New Mexico / Colorado Road Trip Day 4 - Great Sand Dunes National Park and Breckenridge Colorado

July 1, 2014

Day 4 of the great family road trip from Dallas/Fort Worth through Amarillo, Albuquerque, and Santa Fe begins in Red River New Mexico to the sound of the wind in the trees, the rushing stream, and the smell of campfire outside the tent. Did I mention the brisk cold cold air, or that it was July 1st?

The kids look amused don't they!? Perhaps a little too cold for them. 

Even tho the air was nippy, it was fresh and intoxicating and I love it and miss it. 

The kids are watching Tim in awe because the water was so cold.

With the cold water, it's not much fun to wash dishes, and I don't have the hang of it down yet. Rinse and scrub and apply special soap to ensure no bacteria. A lot of time that could be spent playing and hiking. Any recommendations for eliminating the dishes and still being green? Biodegradable dishes?

After breakfast and loading the car back up we headed north to Colorado. First stop, Great Sand Dunes National Park.

I had never heard of these Sand Dunes before, but Tim had visited as a child. This place is amazing! I had no idea.... When we packed the car in Texas we tried packing plastic snow sleds, but there just wasn't room, and I had no idea how much I would regret not having them. 

It was a beautiful sunny warm day, and the sand was hot on our feet. We walked across wet sand where there's sometimes a stream to play in, and then walked up one of the sand dunes. The wind was very gusty that day, and I was tired before we even walked up the first dune. Grady and I sat down in the sand to let him play while Tim and Gracie pushed on further. Many people brought sleds or snowboards. I think you can rent sleds at the visitor center but we didn't look to see. 

Grady played with a toy dump truck in the sand. He's always with a Matchbox or Hot Wheels car. 

Someday I want to bring the kids back here, and we'll bring sleds, and maybe even toys to build sand castles in the wet sand. I may even do a few extra squats and lunges before the trip to strengthen my legs for walking uphill in the sand!

One of the roadtrip games that we created for Gracie was modeled after the board game of Fact or Crap (affiliate link). We created these for each city and landmark we visited, by researching facts online. Simple, yet a little time-consuming. If you're headed to the Great Sand Dunes National Park, check out this free printable "Fact or False" sheet. Your kids will have fun stumping the parents, or their siblings, and learn a few facts about the park as well.

FREE PRINTABLE!

After running in the sand dunes, it was time for the kids to nap, and the adults to drive north. Next stop, Breckenridge Colorado!

Have you visited the Great Sand Dunes National Park?

New Mexico / Colorado Road Trip Day 3 - Santa Fe New Mexico and Camping Red River

After our mountain top excursion on NM/CO Road Trip Day 2 to the top of Sandia Peak we headed to Santa Fe. 

I love me a quaint little historic town full of shops and souvenirs just calling my name “buy me! BUY ME!”, and Santa Fe did not disappoint.

I didn't take a lot of pictures of the town. I guess I was too busy walking in and out of the stores buying tchotchkes for the house. The sky was bright and clear and the sun was beating down on us with tremendous heat, so the stores offered a much needed therapeutic break.

Walking around town the kids literally stopped to smell the roses, eh dandelions? 

Santa Fe has so much to offer for someone wanting to absorb the culture and learn the history, and unfortunately we only had a couple hours scheduled. 

One must-see stop though, is The Cathedral Basilica of St. Francis of Assisi. 

This church is right at the end of one of the main roads of shops and would be a shame to miss. It's beautiful inside and upon entering you immediately feel the history and get that hold-your-breath stop-time feeling when you know you need to just stop and absorb everything around you. The original church was built on this site in 1610! According to the church website, 

"The only part of this church still existing is the small adobe chapel dedicated to Our Lady La Conquistadora. Brought from Spain in 1625, the statue is the oldest representation of the Virgin Mary in the United States. "

I will say, that I was impressed at how the children behaved in the church. Grady was (for the most part) quiet and behaved. Gracelyn understood the significance and took time alone to pray.

After church we were walking through the La Fonda Hotel shops, and the kids spotted a couch in the lobby, and flopped down. 

It was at this point that we decided to head to our next destination on the family road trip. After all, successful family road trips rely on driving while the kids are quiet and restful!

We camped that night at Fawn Lakes Campground on the north side of the Sangre de Cristo mountains in Santa Fe.

The campground is on the main road, which does have the potential to be loud, however we lucked out and got a perfect campsite in the very back, next to a stream, with nothing but the sound of rushing creek water. We were also near the bathroom which was quite clean (considering).

I will say the sound of rushing water was soothing and yet made me frequently want to get up and use the restroom, however, the air was so cold outside the tent that I chose to suffer in silence all night. Hopefully next time we camp here, it's not so cold at night! And I do hope to camp here again soon.

And that's it for Day 3. Here's our roadmap for the day.

Tomorrow we're headed to Breckenridge Colorado!