While I was visiting in El Paso I took the opportunity to drive the quick day trip over to New Mexico and visit my aunt and uncle. Whereas they live in a very dusty, dry and rather boring area of the desert Southwest, the trip there takes you around the highest point in Texas, the Guadalupe Peak. Be sure to click the above picture for a closer view.
As you drive East out of El Paso, you quickly will see the mountain range on the horizon. This view overlooks the salt flats, a dried up accumulation of salt from an ancient inland sea. Not far from the Guadalupe Mountains National Park is Carlsbad Caverns National Park, one of the finest examples of accessible caves in North America.
The road loops around the mountain, which reaches a height of 8,749 feet, the highest in Texas. The brochure I picked up offering information about this National Park indicates the mountain range is an ancient marine fossil reef, in fact one of the best examples in the world. Believe it or not, at the top of this mountain range is the Lincoln forest, where there is an abundance of animal life, such as elk, mule deer, mountain lion, and black bear to name just a few of the larger species. There is an office headquarters accessible from this drive. I've never hiked the Lincoln forest . . . maybe someday I should come back with a few days and do that. There is a trail that takes you to the peak.
In the desert Southwest, with no trees to block the view, and very dry air, the horizon stretches for miles. It is a desolate yet beautiful place!
While I was visiting in El Paso I took the opportunity to drive the quick day trip over to New Mexico and visit my aunt and uncle. Whereas they live in a very dusty, dry and rather boring area of the desert Southwest, the trip there takes you around the highest point in Texas, the Guadalupe Peak. Be sure to click the above picture for a closer view.
As you drive East out of El Paso, you quickly will see the mountain range on the horizon. This view overlooks the salt flats, a dried up accumulation of salt from an ancient inland sea. Not far from the Guadalupe Mountains National Park is Carlsbad Caverns National Park, one of the finest examples of accessible caves in North America. 
The road loops around the mountain, which reaches a height of 8,749 feet, the highest in Texas. The brochure I picked up offering information about this National Park indicates the mountain range is an ancient marine fossil reef, in fact one of the best examples in the world. Believe it or not, at the top of this mountain range is the Lincoln forest, where there is an abundance of animal life, such as elk, mule deer, mountain lion, and black bear to name just a few of the larger species. There is an office headquarters accessible from this drive. I've never hiked the Lincoln forest . . . maybe someday I should come back with a few days and do that. There is a trail that takes you to the peak.
In the desert Southwest, with no trees to block the view, and very dry air, the horizon stretches for miles. It is a desolate yet beautiful place! 
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