**I think we can all agree that its easy to dream of cool Fall temps during this crazy heat spell! I wanted to take the next few blog posts to highlight some of our favorite Fall trips. Maybe you can dream along with me through these stories, and, even better, book your own after some inspiration! **
Part 1-Up, Up, and Away! Denver to Albuquerque
Our first blog will take you to the beautiful West. We will start in Denver and end in Albuquerque!
Like I mentioned in my first blog, we were in the Air Force for about 8 years. This meant that we had kiddos on both ends of the country. We decided early on that for their 10th birthdays, we’d take them back to where they were born. Both were born and left within months of their arrival, so we thought it would be fun to show them just how special these places were.
During our time living in Albuquerque, we made quite a few trips up to Colorado, because, well, it’s amazing, right?! We fell in love with the collegiate peak highway just west of Denver. We knew we needed to show the area off to the kids.
This was really the first big trip for our kiddos. They were (almost) 10 and 6 at this point.
We flew into Denver, day 1. We immediately headed West on 70 to Hwy 24. I can’t describe in adequate words how crisp and clean the air is. I love the south but leaving the humidity for the perfection that is the Colorado air is worth a flight out there, in my opinion.
There are many pull-offs along the highway to take in the views. Our first official stop was in the sweet town of Leadville. I don’t know about you, but pizza just hits different when you eat it on vacation. This was no exception. Plus, we needed fuel to tackle the sand dunes later in the day!
After we finished pizza, we continued down the collegiate highway until we got to the Great Sand Dune National Park.
We had a little hiccup along the way, and we ended up pulling up to the sled rental store as they were closing. I was prepared to shed all the tears needed to get them to let us take the sleds out even though they were walking out the door. Luckily, I was able to save the tears, and after explaining to them this was our only opportunity to do it, they gave us the sleds and trusted us to bring them back when we were done.
Y’all, this was an adventure! Literal mountains of sand, wind whipping you in the face and lodging in every crevis of your body. But, the experience is unmatched. There are several sled rental companies in the area, so just look into the one that fits into your logistics the best.
The sledding is not for the faint of heart. You have to climb your way up a soft sand mountain, sled down, and do it again. I think it is imperative that everyone has their own sled. Its hard and you’ll be picking sand out of your body for days, but its NOT to be missed. We’ve rarely laughed so hard as we did that night!
After getting to New Mexico, we ran through Santa Fe, but because I was dealing with little ones, we didn’t spend much time “doing” it. Santa Fe may need to be a post for another day. It’s beautiful, and if you have the time and interest, you can spend a great day there in museums, shopping street vendors, and eating some amazing authentic Mexican food. We headed to settle into our AirBnB in Rio Rancho to prepare for the BIG event, the International Balloon Fiesta!
I think we could have sat at the AirBnB the entire time and the kids would have been in heaven. There were all kinds of baby farm animals and we kept finding the kids sneaking out the play with them. Unfortunately, this AirBnB has since closed. We picked Rio Rancho as our home base because it was going to be close enough to the Balloon Fiesta without being right in the middle of the masses. Another amazing “plus” for Rio Rancho is that you’re close enough for the balloons to land in the streets in your neighborhood. What fun! Hotel costs during the fiesta are outrageous, so we found a full home, where we could also cook and do laundry, was most economical for us.
The next day, we headed up to Tamaya Resort and did a horse back ride. You can’t go out west and NOT ride a horse, right? It was a bit of a challenge getting my six year old on a horse, but with a little persuading, he got up, and enjoyed it!
After our horseback ride, we indulged in one of our favorite burger joints, Blakes Lotaburger!
We enjoyed an evening at the rental and headed to bed early for the big day ahead.
What can I say about the balloon fiesta? This was our third time there, as a couple, and first time for the kids. There is just something so awe inspiring about experiencing this in person. There is something even more amazing about experiencing it in the dark. So, well before sunrise, we headed to the balloon field. They do something called a Morning Glow, where all the balloons start to fire up for their flights.
Soon after, hundreds of balloons take off in the Mass Ascension. I truly believe that this is a MUST DO before you die. Seriously, make it happen.
Aside from all the balloon activities, there are numerous activities on the grounds throughout the day. (See below for the 2022 event calendar!)
After enjoying a morning on the balloon field, we went back and relaxed at the rental. We watched as many balloons landed all over our neighborhood. We enjoyed dinner at Gardunos, one of our go-to’s when we lived in Albuquerque. The next morning was another early one. We got up and got to ride in a balloon ourselves! I think we were all a bit terrified at the idea, but we were also all so on board with it, too! We used Rainbow Ryders. They were fantastic. We took off pretty close to the balloon field and spent about an hour in the air with lots of other balloons. We opted for the post event flight because it was more economical, but they do offer flights DURING the festival, which I am sure are beyond amazing! Another bucket list item checked off the list!
We did this whole trip in about five days, wrapped around a long weekend in October. The weather was chilly in the mornings and very mild in the afternoons. This is definitely a trip you’d want to plan a few months in advance to make sure to have a rental in the Albuquerque area during the festival. I really do believe much of this trip can be enjoyed by all ages, with the exception of the balloon ride. I think my son was barely old enough, at six, to enjoy that. I hope this post has made you excited to looking into a trip for your family! Let me know if you have any more questions!
-Here are a couple more websites of our Albuquerque favorites that I did not highlight on this trip-
I was the six year old and I still remember it! Such a fun trip! (Im 13 now haha)