New Mexico Trip - June 2026

 In June we spent some time with friends at their Cabin in Cloudcroft, New Mexico.  It was very hot in the desert, but nice and cool up at the cabin above 8k ft.  We did some hiking around the area, played games and visited two national parks.  

White Sand National Park was interesting and fun for the kids to go sledding in summer.  Apparently, the sand is made of gypsum, the stuff that's used to make drywall.  We played around until the heat was too intense, then had a nice lunch in Alamogordo to celebrate Shyll's b-day.

If you've never had a chance to visit Carlsbad caverns, you should add it to your bucket list.  I was amazed at how you go down, down, down and keep going down.  This series of caves goes on for miles.  A legitimate hike that's all underground was a fun way to explore while avoiding the heat.  There's even a restaurant/gift shop down in the caves.  

We did some shooting and also visited the space museum.  That area is famous for having some of the best night sky viewing in the country.

Winter Hikes 2026

On our way back from visiting family in OK we took a route through New Mexico to visit the Capulin Volcano National Monument near Raton Pass.  We lingered too long at a few stops along the way which put us there close to sunset.  Just as we arrived, the park rangers closed the gate to the road that goes around the volcano to reach the top.  Bummer.  KD decided to be adventurous and hike up the entire road with me full well knowing that we would be hiking in the dark.  The sunset was stunning once we got higher up on the road before going around to the back side.  The winds really picked up making the hike quite cold and bitter.  It was fully dark by the time we reached the top, but with the bright moonlight we were able to see down into the crater.  It was a neat experience and a cool landmark to explore.  How many 12 year old girls can say they climbed a volcano in the dark in the middle of winter?

Capulin from a distance

Sunset on the way up

On MLK day, a group of us decided to take the boys winter hiking in RMNP.  This would be Kolby's first time trying out the snowshoes.  We started at Bear Lake and headed north to a junction where we gave the boys a choice.  They could go the short route to Bierstadt Lake or the long route to Two Rivers Lake.  Of course they chose the long route.  After a grueling windy adventure, lots of breaks for snacks and a stop to add extra socks for frozen toes, the boys finally reached  the lake.  We took a quick picture before our fingers froze then returned to find a good wind shelter to make some hot cocoa.  Kolby learned that sometimes adventures require a bit of suffering and discomfort, but in the end it's worth it!

Notchtop Mountain - Prints available

Hot Cocoa

Longs and friends

Golden Bear and Hagar Mountain - July, 2025

 

KD isn't a huge fan of hiking mountains and she was at a church camp so the rest of the family made a day trip to hike a walkup 13er up I-70.  Golden bear is a great family hike with a gradual trail or grassy tundra the whole way.  Once you leave the parking lot, the sounds of the interstate are quickly replaced by the sounds of nature.  Kolbs is such a curious guy and was asking questions the whole time as we leisurely walked up the switchbacks toward the saddle of Coon Hill and Golden Bear.  There were tons of animals and wildlife along the route as we quickly came to a few short snowfield crossings...Cami's favorite:

It took under 3 hours to summit with breaks and snacks along the way.  The day was pretty nice, so I decided to head over a connecting ridge to Hagar.  I told the family I would give myself a one hour deadline to reach the summit or I'd turn around so they wouldn't have to wait on me too long.  Moving as quickly as I could without getting too uncomfortable, I was just able to make it in under that deadline.  The last push up Hagar is not so gentle, but steep and loose.  The final summit pitch had some fun scrambling at the top. 

Golden Bear Summit

Looking up at Hagar with the Citadel on the right

The way down was pleasant.  Though it was an "easy" mountain, there is always a degree of danger involved in any adventure.  While walking down, Kolby tripped on some rocks and scraped his knee up a bit.  A reminder that nature is merciless and indifferent to human mistakes.  He got some quick relief from his wounds with some Smashburger in Silverthorne.

McInnis Canyons Rafting Trip - June 2025

 

Late June we had the opportunity to tag along on a Colorado River rafting trip with a couple other families in the McInnis Canyon area.  We started out of Fruita, CO and traveled all the way across the boarder into Utah.  It was a fun time in some beautiful country.  The weather was very warm, but nothing that water can't fix!   We stayed at two different campsites two different nights and went on a few hikes along the way.  

Petroglyphs

Sunset on the Colorado River

Lots of wildlife along the river