Road Trip!!! (Part 1 - Carlsbad Caverns, Roswell, and Colorado)

An Explanation:

OK.  So Lili has been writing posts so far, but I agreed to take on our U.S. road trip.  Unfortunately, I proved to be a bit lazy so things have lapsed, but here we start up again a few weeks late...

After San Fransisco we flew to El Paso, Texas and picked up a relatively undamaged Toyota (more on that later) for a trip that would take us through Texas, New Mexico, Colorado, Utah, Arizona, and Nevada.  

Our first stop was Carlsbad Caverns in New Mexico.  Originally put into our itinerary as a time filler before the Grand Canyon, this actually became one of our favorite parks in the U.S.  Lili's only disappointment was when the park ranger assured her that weddings are not allowed in the cavern.

The elevator was broken, so the only way down was to walk... and back up.

What was once a reef now looks like the set of an alien genre flick.

Next we headed up to Roswell.

I am told nothing of consequence happened in Roswell. 

We continued to Denver to visit Alden and Tif.  It was all good, clean, legal fun.  Here is a picture of a blue bear.

Leaving Denver, I directed Lili to the scenic route on highway 6 through the canyon.  Luckily she showed fast reflexes when a rockslide came down, stopping short about 10 feet from being buried.  This photo was taken after a hasty retreat:

We did take a stray rock to the side of the car, though.  Always buy insurance with the rental.

Before we left, our friend Rob told us of a hike to try on the way through I-70.  We figured it would be a good break during a long day of driving.  Hanging lake is more than worth the effort:

Part II to follow...   (Brice, Zion, and Vegas)

- Riggs