Hey all! The family and I just got back from a quick trip up to Ruidoso, NM and surrounding areas for the Veterans' Day Holiday.
We had a blast. We probably would have made it up there sooner or later, but because my mom and dad were wanting to meet up there, we happily jumped on board.
Do you guys like driving places?
I don't.
I'm good for an hour ... maybe two. But after that, if I'm the passenger.... I'm struggling! I hate road trips. I became super spoiled since my mom worked for the airlines upon her Air Force retirement and we flew free!
I mean you can't beat that right!?
Well, it's hurt me in the long run because I cannot stand driving long distances. If I'm the driver, it's not too bad, but I still hate the long time just SITTING in that damn car seat.
Not like, an actual carseat crazies ... the actual seat of a car.
Luckily, we only had to drive two and half hours to our place, but we actually stopped in White Sands because, face it. White Sands National Monument is flipping amazing. (Free for military card holders! Can get up to 4 people in on one card.)
So in actuality, we drove an hour and half and then another hour; so it wasn't too bad. Tip#1 - break up the driving.
BUT
(You know there's always a BUT)
Ruidoso is beautiful, but just so damn small. Everything to see is about an hour or so away ...
BUT
You have to take the road that goes around mountains. We did go THRU the mountains, but as you can see on the map ... there's really no "shortcuts" to places!
The first time we went to White Sands we saw people sledding. ... I wasn't prepared for that and didn't want sand everywhere in the car. So we didn't sled. This trip ... we sledded down the slopes. LOL You can buy a board from the gift shop for like $15 and you can return it and they'll give you $5 back. We decided to keep ours because we had so much fun!
The only sucky part is going back up the dunes! lol it's quite the workout!
The first day, we hit up the Hubbard Museum of the American West in Ruidoso, Lincoln and Fort Stanton.
At the Museum of the American West, military ID card holders get in for $5! And kids 6 and under are free. My 9 year old cost $2.
It's a cute museum that is mostly comprised of artifacts a pretty interesting woman collected over the years. Lots of horse buggies, indian and cowboy information, mining information and a fun kids area!
Lincoln State Park is literally a one tree town. It's cute and informative. This was the last escape Billy The Kid would attempt before getting killed.
Because we are all Veterans (my parents are retired too) we got into Lincoln for free! (because it's a National State Park)
Apparently, I didn't take any personal photos here ... I don't know why .... come to think of it, I think it was because my littlest fell asleep getting there ... it was about an hour drive there.
(We were slow getting out the house, so we didn't start our day until about 10/10:30 am. So by the time we were done with the museum it was lunch time
We ate our pre-made sandwiches on the ride to Lincoln. Tip #2 - We pack our lunches not only to save money, but time too!
This kid said, "Leave me 'lone." And slept-ate his cheetos. What a nerd.
Even though I didn't take pictures here, you totally should! I know my mom did! And if I wasn't baby wearing my littlest as he slept through this awesome site (he did wake up towards the end and I still didn't take pics), I wouldn't taken a ton. We learned so much about Billy the Kid and the history that surrounds the land! Please click the link above or HERE to read more! I definitely want to go back as they have a reenactment of the Kid's escape.
After a quick cappuccino and exploring, we hoped in the car and drove 15 more minutes to see Fort Stanton State Park. Now this place was FULL of history. It has such a diversity of history I was confused at first!
Again, it was free for military Veterans! Woot!
This used to be a army post, a hospital for tuberculosis patients, a German interment camp, a mental hospital ... I mean, it was so much! It was crazy!
We then stopped at the stables ...
 |
| selfie it up with the horse! |
And the cemetery.
We drove a lot the first day and when we got back to Ruidoso, we just took the first turn we could see (since it was dark) for dinner and surprisingly, it was fantastic!
We ate at Rio Grande Grill & Tap Bar. They're pricey but WOW! The food was amazing and the craft beers were fantastic! Tip #3 - reward yourself with good food after traveling!
Next day we drove to Roswell, NM -- in hopes of finding Aliens!!!!!
The Roswell UFO Museum is the only place we stopped at here. I mean, I'm sure there's more to see, but we were more interested in this museum! It was $3 to get in for military card holders, 4 and under free and 5-15 $2.
There was a lot of reading and it was fairly small, but I enjoyed it. It really makes you think ... what really happened with the "UFO CRASH?" It's definitely a place to stop and see.
My eldest also said that the McDonalds there was supposed to be shaped like a UFO ... but we forgot to go check it out! Maybe next time ... Tip #4 always make reminders for yourself if there's things you most definitely want to see at a place.
We stopped at a local park to eat our packed lunches and let the kids run around before getting in the car for a long ride to the Three Rivers Petroglyph site. This wasn't the ideal travel plan, but we had so much to see (and more that we didn't) in a short amount of time. I will update y'all when my mom and dad come back to El Paso. They are currently still touring around that area!
Three Rivers Petroglyph site was pretty awesome. Again we were free because we are military card holders. The website says it closes at 5pm, but the ranger there said they don't close the gates and you can stay as long as you want.
We were there around 3/4 pm and stayed to see the sun set. The hike to see the drawings is only about a half a mile and they're everywhere! It's not like some places where I had to hike 5 miles to see three drawings on the side of the cave. These were drawn on each and every rock out there it seemed. It was super interesting to see them.
My husband and I went a tad further up the mountain to see if there was anything else to see, but really every thing can be seen in that first half mile!
There were lots of signs warning us of snakes along the trail, we didn't see any snakes, but we did see this cute little bunny ... and HUGE jackrabbit!
Tip #5 - enjoy your location ... even if you're trying to watch the clock ... take time to enjoy it. because the ride back is just as long as it was getting there!
That night, we had noodles and my mom's famous sauce. She started it in the crockpot before we left, and then when we got back to the condo all we had to do was cook the noodles. Tip #6 find a hotel, condo, or rental that has a stove so you don't have to eat out all the time. Saves time and MONEY.
Our final day, we laid low. LOL We stayed local in Ruidoso and checked out the cute little shops in town. We came across a Christmas Shop (Rocky Mountain Christmas) there and the owners were fantastic! They were an elderly couple and they were full of information about the area! They made me and my husband want to play hooky from work and home life to stay longer! Their merchandise is adorable and oh so affordable! I highly recommend!
That late afternoon, we headed home - to El Paso.
It was a great - but short - getaway and we thoroughly enjoyed ourselves. I hope to get back that way to check out the stuff we missed and all the beauty of the mountains again!
Tip #7 - Don't try and see everything in one trip ... unless it's a once in a lifetime trip ... but there will always be a new attraction to see. So if you don't see everything, don't worry. Just book another LONG road trip at a later date! ;)
Again, I'll update once I hear more on what my parents saw after we left to go back to the real world. But until then, carry on! And don't trip on your road trip! ;)
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