind keeps blowing.

The winter seasonals at the cave are starting to head to their summer positions. I will miss many of my new friends, but hope to see them again somewhere or sometime else in the NPS. New faces will show up early next month and then, John and I will finally leave New Mexico for a summer in St. Mary, MT.

We're getting excited about our journey north to Montana. Although, it's still snowing up there. It might be a while before they open the "Going to the sun road."

I will be starting a new blog, and once I get it started, I'll provide a link for those of you who wish to follow our next summer adventure.

Miss you...

Val & John

Summer season

Got some good news today. I will have an RV spot inside Glacier National Park for the summer. They managed to find me a much sought after spot in St. Mary. Much relieved as there are few places outside the park - and the one I called wasn't cheap! We're counting down the days until we leave Glacier. Tentatively, we'll be leaving for Glacier about the 19th of May. I start work on 26th of May. It gives us about a week to drive up there. More than enough time to get there. Looking forward to the change in scenery. It's already starting to warm up here in Carlsbad - been in the 90's. The wind has been harsh, and it's extremely dry. There has been a few fires in both NM and West Texas. That's it for now. Val

Government Shutdown

Officially, I'm supposed to call it an Absence of Government Appropriation. Call it what you like. Blame whomever you want. The truth is that thousands of government employees will be furloughed on Saturday at 12:01AM. What that means it myself, and thousands of other government employees are locked out of our places of work. If you're an essential personnel, such as police, fire, or our troops, you'll get working. Whether you get paid on time, is another question. I'm disgusted with the politicians and you should be too. Not only will the government offices will be closed, but the National Parks will be closed. Got airline tickets to finally see the Grand Canyon? Sorry, they're closed. Yellowstone, Yosemite, Everglades, and the list goes on - all closed with the government shut down. The next few days will tell how much time I get off - a few days, a week, more? What they do in Washington could change my summer plans. If budget cuts to the National Park Service go deep, I can stand to lose my summer position in Glacier. Of course, if that happens, I'll be back on unemployment. Personally, I'd prefer to work for a living, but we all know, it's not easy to find a job in this economy. That's all for now. Sorry so negative, but it is what it is. Love to all, VAL & JOHN

April showers

Hi Friends, We could certainly use some April showers. I've watch the weather around the country this week. Many of you are getting severe weather - rain and snow. Hopefully you are all safe and had no damage. Out here in New Mexico, we've missed all the precipitation. Other than the four inches of snow we got in February, we have not had any measureable precipitation since September. We're in extreme fire danger and it dry and dusty every where. This weekend we expect no relief, in fact, we'll be going up to the high 90's today. Tomorrow, they're calling for high winds. They warned me spring in New Mexico would be windy. Hope you all have a great weekend. Love, VAL & JOHN

Surprise visitor

Hi Friends,

Been a week for surprises. Today I was working in the cave, and a gentleman came up to me and asked if I used to work in Clearwater, FL. It only took a second before I realized the man in the ball cap was a ranger from HISP in FL. Ranger Mike was visiting relatives in Dallas, TX and decided to make a sidetrip to Carlsbad Caverns. It was fun to see a friendly face from home.

So who else is coming out to Carlsbad Caverns? Only a few more weeks here in the desert before the big move north to Glacier... I'm sure I'll see a few friends up there!

Love ya,

VAL & JOHN

Change in Plans

Hi Friends,

There has been a change in our summer plans. I was offered a job at Glacier National Park, in Montana. Many of you know that Glacier is our ultimate favorite National Park. So when the call came through, it was a very easy decision. I contacted Mesa Verde, thanked them for their offer, but declined the position there for the summer.

Both John and I are SOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO very excited. We'll be leaving NM about the middle of May (date to be determined soon). We will start our journey with the cats, RV and car to St. Mary Montana. It's on the east side of Glacier, on the edge of the Going to the Sun Road.

If you'd like to see the view from the visitor's center I'll be working on, click on:

www.nps.gov/glac/photosmultimedia/webcams.htm and select St. Mary.

A few more weeks here at Carlsbad. Looking forward to a change of scenery...

Love to all,

VAL & JOHN

Busy week

It was a very hectic week at the Cave. Who knew so many people made Carlsbad their spring break destination. Attendance for the week ran from 2400-2900. Normally, that would be busy, but with the two main elevators out of service until July (or possibly later), it was crowded. Elevator lines were over an hour most afternoons. I'm glad I won't be here for the summer. Dealing with long lines for a week or two is exhausting. I can't imagine doing it from Memorial day all the way into July!

