the turquoise trail

{idaho} I crossed the state line into Idaho and stopped off at the un-manned tourist info centre with very limited attractions to promote.  There was one brochure for some hot springs, so I headed off in that direction only to discover that they have very limited operating hours and were closed.  Most of my drive was spent passing by potato fields or cows.. Welcome to Idaho! Instead of a soak in the hot springs I settled for a walk around Idaho Falls, which is kind of a side-ways falls in the middle of a river.  It was very great place to go for a walk before I finished the last hour of my drive to Victor.  The last few minutes of my drive wound through the national forest, which had more deer than I could count!  I was glad they all remained unattached to my van. Idaho Falls So many deers... My arrival in Victor was also the arrival of the rain, which would follow me for the next several days.    I spent the night with Dana at her go...

{colorado} I crossed the state line into Colorado and continued a short drive into the state to Pagosa Springs for the night.  I was amazed by how quickly the landscape changed from adobe homes in the sandy desert to log cabins in the lush mountains!  The change in landscape and change in elevation brought with it a rather drastic change in temperature; the night was rather brisk and my first time experiencing single digits in quite a while.   Welcome to Colorado! Pagosa Springs is a hot springs and skiing resort-style town.  It has a very nice little downtown, a few hot springs and all the typical tourist amenities.  I spent my night at the local Walmart, then went into town the next morning for church.  I joined Mark and Sara & their three kids for a Mexican mothers day lunch afterwards, then they took me for a scenic Sunday drive.  We wound our way through the mountains to the east of Pagosa Springs, finding a waterfall and a few scenic ...

{texas} After my refreshing visit to Balhormea State Park I continued north through Pecos, which is very much an oil & gas town - I saw nothing but transports and pickup trucks for miles!  There were lots of oil wells and little camps along the way north, where I crossed the New Mexico state line.. {new mexico} Welcome to New Mexico! ...and spent the night in Carlsbad.  I didn't take the time to explore too much of Carlsbad, but I enjoyed a relaxing evening catching up on emails etc., then got an early start to Carlsbad Caverns.  I was undecided over whether I should take an organized tour or just explore the 'big room' & main cave on my own, so I wanted to be there at 8am to get some more information.  When I arrived I realized that the self-guided cave tour covers quite a lot of area and takes about 2.5 hrs, so I decided that would be enough. The trail to the natural entrance opened shortly afterwards, so I headed off on the 2km hike descendin...