Day 3 Geocache #2000 plus...

We spent two nights at the Holiday Inn Express in Grants NM. It was 22 degrees when we got up the first morning with a promise of wind and rain... which did materialize along with several beautiful rainbows, as we enjoyed a very interesting 72 mile drive thru El Malpais Nat’l Park. Taking the Hwy 117 entrance (south of I-40), we stopped by the BLM Ranger Station and received many tips on things to do and see. First stop Sandstone Butte Overlook, then the Zuni Acoma Trail, part of the Continental Divide National Scenic Trail, that runs from Canada to Mexico. La Ventana (the window) Natural Arch was next, followed by the Narrows and a final stop at the Laval Falls area presented us with a 1.5 mile hike, where you wandered on the lava, following many big cairnes. It was important to visually locate the next one before wandering off, since it would be easy to get lost on this massive lava flow. We even had time for Don to find 3 geocaches (and he didn’t find 3 or 4 others). However, under a double rainbow near the intersection of Hwy #117 and I-40, Don found his 2000th cache... which included a travel bug at “Squirrel Cache 89”. Fortunately the resident rattler had already gone off to hibernate!!! Don will be taking the travel bug to AZ to continue its journey.