We headed out from Possum Kingdom Lake about 8:30. Got out of our tight site and headed towards the dump station. So far we have had full hook ups wherever we have stayed so this will be our first dump station experience because we only had water and electricity here. We had to be very careful about how much water we used because we could’t let the tanks fill before we left. That meant we took showers in the park public showers ( which I don’t enjoy), and we used paper plates so we didn’t have to wash too many dishes etc. We have 3 waste water tanks. One gray water tank for the kitchen (27 gallons), one gray water tank for the bathroom (27 gallons), and the black water tank for the toilet (45 gallons). I guess it was good practice for when we boondock(no electricity except from our solar power and our generator, no sewer, and only water that you bring in). When we do we will have to fill our fresh water tank which is 52 gallons. Okay back to the dump station. We pulled up there and Joel had to hook up the hose and empty all of the 3 tanks. RV trivia – you empty the black water tank first and then the kitchen tank then the bathroom sink and shower tank which is the cleanest. That way the hose is cleaned out by the cleaner water. See I am learning! Here are a few pictures of Joel hard at work. BTW the hose is stored in the bumper. Pretty clever.

We pulled out from the dump station and hit the road towards Carlsbad. It was going to be a long day! We had 360 miles and about a 6 hour drive. Unfortunately it was a very windy day so the drive was going to be rough.

Fast forward to Carlsbad after a very stressful drive. In addition to the wind it was hot! As we approached Carlsbad it was about 104 degrees! Well it was so hot it was a problem for the tires. That dreaded sound of the tire alarm sounded about 25 miles from our destination(my heart stopped and all I could think about was changing a tire in 104 degree heat). The tire pressure was high in one tire! Joel silenced the alarm but let me tell you it was a stressful 25 miles. I was just waiting for a blow out. Well we make it without that happening thank goodness! We pulled in to our site and set up as quickly as possible because it was 105 degrees. Got the air conditioner going to try and cool down the trailer. And we had to go grocery shopping to stock up after being in the boon docks for 5 days.

The Caverns were the main reason for our stop in Carlsbad. We had a good nights sleep and got up and got ready to head out to the Caverns. It was about an hour drive and we had reservation for 12:30. We headed out with our hiking boots on and here is the photo gallery from our visit. Well worth the stop! I have to say I have seen a fair amount of Caverns (mostly in Europe) but this one was extraordinary.

Next episode is Silver City and a recap of our total miles and more. We are staying in Silver City for 3 weeks to really get a feel for the area and see if it might be our forever home. Thanks for following our Nomad Adventures!