Taos and the Enchanted Circle

I took the kids camping last weekend. Nick had to attend a client event and couldn't join us. We were spoiled - staying in a friend's RV all weekend. It definitely felt like fall at night!

The kids were in heaven. Charades, hot chocolate, marshmallows, two sleepovers with friends. It was great watching them come up with games to play together.

We saw so many cool animals - alpacas, coyotes, cows (I don't know if they count as cool - as we learned in Colorado, there is a direct relationship between the number of cows and the number of cow pies), prairie dogs, caterpillars . . . . Plus, a bear was spotted at the camp site on Friday night (another reason I was happy to be in an RV).

It's crazy, but the wildflowers peak in September - the only time it's cool enough & {relatively} wet enough for things to grow.

We were on the road a lot more than expected this weekend. We started Friday night in Guadalupita. Our campground was OK - probably not one we would return too (though the cabins looked cute).

Saturday, we headed toward Angel Fire and on to the Enchanted Circle Scenic Byway. It was absolutely gorgeous. Nick would have loved to golf on the course we visited. We'll have to check out the skiing in town.

Both families are new to New Mexico so we called this our scouting trip. We saw a lot, but did not have time to really explore any particular area. Red River is another town we will all be returning to. It's also a ski town with a cute "downtown" and lots of horseback riding options.

We passed Wheeler Peak - the tallest peak in New Mexico at 13,161 feet.

We landed in Taos for the world's lamest Oktoberfest celebration! But, the town is cute and the skiing looks scary steep.

So how do you keep 5 kids happy during 8 hours on the road? Games, snacks, movies, books (the kids amassed lots of reading minutes this week!), math games, "scavenger hunts" - in other words, lots of creativity (and lots of running & hiking during our stops)!