New Mexico Road Trip

Spent the day at Brantley Dam which is located just North of Carlsbad on the Pecos River. It's a very small lake compared to lakes in general, but then the Pecos River is a very small river (very long but not very wide) when compared to rivers in general. The people who I am working for just got their boat fixed and wanted to take it to the nearest body of water (larger than the pond) and try it out. Brantley is probably 110 miles from here. When we first arrived at about 9:30 AM, there was one RV, one truck with boat trailer, and one boat in the water. When we left at noon we were the only ones in the area. This is a fairly typical S.E. New Mexico, late Summer day. The light is so intense that everything reflects, not just the shiny objects, and the heat around Carlsbad was incredible, as usual. My friends and I have hiked and camped all through this area since we were children. The river is nice, but there is absolutely no shade, so there are times when it isn't that nice. In the canyons to the West there is shade plus occasional water and we spent most of our weekends there. Our main destination was Sitting Bull Falls. It is a beautiful place with unique plants, interesting caves (most are now blocked off), and worth the side trip for anyone visiting Carlsbad Caverns. I rarely go to any of these places now but I'm glad that I know them.