Forest, Ruidoso makes the red, dusty
earth of Taos and Santa Fe seem like
a world away. This is another town
perhaps more famous for its winter
snow, yet serves up cheesy family
fun in the summer, from hiking and
bumper cars to pony rides and go-
karting. A highlight for us was an
evening spent at the Flying J Ranch
where the kids could pan for gold,
learn to shoot and even attend sheriff
school. After an old-fashioned shoot-
out, you’re ushered into a communal
dining hall for traditional cowboy fare
and a night of singing.
Being a geography geek, I couldn’t
go to New Mexico and not visit
Carlsbad Caverns, which contain
the fifth-largest chamber in North
America. Driving to Carlsbad took
us through Roswell, famed for UFO
spotting. I’m not sure what I had
expected of Roswell (aliens walking
around and UFOs parked on the
streets?) but I was a tad disappointed.
The International UFO Museum is
incredibly dated, although my kids
were fascinated by the pretend alien
autopsy.
An hour and a half later we were
in Carlsbad. There’s little else to do
there apart from visiting the national
park, although we did spend a
relaxing afternoon at the Pecos River.
However, Carlsbad National Park, a
30-minute drive out of town, is well
worth a visit. The nightly bat flight –
watching thousands of bats swirl out of
the cave in a black mist at sunset – is
a mystical sight to behold. Following
the bat flight, we returned to the caves
the next morning to see the cavern. If
my kids had been older, I would have
selected one of the more adventurous
cave walks. As it was, mine had had
their fill of stalactites after about an
hour.
Following our cavern adventure, we
drove three hours to another national
park, the White Sands National
Monument. With miles and miles of
white gypsum dunes glistening in the
sun, this couldn’t have looked further
from the stalactites we’d been gazing
at in the morning. My five-year-old
was ecstatic, as you are allowed to
toboggan down the sand dunes. We
spent a good few hours here hauling
ourselves up and down the dunes
before spending the night in a small
town near Las Cruces.
Rounding out in Albuquerque
From Las Cruces we drove up north
to where our journey had begun,
Albuquerque. After all the small
towns and national parks, it was
invigorating to be back in a big city.
I was quite surprised with how much
Albuquerque has to offer. We visited
the Rio Grande Zoo (one of the best
zoos I have seen), Explora, a fantastic
science discovery centre for kids, and
even the International Rattlesnake
Museum. Our favourite was the
International Balloon Museum, an
ode to the city’s annual hot-air balloon
fiesta.
Now, I love my kids and our
annual road trips, but after two weeks
together, every parent deserves a
break. In my planning, I’d Googled
“New Mexico kids’ club” and up
popped the Hyatt Tamaya Resort.
Located 30 minutes from downtown
Albuquerque, this was the perfect
finale to our trip. Kids will love the
multiple pools, water slides and nightly
s’mores making. Parents will love the
Kids’ Club, which offers unique New
Mexico activities, from pueblo pottery
to straw weaving. We also took the
kids pony riding at the nearby stables
– our two-year-old’s first time out on
the trails!
It’s safe to say we were all
indeed enchanted by this “land of
enchantment” – which is how the
state describes itself. Whilst it might
not be your usual choice of US states
for a road trip, where else can you
find culture, caverns, earthships, sand
dunes, aliens and a hot-air balloon
museum, all in one road trip?
Photography: Nicola Burke
