By Marcella S. Meeks
Vacation time will be here before you know it. I wanted to share with y’all a sneak preview of the places we’re going this summer. Some of it we’ve done before, and some of it is new to us. All in all, it will be a fun-filled and creative trip and one we are looking forward to once again. My only concern is that the gas prices don’t hike up any higher before we leave. Buying gas is one of the major expenses on these trips because we have to have fuel to get us from point A to point B and back again. Motel rooms are also one of our greatest expenses, and with a family in tow, we have to watch our spending. I try to find rooms that rate at least three stars. I always get rooms that has breakfast and I make sure everyone eats before we leave.
We’re heading west again this year. It’s a ten hour drive to Carlsbad, New Mexico, (exactly 665 miles one way). We’ll stay one night there and visit Carlsbad Caverns (https://www.nps.gov/cave/index.htm) the next morning where we’ll spend the biggest part of the day. After we leave Carlsbad, we’re driving over to Roswell, New Mexico, (seventy-six miles away) and visit the alien museum while we’re there. If we don’t get abducted by aliens, we’ll drive the three and half hour drive (two hundred and five miles) to Albuquerque, New Mexico where we’re going to be staying the next four nights.
I took the liberty to book us a room for four nights at La Quinta Inn & Suites by Wyndham, a 3.6 star facility. We have stayed here before and enjoyed it very much. They have an onsite guest laundry and the best part is, they are pet friendly so Isabelle, our daughter fur baby (Yorkie) can travel with us. They serve breakfast as well.
Why Albuquerque, you may ask? Simple.
Albuquerque is a mini vacation in itself. It can be short or as long as you want it to be. There is plenty to do for everyone in the family. Why go anywhere else for an eventful vacation when you go to Albuquerque!
We’re only staying in Albuquerque for four nights before going on to Colorado to finish up our trip.
Some of our favorite things to do and provide links here and there.
If you have children, and a few dollars you can turn loose, Hinkle Family Fun Center on Indian School Road. (https://www.hinklefuncenter.com/) is the place to be. You will run out of money before you run out of fun! They have arcades, mini golf, bungy jumping and more. Just bring your credit cards and let Hinkle Family Fun Center provide the fun! It is an exciting place to be for families of all ages.
Then there’s the Albuquerque Zoo and Aquarium. The kids will love this one. Plan an entire day at the Alb. Zoo and Aquarium.
Then there is the New Mexico Museum of Natural History & Science. You sure don’t want to miss out on this one! If you have a kid who loves dinosaurs, this si the place to be. And the planetarium is also a must see.. Visit it at the dinosaur museum before you leave.
There is more to Albuquerque though. Take the kids on a free tour of Old Town. Be sure to take a water bottle and wear comfortable shoes because you will be walking awhile. While you’re touring, stop in at the rattle snake museum in the old town section of the downtown area.
If you’re into theme parks, take the kids out to Cliff’s Amusement Park (https://www.cliffsamusementpark.com/). Be prepared to stay all day for the rides and the next day for the water park. Their prices are affordable and the rides are a lot of fun. My favorite (always has been) is the log ride. But I’m old school and this ride is the only one that doesn’t scare me to death. Except the drop!
If theme parks are a little out of your league, then drop by the Petroglyph National Monument (https://www.nps.gov/petr/index.htm)
or the Anderson Abruzzo Albuquerque International Balloon Museum (https://balloonmuseum.com/).
There’s more – if your kids love skateboarding, there are a couple of skate parks (for scooters and bicycles too) in town where the kids can spend the entire day or an afternoon enjoying skating for free. That’s the best part of it all. Here are several that we’ve visited through the years but always double check to make sure they’re still in operation and safe for kids. Also, please note this list may not be complete. I did a Google search for skate park information in the Albuquerque area. We’ve been to several of them and of course, our boys loved them. Skate parks are free and your kids can have a hour, a day or a week of free fun – depending how long you intend to stay in Albuquerque. You supply the skate boards or scooters (and the kids) and they provide you with an ample supply of skate parks to choose from. Here’s my list Los Altos Park Skatepark, North Domingo Baca Park Skatepark, Calvary Skatepark, Río Bravo Park Skatepark, Tower Pond Park Skate Park, North West Modular Skate Park, and Paradise Hills Skate Park.
I won’t even try to name all the activities or restaurants in Albuquerque – you’ve just got to be there and experience it your own way. There’s just too much to do, to see and enjoy!
After leaving Albuquerque, we’ll head over to Farmington and most likely, get a room and stay the night. We have family there and it wouldn’t be right not to stop in and visit since we’ve come this far. We’ll also visit the Aztec Indian Ruins in Aztec, NM on our way out. (https://www.nps.gov/azru/index.htm)
Then we are heading to Cortez, Colorado for the next couple of nights. Yes, you guessed it – Four Corner and Mesa Verde National Park (https://www.nps.gov/meve/index.htm) is next on our list before heading back down to Durango, Colorado where we’re spending the next three nights camping out at United Campgrounds of Durango.
