I live in Albuquerque, New Mexico...a sleepy, one-horse town of about 500,000 people...including the horse!  I know it's hard to believe...but we do have running water; electricty and in-door facilities, etc. 

Our mini-tour today, takes us to Carlsbad Caverns, in southern New Mexico...a place where I have visited three times in my life...and the only word that fits the description is 'breathtaking!' 

Carlsbad Caverns National Monument: The tour will consist of a walk down a path down into a hole in the ground, that at the other end, will be over 1,000 feet into the ground!  In the old days, there was a Park Ranger, who would guide the visitors down into the cave.  But, today it is different, as the visitor can go into the cave anytime during the daytime hours. 

The visitor is given a divice, similar to a cell phone, and hangs the device around the neck.  There are magnetic strips all along the paths down into the cave, and when the visitor crosses the strip, the device is activated, and the visitor can hear a recording of what is going on at that particular sight.  The history, the climate; and so forth. 

Everywhere the visitor turns, are incredible rock and ice sculptures, in every shape and size made by nature!  Colored lights are placed behind the ice sculptures to define them and to enhance them...a true parade of color! 

There are the bottom-less pits that one can look down, and get scared!  The visitor can always hear water dripping and running someplace in the cave, as pools of water gather in place to place.  About a third of the way down, there is a room...and there are seating places for all the visitors made of rock.  The visitors are asked to sit down, and the Park Guide tells us all, that the lights are going to be turned off!  This is done, so that the visitor gets an idea what it was like when the explorers in the early days, came into the cave and explored...they had nothing but a lantern or a candle, etc. 

THE LIGHTS GO OFF...and we must be several hundred feet underground...and there is this...a-h-h-h-h and o-o-o-h-h-h-h-heard from the visitors sitting there in the dark!  This is the darkest place I have ever been...so dark in fact...that I couldn't even see my hand in front of me!  A few seconds later, the lights came back on...to the relief of all the visitors! 

About half way down the trip, there is a big room, and it is a cafeteria...where box lunches are sold, and souvenires/gifts can be bought.  There are restrooms and elevators, and if the visitor has seen enough...or is tired from the walk, they can just hop on an elevator and zoom up to the suface of the cavern.  This is an amazing wonderland of sculpures of rock and ice shaped by nature! 

"The nation behaves well, if it treats the natural resources as assets, which it must turn over to the next generation increased and not impaired in value."  Theadore Rossevelt

 White Sands National Monument; About an hours drive north of Carlsbad, is the White Sands National Monument.  When you come here, you'll thank you have arrived at the North or South Pole...but you're still in New Mexico.  This place is a wonderland of white...not off-white...but of snow-white...everything is snow-white...even the creatures that live in this environment! 

You'll know you've entered White Sands National Monument, when the black-top highway you've been driving on...suddenly turns to snow-white...and everything for hundreds of square miles is snow-white!  The white sand is actually gysum produced at near-by Lake Lucero and the wind blows the gysum in every direction and has done so for centuries! 

At the White Sands Museum, the visitor will see many white creatures that live in and around White Sands, and adjust to their environment...all white in color!  Amazing! 

I got scared to death, because, just like a little kid in a huge sand-box, I got out of the car, and went rolling over sand dune after sand dune...What I didn't think about...is the wind blows all the time, and now my foot prints are gone with the wind, and I didn't know which way I came from or how to get back to the car!  I was pretty nervous there for a minute or two!  I don't know if there's another place like this in the world! 

If you visit this place...you'd better bring your shades...for it is blinding WHITE!  White as far as the eye can see...in every direction...

Chama/Toltec Narrow-Gauge Railroad: (Chame, New Mexico);  If there was ever 'a little train that could,' it's right here...the narrow-gauge railroad...all aboard!    We took our boys, ages 5 and 7 and they loved it!  Heck...we adults loved it as well, even more so than the kids!  Chama is located in northern New Mexico, and the little train travels up the mountain and over, and makes it way to Littleton, Colorado.  It's about a six hour trip and the sights are dazzling and breath-taking of all the mountains and valleys all along the way.  There is an open car for all the photographers to take pictures. 

Amazingly, and about half way up the mountain, the little train stops and everyone who wants to take pictures of the train, can get off the train at this point.  The little train backs up...that's right...backs up until it is around the mountain and can't be seen by the visitors.  And, then the train comes forward, as it's coming around the mountain, so the people can take the pictures...AMAZING!  People are standing beside the tracks and on the tracks taking pictures of the train coming around the mountain!  An amazing scene!  Try to explain to your grandchildren how you got these pictures, etc. 

The other thing that is amazing, is that this little train straddles the New Mexico and Colorado line.  At some time during the trip, the engineer gets on the loudspeaker, in informs the passengers that the engine is in Colorado; the middle of the train is in New Mexico; and the caboose is in Colorado!  Amazing!  This is truly...'the little train that could'...

The entire trip takes about 6 hours on the train, and when the train reaches its destination, there are about 12 buses waiting at the top of the mountian to bring the passengers back to Chama, which takes only about 15 minutes down the mountain. 

"Envoronmentalists oppose reckless innovation and makes conservation the central order of business."  Christopher Lasch

America and Americans have to lead the way around the world in conservation and environmental issues.  We cannot let the government or any corporation destroy the streams; lakes; the drinking water and the air we all breath and natural beauty of America! 

"It is horrorfying that we have to fight our own government, to save the environment."  Ansel Adams. 

I've been an environmentalist and conservationist all my life.  And we as human beings, have no other place to go, as we can't survive anyplace in outer space,etc.  So, all the peoples of the world must join, put aside their differences, and make it all work for all the people of the world, etc. 

I have written a few pieces on the environment which include;

It's Easy to Recycle;
http://www.authorsden.com/visit/viewarticle.asp?id=34365

Water Conservation Is Everybody's Business;
http://www.authorsden.com/visit/viewarticle.asp?id=34304

Water Contamination Is Everybody's business;
http://www.authorsden.com/visit/viewarticle.asp?id=56978

Chemical Dumping!  They're Going to Kill All Of Us!
http://www.authorsden.com/visit/viewarticle.asp?id=56776

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Website name; humordoctormd
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