Some hiker friends of ours visited this week. We got to see Tara and her family visiting the cave for their spring break. Mark and the kids went on my King's Palace tour, and then Mark, Rosie and Logan did the Lower Cave tour in the afternoon. They seemed to enjoy the cave. We went out for Mexican food dinner later that night. They've got great kids, who were well behaved and polite! A true delight to spend time with. Too short a visit with them, but they had more adventures of their own.

I'm looking forward to our change of location coming up in two months. Should be another fun adventure!

Love you and miss you,

Val & John

Spring break

We drove up to Ruidoso yesterday for a change of scenery. It was pretty in the mountains and some of the leaves on the trees are starting to bud. Still rather dry in Carlsbad. Other than the snow we had last month, there has been no rain. I suspect if we had some rain, the trees and bushes would be budding here as well.

It's spring break in many parts of the country. We're on holiday schedule this week at the cave. We're expecting long lines to exit the cave in the afternoon as most of TX has break this week. The main elevators are off line. They are way behind schedule for the repairs, which were supposed to be complete by mid May. Now they're saying July! In the mean time, we're using the secondary (AKA freight) elevators which hold only half the people the main elevators handled.

The RV park is crowded, too. I haven't seen this many tents since last summer. I think some nights this week, we'll be booked solid. A friend from Glacier will be here later this week with her family in their pop up camper. Looking forward to seeing them.

It's when my friends visit that I realize how lucky I am to be working in such a beautiful cave. Being inside the cave, day after day, I tend to take it for granted. When a friend comes, and I can share its beauty with them, I remember how I felt the first time I saw it as well.

If you're planning to visit, you still have a few weeks. We'll be leaving here in early May to head out to Mesa Verde in south west CO. You're welcome to visit us in CO as well.

So the question is now, do I continue with this blog or start a new one????

Love ya all,

VAL & JOHN

Red vs. Green

The ultimate question in New Mexico. No, we're not talking about your favorite color... we're talking about chile peppers. I have never been a big fan of Mexican food, and I don't generally like food that is 'hot' as in spicy. My idea of Mexican food is a bag of tostitos with some picante sauce and melted cheese!

Last night we went to a pot luck dinner which served Mexican food. Many of my friends are excellent cooks, and they brought enchiladas and tamales. I enjoyed them both, but I thought they were 'hot'. Talking to the cooks, they tell me they made it mild! LOL

So if asaked the question again - Red or Green, I can now honestly answer 'Green'.

Hope you're all doing well.

Love,
VAL & JOHN

Summer season

Hi Friends,

Wanted to share with you some good news. I was offered a summer seasonal position today at Mesa Verde National Park in Colorado. We plan to leave for Colorado in the beginning of May and I'll be there at least until early September. For those of you who are interested, here's the link: www.nps.gov/meve

Mesa Verde National Park is in the south west corner of the state. I went there many years ago as a kid with my family. John and I went there again a few years ago and did a few of the Cliff Dwelling tours. I will be leading those very tours this summer!

Excited about our new adventure and relieved that for a few months, I don't have to apply for seasonal jobs! We'll keep you informed...

Love to all,

Val & John

Waiting game

Hi friends,

Still waiting to hear something, anything from the NPS regarding employment for the summer. I had a few more referrals this past week, but no more 'availability requests' and no interviews. I realize it's still early, but patience has never been my best virtue.

With more and more veterans coming back from the Middle East, it gets harder and harder to score high enough to get a referral. I lack veterans preferance, which can give them up to ten extra points in the hiring game. It can be frustrating, but I also don't give up easily.

Expecting high winds today. Gust as high as 50 mph (or even higher , depending upon what channel we watch on TV. The sky is blue, and it's already in the 50's, but with high winds, hiking is out of the question.

There was a fire in the Guadalupe Mountains National Park on Thursday/Friday. They had closed all of the park to hiking for a short time on Friday. You could see the cloud of smoke and smell it from the caverns. With high winds and low humidity, it will be a bad fire season.

I think that catches you up on our adventure.

Hope you all are doing well.

Love to all,
VAL & JOHN

Wind

They warned me about the wind. We went down to Guadalupe National Park yesterday to go hiking. As I was driving down, the wind was pushing the car.

When we got down to the park, and the wind was blowing steadily. Supposedly, Guardalupe NP has the worst winds in the areas. As we started our hike, John was pushed off the trail! Now, I am petite, but John is a big guy. I looked at John and asked him if he wanted to continue. We decided to call our hike quits.