We’ll take a day trip over to Silverton and then on to Ouray. We have ridden the Durango and Silverton Narrow Gauge Railroad Train so many times in the past that it is not for us. I enjoy it every time but our kids are older now and don’t care for it anymore. If you’re bringing kids and they’ve never rode it, then it’s worth the money you pay for it. But it is slow and usually takes all day, round trip. Because I have done it so many times through the years, it is tiring to me because it is slow and a bit noisy. The first few times I did ride it, I found it exciting and fun though, and so will you.
After leaving Durango, we’re driving over to South fork. We’ll do Pagosa Springs another day. Driving over Wolf Creek Pass has always been exciting and we always stop at the summit and take pictures. You should too. Wolf Creek Pass is a high mountain pass (elevation over 10,000 feet) on the Continental Divide.
When we get settled in at South Fork for the next four nights, we always venture up to South Clear Creek Falls, and North Clear Creek Falls near Creede. Creede is about 25 miles from South Fork, and is something to do while we’re there. We spend a few hours at the falls for a picnic lunch, and then we drive into Creede for a little while before heading back to South Fork.
we head back down to South Fork and rest up. Sometimes, depending on our trip budget, we stay a day or two.
This time, we’re staying in Lake City at our favorite resort called A Texan Resort (http://www.texanresort.com/new/index.html) for several nights before coming back down the mountain and heading over to Monte Vista.
We usually stay in Monte Vista three or four nights because it’s an in-between location of some of the things we like to do while we’re here. Monte Vista Skate Park is the kid’s favorite of all and they spend as much here as they can. The best part is, it’s right across the street from our motel. So convenient! We usually try to book our rooms here on the weekend so that we can go to the Star Drive In Theatre in Del Norte (bestwesternmoviemanor.com), a little less than twenty miles away. You simply must take the family out to the Colorado Gators (https://coloradogators.com/). It’s about a twenty-five mile drive from Monte Vista. And don’t forget, the Great Sand Dunes National Park (https://www.nps.gov/grsa/index.htm) is only a short drive from Monte Monte Vista. And bring plenty of water for this one. Another all-time favorite for the kids. Don’t forget to rent a sled. Be sure to take water with you on the slopes.
Friday evening, we’ll drive over to Del Norte and take a movie at
I wouldn’t recommend the Sand Dunes for older folk. They are hot, and if you have health issues, this is not for you.
When it’s time to say goodbye to Monte Vista, we’re heading over to Salida (about eighty miles away) and we’ll stay here a couple of nights, do some rafting and sight seeing before heading over to Leadville to ride the Leadville, Colorado & Southern Railroad train. (https://www.leadvillerailroad.com/). Call ahead and book your reservation – they have a one half day ride in the morning and one in the afternoon.
After a long day, we go back to our room and rest and get up the next day and trek off to Canon City. There. We do the Royal Gorge Bridge. It is an all day adventure! The next day, we’ll spend the day with the kids at the Cañon City Skatepark. We’ll take a picnic lunch with us and just enjoy the day here.
Last but not least, when we leave Canon City, we stop off in Colorado Springs for a couple of nights. There is a lot of things to do that we haven’t done but this year we’re going to the Manitou Cliff Dwellings (https://www.cliffdwellingsmuseum.com/) in Manitou Springs. It usually takes us about 4 hours to go through the ruins and the gift shops but it is well worth the time.
There are so many things to do in Colorado Springs that I don’t even know where to begin. Usually, we’ll play it by ear and just do one or two things while we’re here. My two favorites are Manitou Springs Cliff Dwellings and Garden of the Gods (https://gardenofgods.com/). By the time we do these two, we’re ready to head to our motel room, and rest up for the 1000 + mile drive home and back to our normal life!
But before we actually get home – just out of Colorado a little way, we’ll stop in Raton, NM. and visit the Capulin Volcano National Monument (https://www.nps.gov/cavo/index.htm). Yes, we’ve been there many times but since we’ve come so far, we wouldn’t miss it for the world and neither should you. As soon as we’re done with that, we’re heading back home – we’ll probably make it as far as far as Amarillo, Texas if we drive without stopping every thirty minutes! But that’s okay – we’re certainly in no rush to get back home to our normal… I’d rather spend hours on the road with my family enjoying them every moment rather than coming home, getting back into our normal routine. It’s more fun being on vacation!
I know our trip seems awfully long but it’s worth every minute we put into it. Come join us if you dare!
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