The Walkers' Trail: Red River for Fall Break

And we are off! We decided to try a new activity for fall break this year. We took our buggy (seen through the back window) and hauled it to Red River, NM, to go exploring in the mountains and fall foliage. One good thing about Jason's job is how many people he talks to every day, mostly all with a fun story to share. So many had told him about this that we had to try it!

We drove a long ways and landed at a motel at 1 am. The boys all crashed. Families of 4: enjoy the little fact that a regular hotel room is suitable for you. We forgot our folding camp bed, and they got to suggle on a double bed. :) Making memories, right?!

We had been to Red River about 8 years ago to teach Grant and Kyle to ski. It was fine.

For whatever reason, this trip opened our eyes to this area. It was so much prettier than in the winter. The town was cuter. The landscapes outdid Colorado.

Simply beautiful.

so many deer in this field - all those dots in the back are some. This buck was pretty (reality is that he is probably dead by now. So sad).

He was happy!

We timed it just right (thanks SPS fall break schedule) to see all of the Aspens turning all over the mountains. Very pretty! When we left, they were starting to drop leaves and fade so we did barely make it!

We got there too early to check-in so we drove a popular trail (more like bad road) to this lake. It was late enough in the day that everyone else was already gone.

Reid fell while running down the rocks. I laughed and took a picture.

yes, he was fine.

My boys are the best!

Thanks to a camera timer we had a family photo!

We got pretty close to a big horn sheep! He was hanging out at the dam of the lake.

We checked in to our house and it was perfect. Pool table and 4 bedrooms. Yea, go to these places in the off season from skiing - much better rates.

Day 2 - I wanted to go on a hike. After looking at the trail maps and deliberating, we chose a 2 mile one direction hike. By the end of the hike, we were laughing at this but when we chose it, we both thought it was an "easy or intermediate" ranking. So we thought.

So off we went... I had packed lunches and everyone had a big water bottle and then a regular plastic one. Chilly but not too bad.

Beautiful, right?! It was about here where it was very obvious who had been running cross country for months. The other four of us were breathing hard and kinda tired!

"oh, did you want to STOP and take a picture? Sure, I will STOP and take one!"

Can you see the snow in my hair? It started snowing!
We were tired and the snow was falling and we didn't really know how much farther and it was COLD now! A front had moved in!

It was worth the hike (2.9 miles one way!) We were absolutely freezing by the time we got to the summit. We had experienced Red River's first snowfall on the hike and the cold front was really blowing up there. It had to be in the 20's. We all had put on an extra layer before we left and I was so glad that I insisted on that - brrr!

Remember that "Easy or Intermediate" ranking we thought this was? Got back to the truck to double check - WHEW! It was "Difficult/Expert!" Made us feel a whole lot better. 5.8 miles of TOUGH hiking in the snow! Another memory for the books, folks, another memory...

Right when we were leaving, the clouds broke and we got a blue sky for a few pictures.

Kyle's rock tower.

the bridge you had to cross on our hike.

It had become so cold that the waterfalls were frozen.

We were happier hikers on the way down. We knew what to expect, it was easier to breathe, we knew we weren't going to freeze to death for others to find us on the trail, etc, etc :)

Once we thawed out in the truck, the boys wanted to go back to the house but friends had told us about fish hatcheries. So, the adults trumped the vote and we went.

So glad we did!

Four of the five of us loved it!

First catch, and it was puny, but he was so happy!

Final catch - much better!

This mas was quite great. He taught Kyle how to fly fish with basic movements. Kyle ended up catching one that way.

He is a retired army vet and makes lures for fun. He gifted Kyle the one with which he caught the fish. So nice!

This kid's grin and excitement was amazing! He tries to go fishing with Kyle at home and very rarely (ever?) catches anything. This fish was a great end to the hatchery visit for him!

Back at home, we had hot dogs and smores and quality time around the fire.

The deer were hanging outside our house.

Final Day!

We decided to find more off road trails this day. It was fun driving through snow in the upper parts of the mountains were the sun hadn't yet melted.

This was a fun day! Lots of exploring way up high. Jason loves fields like this.

The rest of us don't so much but we let him enjoy his view while we ate sandwiches and chips and apples.

This is the highest peak accessible by vehicle in New Mexico.

Great views of Red River ski area.

A little teepee home someone had built on the top. You can see Grant peaking out.

Reid wanted a "snow picture" followed up by throwing a snowball at his very sweet Mommy! (I got him back, don't worry!)

The boys got very adventurous and I hopped out. This picture does not do it justice how steep this hill was they climbed.

I love these boots. They are so comfy. Bought them to wear at the land and so glad - my feet never hurt. Colombia. In case you're in the market for hiking boots...