Kasha-Katuwe Tent Rocks National Monument

We had a true New Mexican adventure last weekend.  Tent Rocks is about an hour drive from Albuquerque. We arrived a bit later than expected & were surprised to discover that, even at a higher elevation, the temperature was above 90 at 10 a.m.

The hike started slowly - there were several stops & snack requests in the first 10 minutes.

But then, we arrived at the slot canyon & the majesty overtook everyone.  We had lots of trips down memory lane. Greta was certain she had been here with Eliot before (actually it was at Canyonlands).

The  kids thought this hill was a little like the sand dunes they played on in Moab with the Sikorski boys. 

And, Ella was sure that Carson would like this hike the next time he visits with his family.

The great thing about the canyons is that the temperature dropped & a nice breeze helped us  on the 1.5 mile hike up the rocks. We still had several snack & water breaks along the way.

But, we didn't have any complaints the whole hike. Nick & I were very impressed.

There were a few tricky spots (for me - the kids scrambled up). But a lady walking near us made the trek in flip flops.

It was truly a beautiful hike.



Though you can't see on this photo (I just had my 35 mm - no zoom lens), we could see smoke across the valley from this vantage.  We thought that it was the Santa Fe fire, but when we got home, we learned it was from the Los Alamos (Las Conchas) fire.  Now, the largest fire in New Mexico history.

The day after our hike, Tent Rocks closed because of the fire. It's been a busy week here.  Fire planes are flying over our house constantly.  The ash is everywhere. But, we were thrilled to learn that the Los Alamos evacuation was lifted on Sunday. We can still hear the fire planes, but hopefully the fire is close to being under control.

The descent seemed to go much faster! It was steep - Ella said it reminded her of a hike she took with Tia, Kim & Holly.

It took our family about 2 hours to hike the Slot Canyon trail. Originally, I thought we could do both the Slot Canyon & Cave Trails.  However, by the time we reached the Cave Trail trailhead, the temperature was well over 100 F & we were nearly out of water. Part of having fun with the kids is knowing when to stop the adventure & call it a success. So, the cave loop will have to wait for another day.

We were up on this cliff (and it was VERY windy). We are so proud of our little troopers! 3 miles, hot temperatures & no complaints. They earned their icy treats today!