We did not tour Balcony House. Our knees were done for the week after the Cliff Palace, so we might have to make a third trip to MV.
We camped at Brantly Lake State Park which was about 30 miles north of Carlsbad. The campground was okay but not at the top of my list. People fishing the lake are advised not to eat the fish because of high levels of ??DDT? found in the fish. Brantly has water and power hookups, showers and a dump station. I think fees were $14.00 a night and all was on the honor system. All campsites were out in the open, not many trees around, but it served its purpose.
And yes, driving through Lincoln National Forest (beautiful drive) we went through Cloudcroft on the way to White Sands. I was born in Clovis, NM and lived in the state for 19 years, but had never been to the Caverns or White Sands, which, like you say, could be like snow blindness.

Thank you Garry. I had originally planned to visit Carlsbad this Fall, but other things have come up so I'm putting it off till Spring. I was mildly surprised to find there was no camping within the Park boundaries at all. When we visit National Parks, we prefer to stay "inside" (but not underground, of course).

Balcony House is kind of fun, and it's a very unique ruin. For those who have never been there, there is a "tight squeeze" on the exit route that "wide bodies" have to be able to navigate. This is done on your hands and knees through a short rock cave-like opening. It's a Ranger guided tour, like Cliff Palace and there is a portal that simulates the tight place where you sign up. If you can't fit through it, you don't take the tour. There are also several ladders, so if you have certain handicaps, you can't do it either.

- Jack

Jack, when you do go to Carlsbad, allow plenty of time for the viewing. We did the self guided tour for about 2 1/2 hours and only went part of the way through the "Ballroom". We took a short break and then went on a guided tour which was another 1 1/2 hours. The first part of the self tour we went down 850 feet. When we went back down for the guided tour we took the elevator back down to the 850 level. Oh, and after the self tour we took the elevator back to the top. The history on the caverns provided by our guide was very interesting and informative.

Thank you again Garry. Looking at the website for Carlsbad NP, there are several Ranger guided tours in addition to the self-guided tour of the main cave. I also noted that you need reservations for these things, so will have to probably make those well in advance. I had planned to spend the better part of a week there, so I should have plenty of time to see everything.

I'm a sucker for caverns, waterfalls, high alpine meadows, mountains and slot canyons. Rivers and the ocean are big turn-ons too. I think I've covered almost everything, haven't I? (Actually, I'm not eager to visit cities, unless they're very special.)

- Jack

Lehman Caves
 

Jack, (only) about 9 hours from you in Great Basin National Park is Lehman Caves. You can camp right on Lehman Creek in one of the two campgrounds (around 7,500 ft. elevation) and take a day trip up to Wheeler Peak (13,000 ft.) It's only a 3,000 ft. change in elevation from the trailhead! :D There is a campground up there at 9,900 ft. if you care to drive the trailer that high.

Lehman Caves Tours - Great Basin National Park (U.S. National Park Service)

Garry, how difficult was it to install this product? I'm thinking of purchasing one also.

Thanks,

Cool, I've certainly seen signs referring to Great Basin NP, but I've never been there. I could certainly take the trailer up to the 9,900 ft campground. I took it up to Cedar Breaks NM, (above 10,000 ft) three years ago. That was a STEEP drive - I believe it had a 13% grade and trailers were not recommended. But, I figured my F150 would make it. It did, but I was in 1st gear for most of the pull.

I'd been meaning to look up Great Basin, so you've given me a reminder to do just that.

- Jack

It's a beautiful place and not very crowded. Hoping to go again next year as I have relatives in Ely, NV. The road up to Wheeler Peak campground is fairly steep in places but up to a 24 ft. trailer is allowed.

When we arrived at the caverns about 10:15 am we made reservations for a tour at 1:30 the same day...however, some tours were closed due to flooding from heavy rains the first part of the week.

Not hard to install. You just have to decide how and where you want the access for the water service line that you attach to the black water tank. Since you do have to drill a hole into your black water tank, you need a good silicone sealer for the fitting. With the location of the tank on my rig, I had to buy additional plastic hose for the water connection.:)

Thanks, Garry! Looks like the reviews on the various websites are mostly positive so I went ahead and ordered one. I'll give a review on this site after I've installed and used it.

My stompin' grounds!

Tires...
 

I'm glad to see you all installing new tires and checking air pressure/rotation, wheel bearing repacked, etc.
It's no fun having a blow out! My last trip, I had a blow out and this caused some metal to be bent in the wheel opening. This thin metal was a mistake by HiLo. I re-straightened the metal and then bought some aluminum panels like the same aluminum that comes on the front of the HiLo. I installed these panels around the wheel wells to strengthen the openings if a blow out occurs again. You can find this metal on EBAY and other sites.
Those original tires were not very good. Be wary if you are still using them.
I also bought a 12 volt jack and a 12 volt impact wrench which really speeds up a tire change, if you can't get road service!
Good luck and safe travels.