They say the worst is yet to come. I don't know if that's true or not, but we'll see... At least the weather has warmed up. Today we were in the 70's, the low was in the upper 40's. The RV park is getting more crowded now that the weather has warmed up.

That's it for now.

Miss you all,

VAL & JOHN

Spring???

Hi Friends,

Yes, I was just complaining a week or so ago about being -3 degrees. Today we're approaching the 80 degree mark. We've got the AC on in the rig at the moment, but will probably have the heat on later - crazy weather.

Signs of spring are beginning to arrive. Flocks of sandhill cranes are starting to move back north, and the turkey vultures have been spotted in Roswell. Very different from spring in the northeast or even Florida, but interesting to learn. I'm sure we will still have some more cold weather, but hopefully not record breaking cold.

Another sign along the way for the National Park Service is referrals, availability lists, and hopefully interviews for summer seasonal employment. I've applied for so many jobs I have lost count. I've been referred to dozens of jobs already, and I'm still applying to others. It's a strange system that takes some getting used to.

Today, I got my second availability email. My first was last week for "Black Canyon of the Gunnison NP". It's an awesome park near Gunnison Colorado. John and I were there several years ago and enjoyed the hiking. The one I got today was from a more famous park, "Mesa Verde", which is in the south west part of the state, near Cortez. Given our love of Colorado, either park would be great to spend the summer at, although they are both very different.

I'll keep you posted as to our progress.

Miss you all and hope to see you soon,

Love,
VAL & JOHN

Florida and New Mexico

Flew home to Florida last Saturday. Needed to handle some things at the house. It was great to see my Mom and my friends, but very hard to say goodbye. I don't know when I'll be back in Florida. I'm driving the car back to New Mexico in the hopes that I'll be needing the car this summer at a National Park out west.

So far I've gotten several dozen 'referrals', which is the first step to finding another seasonal position. I'd like to return to Carlsbad Caverns in the winter, although this past winter has been challenging with -3 degree weather and several inches of snow! John and I would like to find a park where we can do more hiking in the mountains. Keep your fingers crossed for me!

At the moment, I'm in Kerrville, TX. It's about six hours from Carlsbad. My good friend Carol helped me drive back. I'll drag her through the cave when we get into town. It's been fun ride with Carol. She's a seasoned traveler, and a great companion. I can't thank her enough for joining me.

Time for dessert... Gotta go.

Love to all,

VAL

Snow

Hi Friends,

We've got about four inches of snow. Don't really mind the snow. It's very dry and easy to brush. The problem is the cold. Currently, it's 2 degrees outside without wind chill factor. Don't even want to discuss what that is.

Yesterday they closed the cave after first calling for a delay. The snow continued to fall, and it's still snowing there now. It's the cold and the wind that's the problem. Of course, living in the desert, they don't get a lot of snow, and don't know what to do with it - or drive in it!

We have a delayed opening this morning, going in at 10AM. At least once we get to the cave, it'll be warmer. The cave is a constant 56 degrees inside. We have been that warm since Sunday!

Hope you all are keeping safe and warm.

Miss ya,

VAL

Winter snow

Cold here in the desert - low tonight of about 7 degrees. Snowed lightly all day, about an inch of accumulation - more up at the cave than down here. Took a while to get down the hill. The 7 mile drive was mostly snow covered and icy.

This storm is heading east - bringing ice, snow, blizzard conditions so be careful out there. John worked on the water line today, so hopefully we won't end up with a frozen water line.

Going to take a shower soon, just in case.

Stay warm, my friends and keep safe.

Love,

VAL & JOHN

Hiking

Hi Friends,

It was a beautiful bluebird day so we went out to Sitting Bulls Falls today and did a seven mile loop hike. We've hiked out there before; it's more popular in the summer because of the falls. Today, we never saw anyone else on the hiking trails, which is fine by us!

This week, the weather is supposed to turn. In fact, we are expecting snow on Tuesday and or Wednesday. This will be accompanied by lows as cold as the single digits! :( BRRRRR The storm which will bring us snow, will most likely visit most of you as well. So bundle up.

That's it for now. Got to check clothes in the dryer...

Miss ya,

VAL & JOHN

Seasonal Employment

Hi Friends,

It seems that as a seasonal employee with the National Park Service, you spend most of your time not working looking for your next job. Summer seasonal jobs start anywhere from March to June and last from a few weeks to six months. I've been fortunate that here at Carlsbad, the season runs six months.

