Carlsbad, NM

Campsite:

Brantley Lake State Park, Carlsbad NM

Site: 15

Wifi: Verizon - 20 down, 5 up, ATT - 20 down, 5 up

Cost: $208 for two weeks

Noise: Very aggressive birds

We loved Brantley Lake State Park. The views were great, the sites were fairly level, everything was spacious, and even with neighbors we never were disturbed. The bathrooms are under construction, but the outdoor concert style restrooms worked just fine. Our cell signals were strong, we didnt have to worry about overflowing dumpsters, and it was easy to access our site. The only downside (which may be an upside to some) was that we were half an hour away from any sort of store. That meant we had to be more aware of how much gas we had on our motorcycle before we went anywhere. We would definitely be back.

That’s a good boy

City:

Carlsbad, NM

Carlsbad is a town full of all the things you would need, probably not so much the things you would want. Not a lot of social things to do - not even a lot of bars. It fills a void and gets the job done, but don’t expect anything extra. It’s within driving distance (2 hours or so) to two national parks, as well as tourist town Roswell, NM, so it’s a good stopping point. 

Restaurant:

Antigua Cocina Mexicana

On a visit to Roswell, we stopped by the visitor’s center for a photo op and dinner recommendation. We were told to go see Antigua Cocina Mexicana. It was more north of the city than we had wanted to go, but we are so glad we went. The food was absolutely delicious, the prices were reasonable, and the servers were friendly. Ron enjoyed the shrimp cocktail and thought they nailed a Mexican shrimp cocktail perfectly. I loved their almond flan.