Last year was the first year I ever recall us having a “Fall Break”, ever. I mean we always have Columbus Day off, but this year and last we got 5 days in a row off school. I had no idea it was coming last year, so I wasn’t prepared, but this year I was ready! At first we had grand plans of going to Belize, but the kids passports were expired. Adam mentioned wanting to drive to New Mexico, and I’m not gonna lie, I wasn’t too thrilled about the idea. What’s there to do in New Mexico in the fall?? I put a post out there on a McKinney Moms Facebook page looking for ideas, and boy did those moms deliver. I had so many people tell me it was their kids favorite road trip ever and that fall was the perfect time to go! I made a plan, put a route together, crossed my fingers, and prayed for the best.
The original plan was to leave super early Friday morning and drive to Amarillo (a 5.5. hour drive from McKinney), but it rained on Thursday and Brooks’ baseball game was canceled, so instead we loaded up the car and hit the road right after school! I promise Adam was excited too, lol!
We got to Amarillo just before midnight and stayed in the cutest boutique hotel in downtown.
We ate breakfast at the hotel the next morning and then headed straight to our first destination right outside of Amarillo–– Palo Duro Canyon…
The weather was seriously phenomenal!
Such a little jokester
Starting the 3 mile (one way) “Lighthouse Trail”. We thought it was 3 miles total, lol
I had no idea Palo Duro Canyon is the second largest canyon in the U.S., right behind the Grand Canyon.
It’s way more gorgeous than I imagined!
The Lighthouse rock structure looked so close, yet it was still soooo far….
Our fearless kids climbing the rocks…
Oh my gosh Mommy, I saw the biggest lizard…
Nature is our happy place!
Shep said this little guy followed us all the way from the lake…
Taking a quick break in the shade
Poor Ellis tripped on a rock right before we made it to the “lighthouse”, so I said I’d stay back with her while the guys finished the hike…BUT
Thankfully Ellis rallied after some Mommy love and a bandaid! I would’ve hated her to miss this spectacular view so close to the end!!!!
We made it!
Captain Brooks approves!
Feeling on top of the world!
Us shorties stayed back while the boys continued climbing the “lighthouse”
These boys live for this kind of stuff!
Reporting for duty, sir!
Take my picture, Mommy!
Time to head down and make the 3 mile trek back…
Of course princess Ellis got tired, duh!
Palo Duro Canyon, you were beautiful!
Second Stop on our way out of Amarillo–– Cadillac Ranch
Time to leave our mark…
It was insanely windy, hence Brooks’ hair, lol
Our little graffiti artists quickly made their mark, and then it was time to get back on the road for our next long 4.5 hour our stretch…
Third stop–– Santa Fe, New Mexico
We arrived at our adorable hotel around 8, ate dinner, and then got a good nights rest, so we could explore Santa Fe all day!
We stayed right in the heart of the Plaza, which was in walking distance to so many cool sights…
We loved all the Indian culture and vibes, especially since the kids are learning about them in school right now!
We did a little shopping…
Visited the beautiful Cathedral Basilica of St. Francis of Assisi and said some prayers and lit some candles for some special people in our lives.
Of course we had to visit a candy shop right before lunch…
Then this cutie had a plate of French fries for lunch, lol…
…and I had a delicious authentic New Mexican dish. It was some sort of corn pancake with shrimp, but I promise it was so yummy!
Oldest church in the U.S.
Crazy to think the floor of this altar was built 700 years ago!
Our hotel was right next door to the chapel with the famous staircase with no nails (which was unheard of back then)…
They built the beautiful choir loft and forgot to leave space for a staircase, and that is how it all came to be…
Time for a little relaxation after all of that walking and exploring the Plaza…
Couldn’t miss the big Aggie and Alabama game…
Shep and I decided you couldn’t go all the way to New Mexico to sit and watch a football game, so we went solo to check out the highly recommended Meow Wolf Museum…
This place was set up like a trippy mansion with tons of different themed rooms and lots of hidden passageways
Coolest museum I’ve ever been to! They only have 3 of these in the world and just opened one in Dallas. Can’t wait to check it out and take Brooks and Ellis next time!
After the museum we went to bed super early because we had a 4am wake up call for our fourth stop–– The Balloon Fiesta in Albuquerque!
The Balloon Fiesta is for 9 days every fall and is the largest hot air balloon ascension in the world with over 600+ balloons! It just so happened to fall on our fall break this year, so of course we couldn’t miss it. Albuquerque is about a 45 minute drive from Santa Fe, and everyone told us we had to get there by 5am to beat all of the insane traffic. Nearly 1 million people from all over the world come to this event, so it’s nuts!
As we were walking up to the fiesta they had a 5am drone show going on….
Then at 6am they started the “balloon glow” with a few of the balloons…
Brrrrr, it was chilly! Thank goodness we were prepared with layers!
After 2 hours the sun finally started rise!
The sunrise balloon ascension main event is getting under way….
After a few hours of being there they were getting antsy, lol…
Coolest experience ever! You really have to be there to fully understand. These pics and videos definitely don’t do the majesty and beauty of it justice!
So many fun and cool shaped balloons!
Baby Yoda meets Yoda…
The ascension took about an hour and then it was time to have some fun at the fiesta…
Everyone told us a must see in Albuquerque was the Sandia Peak. The tram was sold out so we just drove to the top. I wish I would’ve videoed the beautiful drive, but I was just soaking it all in with the windows down!
You could see the whole city of Albuquerque from the top…
Beautiful panoramic views!
If we hadn’t woken up at 4am we might’ve attempted a hike along the crest, but we were all spent at this point…
Quick bite to eat for lunch at this cool food hall…
Then it’s was time for some of us to take a nap on our drive back to Santa Fe…
Our hotel in Santa Fe was adobe style and so cute!
Brooks and I walked to pick up pizza for dinner at a local restaurant, and I totally agree with him–– I could get used to this too…
Pizza and Astros in the hotel room was what was on the agenda for the evening!
These boys literally wrestle all day every day. They seriously never stop…
The next day we left Santa Fe for the 4 hour leg to our Fifth stop–– White Sands National Park!
I have no idea how people do this in the summer. It was in the low 80’s and so hot! Thankfully the sand was not hot to walk on!
We started with a mini sand dune…
The Sand Dunes and New Mexico in general was so much cooler and way more fun than I was anticipating!
Now it’s time for the mega dunes!
Mommy wanted in on the fun too!
The boys are always wrestling and this one is always upside down! I’m definitely going to make her start doing this pose at all the cool places we visit from now on!
Sixth and final stop–– Ruidoso, New Mexico
Oh hello there little guys, sure just come on over…
Our beautiful cabin in the mountains for the rest of the day/night…
Where are we that the deer aren’t afraid to eat from our hands???
Hi Bambi!
Giant moose just taking a walk around the neighborhood! So cool!
Beautiful Indian artwork everywhere…
We woke up the next morning to about 20 deer outside our front door and Brooks ran to get my phone to record a video. He was a little late, but the kids thought it was so cool that Bambi told all of his friends to come get a snack from our house, lol!
After breakfast it was time to make the longest 8 hour leg of our trip–– home sweet home. New Mexico I had no idea your state slogan was “The Land of Enchantment”, but boy did you definitely live up to that! Best road trip ever with soooooo many unforgettable memories made!
Those crazy Dimmick's 
Leave a comment