ith all the trimmings. Joey had a crunchy and toasted grilled cheese sandwich. The Parks finished their meal in record time and headed back on the road. As they passed through the plains of Texas there was nothing in sight but green and prickly cactus. The desert was so dry that a man looking for water wouldn't find a single drop for hundreds of miles. They had finally passed through the thick and humid roads of Texas. New Mexico is the fifth largest state in the Untied States. The passing through of New Mexico was quite unique that when Mr. Parks passed Carlsbad Caverns National Park Joey wanted to stop and take a tour of the caverns. The family walked through the 3-level cavern that contains the largest known underground room in the world: about 300 feet high by 1500 feet long by 300 feet wide. It was an immense, cathedral like chamber with water slowly percolating through cracks in the limestone and calcite to erode the caverns. It was an amazing site to see when stalactites and stalagmites meet to form columns. There were limestone columns and chandelier like columns from every possible corner. The tour came to an end and the Parks family was once again on the road. After seeing the Carlsbad Caverns National Park, Mr. Parks wanted to see the Grand Canyon when they passed through Arizona. It took a good 8 hours to get to the HoGrand Canyon National Park. Mr. Parks stopped at a hotel so the family could rest for the night. The plan was to get up early in the morning and start touring the park, which encompassed 277 miles of the Colorado River and adjacent uplands. Mrs. Parks was so excited she woke everyone up early in the morning to get the kids dressed and fed them their breakfast. The family took the guided bus tours through the Canyons. The first view of the mighty gouge in the skin of the earth hit them with the force and surprise of a heavyweight's sucker punch. There was a calmness of peace and t...