I've been filling out applications for months now, hoping to find another position for the summer. Sometimes you have to make tough choices; do you leave the job you know for something else??? I can stay here at Carlsbad for the summer, or I can try to find a job elsewhere. Referrals are starting to come in, but that still doesn't guarantee you a job - it just means you made the cut.

My heart is in the mountains as many of you know. My first choice, of course is Glacier! Been waiting impatiently for a referral to that park. Although there are many other parks, Grand Teton, Mesa Verde, Rocky Mountain, etc, that I'd be happy to spend the summer.

I need to decide whether to move on for the summer by Friday. I'd prefer to return to Carlsbad again for the winter season. Learned a lot here, have many new friends here at the cave, but I'm leaning towards moving on to new experiences...

Your thoughts are always welcome.

Love ya,
VAL

Weekend

Went hiking today at Guadalupe National Park It's a fee free weekend at all National Parks, so if you live near one - go visit it! Beautiful day here today, warmed us quite a bit from the cold week. It felt good to be out in the sun and hiking.


Last weekend, we went to Midland/Odessa, TX. Notice the windmills in the background. Lots of wind farms out here, which is useful considering the wind. One of the few problems with windmills, is they kill a lot of bats! Thought the clouds were rather interesting. Some days you can see for miles around here...

Love to all,

Val & John

Cold

Hi friends,

It's been cold here. Yesterday, it only reached 38 degrees. Now, that might not seem cold to some of you, but we're in the southwest desest, living in a RV. Ask Sassy, our eldest cat, who sat on the heat vent the past two days, she was NOT happy!

This morning, it was down to the teens. Unfortunately, our water line, which is wrapped in insulated foam with a special heater, stopped working, and yes, our line froze. We had to make the short walk to the bathrooms this morning. It was a minor inconvenience to me, but a big PIA to John who had to repair it. Tonight, we thankfully have running water again. John did a wonderful job!

It's supposed to warm up this weekend, back to the 60's in the day and bright blue sunshine. We're both looking forward to that and perhaps a nice hike in the mountains.

Hope you're all staying safe and warm with all the snow that has been flying.

Love to all,

VAL & JOHN

Sour dough

Living in Carlsbad has some definite disadvantages. With very few choices in shopping, we have limited access to things we enjoy eating. Of course, if you like Mexican food, this isn't a bad place to live. Unfortunately, I'm not big on Mexican food!

We bought a ham for Christmas, and went shopping for a simple rye bread. I really wanted a ham sandwich on rye. Sadly, the one John bought didn't taste anything like rye bread to me! :-( I mentioned this issue to a friend who offered me some sour dough starter. The starter supposedly is rather old stock, which sounded intriguing!

Now, I have not made bread (other than banana bread) in many years. If fact, I can't remember the last time I made bread. But with the internet, it wasn't that difficult to find a recipe. John and I followed the directions to 'feed' the starter. In a few days, we had happy starter, and John made a rather tasty sour dough bread!

We have a nice stock now of starter, and the basic knowledge of how it's done. We look forward to making more bread in the weeks to come.

Hope you're all keeping warm and having a great new year.

Love,

Val & John

Happy New Year

Dear Friends,

We never expected to find myself in Carlsbad NM for New Years. Yet, here we are continuing our 'summer adventure' now in the new year. So happy 2011 to each and every one of you. We do miss you, but we are still enjoying our adventure.

The year closed out with snow flurries at the cave. It was a bitter cold and windy day. The new year is bringing near record cold to all of New Mexico. The fireplace is on and the gas heat kicks on every few minutes. We are expecting to reach the low 50's this afternoon.

The cats have been managing in the cold. Lots of blankets, baskets, and of course the bed to cuddle on. Sassy, at this very moment is cuddled on the heat vent (she's a smart little kitty!).
Momma cat is up on the top of the chair, curled up, and Spot is cuddled up on my arm. helping me type. Shadow, our long haired cat seems to be the only one who doesn't mind the cold. Although Scooter doesn't seem to concerned about it either.

John and I are relaxing today in our sweat pants andflannel shirts. Not much to do in this town on the weekend, let alone a holiday. So we'll keep it a low key day of rest and relaxing.

We send our loves and best wishes for you all. We hope that 2011 brings you health, happiness and perhaps some strength in the economy.

Love to all,

VAL & JOHN and the kitties!