It’s no secret we like to travel, and for several years we’ve tried to make a point of going somewhere for Spring Break. But as March was fast approaching, we still had no plans. After finding out I was pregnant in January, and being swamped with both church and school work, there just hadn’t been time to think about it.

But knowing that it was likely our last chance to go somewhere as a family of 3, I knew I had to pull something off. (We were headed to Disney in a couple of months, but with Brian’s whole family coming along, I knew it still wouldn’t really be a vacation just for “us”). So with that as my motivation, I began searching for ideas. Something fairly close, relaxing and not too expensive.

After asking on Facebook, one suggestion that came up several times was Santa Fe. Without knowing much about it, I went ahead and booked a one-bedroom condo for a long-Easter weekend, an “Astronomy” (stargazing) night, and a ride on the Easter Bunny train! As we told more and more people where we were going, they all raved about how much fun we would have strolling through the many art galleries in downtown, and visiting the collection of quaint little shops. Honestly, that didn’t appeal to me at all. But even if that’s what it’s most known for, I was sure we could find fun in Santa Fe that didn’t involve hours of perusing fine art and looking and handmade vases. (No offense it that’s your “thing”, it just isn’t mine)

The trip got off to a much later start than I had intended, we all slept in a bit, then Brian spent way too long searching the internet for the luggage he wished he had, lol! Maybe next trip. And Lily was much more interested in decorating her wall with stickers than packing. But finally we were on the road.

We passed a Volcano (or at least the turn-off for one) on the way to Santa Fe – Lily was having a fit to stop, but it would make us much to late getting in – we had our Astronomy night scheduled for tonight! Another time I promised, having no idea when that “other time” would come, if ever. We were pleasantly surprised to find our condo – very spacious and nicely decorated. And hadn’t cost much more than a typical hotel room! Of course everything was very southwest themed, and I actually liked it more than I thought I would.

Unfortunately, by the time we got into town, the weather had taken a turn for the worse, and I feared our stargazing adventure might have to be postponed. Sure enough, as we were driving into town for dinner, I got a call from the astronomer that he was cancelling it. He gave me a little bit of hope that we might be able to reschedule, and said he would call if it worked out. Bummer! But we were glad to get in out of the misty cold, and had a nice dinner inside one of the downtown hotels. It was a very quaint, unique atmosphere. Almost felt like being outside, and there were Christmas lights in all the trees.

We made a stop by the grocery store later, thinking that maybe we would actually take advantage of having a kitchen. I mean, we don’t really even cook at home, but who knows. Maybe it will happen here 🙂

The next morning, Lily’s brand new glasses broke, but fortunately I had brought an old pair. She had been looking forward to wearing her new ones here though. Oh well. Our first stop today was the Santa Fe Children’s Museum! Lily had a blast here. Lots of physics stuff with levers and pulleys, a giant bubble wand, some clay/pottery making stations, just to name a few. And there was an enchanted garden in the back with really unique sculptures and displays.  Definitely a good way to start the trip and a fun morning!

After lunch, we were headed to Bandolier National Monument. We spent several hours exploring the ancient Anasazi ruins, mostly in a light snow. Lily even climbed up several of the ladders with Brian to see some of the less accessible parts. I love places like these where we can do a little bit of hiking, and learn some history at the same time!

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Back at our condo, we did actually cook dinner, using some of the “locally inspired ingredients that we had picked up the night before. The we played and epically long game of Stone Age! It had been a great day. And no art-galleries in sight 🙂

The next morning we slept in a bit, having stayed up way too late gaming! Cooked breakfast (look at us, being all domestic!) then headed into town for a hike near St. John’s College. The weather was definitely nicer today, and it was a really pretty area. Unfortunately, I quickly figured out that breathing for two is a LOT more challenging, and I simply couldn’t keep up. So I finally told Brian and Lily to go on to the end of the trail without me, and I would wait for them on the way back.

They were hesitant, but finally agreed. It was actually quite peaceful, I found a sport slightly off the trail where I could stretch out on the ground. A few passing hikers looked concerned and called to me, asking if I was okay. After assuring them that I was, they moved on. Brian and Lily finally made it back, having enjoyed the rest of the hike, and made much better time without me.

We spent most of the afternoon at the condo, swimming in the indoor pool. It was a little on the cool side, and unfortunately I wasn’t allowed in the hot tub. But it was still a nice, relaxing afternoon. The only other family in there at the same time had a daughter much older than Lily (teens, maybe) and a young boy, who looked to have Down’s Syndrome. But I really enjoyed watching them splash around and have fun together. And gave me lots of time to wonder what our own life, with 2 kids, was going to be like.

We had another dinner and game night in the room, not quite so late this time, because we had to get to bed so the Easter Bunny could come! In the morning, Lily was excited to see that he had indeed found us, even in Santa Fe. She happily went through her basket, and found all of the eggs he had hidden. (We boiled and dyed them the night before).

We were supposed to have the train ride with the Easter Bunny today, but early that morning I got a call that the train had broken down, and they had to cancel. Well bummer. Both of our scheduled activities had now fallen through. (Also heard from the astronomer, he ended up not having room for us any other night). But, we had still managed to find plenty of fun on our own, and it had been good just to be together.

Plus, with no need to stay in town through the afternoon, there was no reason that we couldn’t stop at that volcano on the way home. I think that more than made up for missing the train ride to Lily, she was super excited now!

So we packed up and drove to Capulin Volcano. Stopped at the Visitor Center to pick up a Jr. Ranger book, might as well get the badge while we are here. (She had gotten her first one last year at Glacier, and it was becoming her habit to want to collect them).

We drove on up to the top of the volcano and spent some time exploring. A very alien-looking landscape for sure! Once we had walked around and seen the whole crater, we drove back down and dropped Brian off for a solo hike, while Lily finished her Jr Ranger book, and we went back to get her badge.

So that was a fun side-trip, and I’m glad we got to do it. All in all, a great mini-vacation and I loved the slower pace, and just enjoying the family time together. Something we don’t get to do often enough at home. (and for the record, we still never set foot in an art gallery or tourist shop 🙂 proving that there are, indeed, other things to do here!)