Traveling with small children is tough you guys. Almost nothing goes as planned and there are just as many, if not more, tantrums (by both children and adults alike). In fact, both kids have thrown tantrums on the sides of different mountains. But man, the traveling is worth it. Seeing the world through the eyes of our children is almost better than seeing it for ourselves. They may not remember everything we do or where we go, but we will. When we are old and grey (and sitting in recliners which face each other, per Matt's idealist dreams), we'll have the memories of the sun on their faces to keep us company.
It's all too easy to settle into our own bubbles of where we live, and forget to show our children (and ourselves) the wider, greater world beyond - my dad would call this "broadening your horizons". Matt and I vowed to each other when we had Hudson that we would always keep exploring, we would never settle for average, and we would teach our children to be citizens of the world. That is why we travel. Through the tantrums, through the less than ideal sleep, through the planning and packing... we are on a mission to keep broadening the horizons.
During the last week of July 2020, we packed up and drove west to Ruidoso, New Mexico. Neither of us had ever been, but it's hot (put me out of my misery hot) in Texas and we wanted to see somewhere new. It was an 8.5-hour drive from where we live and an hour time change, but our kids are road trip warriors and weren't phased. We stayed in a great cabin, with both a front porch and back deck for prime wildlife watching. Right as we pulled in, there were two mule deer hanging out in the back. In the morning Eleanor spotted an elk walking right beside the balcony of the back deck, and more deer each morning.
We hiked Monjeau Peak, all the way up to the "castle in the sky" (the Monjeau lookout). The kids did their fair share of complaining during the walk up, but it was worth it at the top. There were incredible views, and I highly suggest everyone go when they visit. That afternoon we hiked behind the cabin to the top of our hill to check out an old water tower. During both hikes, we got the chance to talk to Hudson about animals, rocks, wildfires, and bugs.
The next day, we drove to the top of another peak on Lookout mountain for Matt to investigate some outcrops and make sure I got the full experience of being married to a geologist on a vacation. I do get this full experience every day of my life, but I digress. We then ventured to Alto Lake to hike the trails. As we made our way down the trail and around the lake, a kind passerby enlightened us about the small waterfall that was in full force because of the recent rain. The kids both got to play in the creek and Hudson got to skip across the rocks. Even though the waterfall was small, Hudson was in awe and did not want to leave when the time came. It was a beautiful hike, with an unexpected surprise.
That afternoon we decided to drive to Fort Stanton in the valley, but it was unfortunately closed due to COVID. However, we made the best of it and drove by slowly to talk with Hudson about why Fort Stanton existed and who lived and worked there. After that, we made a last-minute decision to stop at the Fort Stanton veteran cemetery. An odd choice I know, but there was something peaceful and beautiful about it; it is located in the valley at the base of the Capitan Mountains. I decided to hop out with Hudson to read some of the monuments as a learning opportunity and the groundskeeper walked out to tell us about the section we were walking through. Fort Stanton had been turned into a TB hospital during World War II. That portion of the cemetery was dedicated to merchant marines all from the same ship, and the doctors and nurses who took care of them, who all fell ill and died from TB. Hudson spied the coins on the monuments and some of the headstones and wanted to "say thanks" too, so we did. We could have just driven by the Fort Stanton cemetery, but we felt the pull to stop and it turned into a beautiful learning experience. We talked about the military, World War II, and the importance of paying respects to veterans.
During our final day, we first took an early morning walk around Grindstone Lake and spent some time watching the waterfowl. Hudson worked on using his binoculars and decided that the still water was beautiful.
Afterward, we drove to the Smokey Bear Historical Park in Capitan, New Mexico. The museum and gardens were closed, but the most wonderful park ranger came outside to talk to the kids about Smokey Bear. She sang the Smokey Bear song (who knew there was a song?!) and pointed us towards the playground which was open. Another morning that could've been ruined by COVID, but turned out to be memorable.
That afternoon we drove back to Monjeau Peak and hiked in the opposite direction of the lookout tower. We hopped across boulders, followed animal tracks, and literally stopped to smell the flowers.
Our Ruidoso vacation was simple and consisted of very few formal plans, which I have found are the best types of vacations with small children. Instead of planned activities, we went where the wind blew us, which is a rarity for me and the world in which we live. The mud-caked shoes, the pockets full of rocks, the rosy cheeks, and big smiles were evident of time well-spent.
Wild and free, indeed.
Yours, because we are His,
Jenna
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