Guadalupe Mountains National Park

I couldn't agree more with the national park website:

"Guadalupe Mountains National Park could easily be described as one of America's best-kept secrets. As if “hidden in plain view”, travelers often overlook the park as they drive by. To many, the massive rock face of El Capitan isn’t impressive, but forbidding as it stands steadfast in a sea of harsh, barren desert. What else could possibly be here? Or live here?"

Passing through the park this week just following a fairly significant desert rain, I was fortunate enough to have a little time to stop for a second to enjoy the lush flora and impressive cliff faces.







Stopping at the Pine Springs Visitor center to use the restroom, curiosity drove me to want to stroll around a bit and get a little bit more of a taste for what this place was about. Now, I wasn't ready to embark on any kind of significant hike due to both time constraints and the constraint of pure cold fear of vicious beasts (mountain lions, of course).

The first subtle thing you notice as you spend a little time outside of the visitor center is that the insects/arachnids in these parts are gargantuan. As we walked along the tame trail (mostly paved) leaving from the visitor center, while busy being afraid of every rattle-sounding noise (signs warning to be on the lookout for rattlesnakes), I stopped with a scream when this little bugger scurried onto the path.



Hands down the biggest spider I've ever seen. I didn't realize tarantulas lived in the desert - for some reason I thought they were rainforest creatures.

Another cool bug, some kind of stick bug, was on the outside of the bathroom door:



I certainly didn't realize that this park contained the highest peak in Texas, with that peak being far higher than 8000 feet. The front face of the park is called "El Capitan",



"an ancient limestone reef that forms the present-day Guadalupe Mountains". The present day park was once an important stop on the Butterfield Overland Mail stagecoach, and portions of the original buildings are a short distance from the visitor center.



Although most people probably don't find themselves on U.S. Highway 62/180, 110 miles east of El Paso, TX, if you do, this is a worthwhile stop for an hour or two, at least, on your trip. You can be fairly certain you will experience the solitude and tranquility promised by the National Park Service: "Here, one can experience solitude, tranquility, and the joy of finding plants and animals whose mastery of survival renews our sense of wonder." I don't know if I can say I experienced "joy" upon sighting the tarantula, but it was certainly wondrous.

Other experiences of note: I highly recommend Dane's Steakhouse in the University area of El Paso. In the past, I've been exceedingly unfair to El Paso - no city should be judged by the mainly hotel-populated areas near their airport, and that's what I've done in the past. I had the best steak I've had in years in a swanky, upscale atmosphere. Always finish on a good note (and your meal with a generous sip of pinot noir).