I’m way behind in blogging this, but I think that’s been the theme of my life lately, but I have 4 kids, so that’s kind of an excuse, right?! I took tons of our photos on our vacation, so there is a lot to sift through. Plus, I journaled the whole time we were there, so I feel like I documented all the details I wanted to. It was just such a meaningful trip and now that I have finally had some time to go through the photos, I wanted to share it here too.
We went to New Mexico and stayed at Snow Bear Inn in Taos Ski Valley. This area is special because Ben and his family would vacation here year after year when he was a child, and they came one last time together the summer he moved out to California (right before we met!). We made the long drive from California and Ben’s mom and sister made the long drive from Texas for our first family vacation together. It was bittersweet because this was the first time they all went without his dad. Ben’s father passed away a year before we were married, so coming back to this place that holds a lot of memories for them brought a flood of joy and sadness. We didn’t stay at the exact cabins they used to stay at (they are no longer available for tourists), but we took the girls to see them. It was so special to see Ben’s mom be able to share this spot with her grandchildren!
Oh man, that Rio Grande Gorge Bridge is insanely scary. You don’t want to look down! I know the bridge is probably safe and all, but your imagination can really run wild and make you a big ‘fraidy cat. Despite the long drop, it was an amazing view (if you’re brave enough to look out!). That steel bridge is quite impressive too!
Actually, we went to see the bridge twice. The first time it was raining and lightening was nearby. We were on the bridge when suddenly you could hear a bit of electricity and then all of ours hairs stood straight up. It was a sight to see and we were laughing at each other until Ben’s sister’s boyfriend filled us in that it probably wasn’t too safe to be on a metal bridge with a lot of electricity in the air, which is the reason our hairs stood up. We quickly all made our way back to vehicles. Whew! That was a close one.
We also went to see the Earthship Community and the Rio Grande Gorge for a little picnic lunch and animal watching. We saw a beaver and a few birds, but we spent most of our time trying to skip rocks across the river. The girls were totally loving that! They call it “ploppers!”
New Mexico is just so breathtaking and I wouldn’t mind coming back summer after summer. I wish I could rewind summer a bit and relive our vacation. We had such a good time together. I’ve got more to share about it because it’s such a beautiful place and it’s hard to condense its beauty (and all the memories we made) into one post.
Anyone else want to rewind time to their summer vacation?
Gorgeous pics!! 🙂
I kept reading through this and finding all these little snippets that I just loved. I felt like I was there with you 🙂
I swear you have the cutest girls in this worlds. And also, those dandelions are either insanely much bigger then we get here in Australia, or your girls are teeny tiny. New mexico looks beautiful, and your pics took me straight back to 2009 when I drove I stood in the corner at 4 corners. I didn’t actually get to see any more of it other than that little spot. I wish I had.
Your blog is very fast becoming a fave xxx
Hi Krista,
Those dandelions were the largest we had ever seen! They were massive!!!!! i’d love to go to the 4 corners. That would be so cool. I love taking road trips with my fam!
taos, nm is such a wonderful place. i’ve been skiing there in the winter, but i see it’s just as beautiful, if not more, in the summer! we vacationed in the mountains this summer as well. it was so refreshing!
Yes, please! I would give just about anything to be waking up back in our Santa Cruz beach house, instead of sending my firstborn off to kindergarten. These days are challenging.
Thanks for sharing the beautiful pics. New Mexico is now on my must visit list.
Erin
http://www.bakesomebodyhappy.com
I’ve never been to NM, but these pictures sure make me want to go!
Yes, I want to rewind time one month ago when we started our trip to Grenade, Spain. It’s such a fabulous city with the visit to the Alhambra gardens and palaces… It was just wonderful for us!!!
love these photos. looks like a gorgeous area and so much fun. i miss summer already.
xxoo,
nikki
http://www.dreaminneon.blogspot.com
I’m going to Taos next weekend and Earthship was on the list of places to potentially check out. We need to find baby-friendly things to do and trails to hike. Not sure what else we’re doing on our visit yet but if you liked Earthship then I’m definitely bumping it up on my list. Cause you’re awesome.
I’ve been a fan of the blog for a year or more. I love it-you have a beautiful family. Thanks for writing!
You can’t really drive in the community, but you can see the visitor center and drive up the main road to view all the homes that way. It really was so interesting and since you can’t drive in, it is a pretty quick trip to check it out. I’d lump it with your visit to the Rio Grande Bridge.
Also, there’s this cool toy store in town with a uber cool playground. This place is called Twirl. Definitely must stop there to let the kids unwind. We wanted to check out the Adobe houses in Taos, but we ran out of time. If you want to do horseback riding, do it in Red River because it seemed to be the most affordable. We ran out of time and couldn’t get to that either. There really is so much to do there that you have to be there for a month to do it all or keep going back a few more times to really get to more exploring!
Beautiful photos! That blue sky is AMAZING!
xo Lisa
Making Life’s Lemons
Summer vacations are truly the best! We just got back from Glacier National Park and I am all for a rewind.
I’ve lived in Albuquerque for the last 7 years & it IS beautiful here. I didn’t see it at first, being from MI where it’s so green, but I do love this desert. I’ve not been to Taos yet, but I hope to before we move in the next few years. Thanks for sharing your photos!
The photo with the dandelions is so beautiful. I’d feel the same way about that bridge. I have a hard time with heights and getting vertigo while high up (and the chills run all up through my body). I’m not easily freaked out at all, but heights do it, unfortunately (and I continually try to overcome it, to no avail).