The other day, I ran into a friend outside of the grocery store. She told me that their family was getting ready to go camping. She sighed as she said it, shoulders slumped, and declared, “It’s just so hard, you know? There is just so much stuff to do…” She
Last week, we were up in the Jemez Mountains, celebrating a friend’s birthday. A group of us hiked along the trail at Las Conchas, settling down about a half-mile in, on the banks of the stream. Between the six families, there were TWENTY-ONE kids 12 and under. A handful of
I have checked it out for you–I have driven across the emptiest stretches of the map, those maximally bereft of gas stations, and I have determined that you can ALWAYS get from one gas station to the next. Just last weekend I traversed the longest empty spot on the map
“Mama, when are my caterpillars going to be here?” Jasper, our almost 5 year old, asks sweetly. This boy, who has been counting down the days to his birthday for the last 2 months, has been temporarily distracted by the impending arrival of caterpillars for our butterfly house. As an
*In honor of the upcoming Memorial Day, I thought I’d add a post from May 2016* I’m not sure WHY we felt the need to go camping on Memorial Day weekend, THE busiest camping weekend of the year. We go camping year-around, so why we chose this weekend to
When our first son was only 7 weeks old (yes, you read that right), we decided to celebrate our wedding anniversary by camping in the national forest outside of Durango, CO. Since it was barely October – and our brains had been frazzled from lack of sleep – we didn’t
The area of Las Conchas is truly a gem tucked up in the Jemez Mountains. Miraculously untouched by recent fires (though surrounded by the aftermath) AND boasting the lovely Jemez River (though these days more of a meandering stream…), it can feel like a bit of an oasis in this
(happened Apr 7, 2018, writing this Jan 17, 2022) Ortega West is a bouldering area in the Carson NF that some friends of mine developed. I don’t climb much these days, but the parking spot makes for a great, remote camping spot anyway. I took the boys up there by
Cave of the Winds is a Los Alamos local destination that is surprisingly secret; I have met lifelong locals who have never heard of it. It’s a cave. A classic, straight-out-of-a-movie cave. Big and dark, with some small side passages to explore. The boys love it–what boy wouldn’t? When I
Living in Los Alamos has its advantages and disadvantages. We don’t have anywhere decent to eat, and we may only have one or two decent places to get a drink. BUT… I can come home from work at 5 and still go camping with the boys in national forest, on
(written 1/17/22 about a trip 1/21/18) Another dad and I took our families to the Long John yurt at Enchanted Forest x-country ski area, just east of Red River, NM. It is an excellent beginner yurt experience: the hike is short (2.25 miles one way), the trails are groomed, and
Quick trip the NF off the road to the ski hill with just the older two.
(written 1/17/22 about a trip 12/30/17) Did I already use this as the title for a blog post? Well, even if so, it bears repeating. Once upon a time I lived in Crested Butte, teaching high school at a a private boarding school for competitive skiers and snowboarders. The teaching
(writing this 1/23/22 about a trip taken 12/27/16-1/5/17) Though this is obviously not in the southwest (or even the US), it’s nevertheless an awesome trip we slipped in between the parenting and I’m posting it here so I can look back on it and jog good memories. Many (most?) of
The Las Conchas fire was the largest in New Mexico history, and left 154,000 acres burned. There is an unbelievable amount of firewood available up there; the forest service sells permits.
We gathered together to do Jon’s last 14er with him, San Luis. I ended up staying up all night driving Emerson around on the forest roads in the dark because he wouldn’t sleep, so I didn’t end up hiking with them. Still a fun time, and a beautiful spot.