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<\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n**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! **<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Part 1-Up, Up, and Away! Denver to Albuquerque<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n Our first blog will take you to the beautiful West. We will start in Denver and end in Albuquerque! <\/p>\n\n\n\n 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.<\/p>\n\n\n\n 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. <\/p>\n\n\n\n This was really the first big trip for our kiddos. They were (almost) 10 and 6 at this point. <\/p>\n\n\n\n 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. <\/p>\n\n\n\n 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!<\/p>\n\n\n\n After we finished pizza, we continued down the collegiate highway until we got to the Great Sand Dune National Park. <\/p>\n\n\n\n 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. <\/p>\n\n\n\n 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. <\/p>\n\n\n\n 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! <\/p>\n\n\n\n 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<\/a>!<\/p>\n\n\n\n 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. <\/p>\n\n\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/box5388.temp.domains\/~idwander\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/06\/s-and-mountain.jpeg?resize=640%2C640\")
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