At the end of August, we drove to Rio Grande del Norte National Monument where we explored multiple areas of this large park. First, we visited the Wild Rivers area where we stopped to view many overlooks and were fortunate to encounter some bighorn sheep. Next, we visited the Rio Grande Gorge area and walked across the Rio Grande Gorge Bridge to peer into the deep canyon. Finally, we visited the Orilla Verde (green shores) area where we took a scenic drive along the banks of the Rio Grande River.

The next day we drove part of the old Route 66 highway near Albuquerque which even had a section of 'musical highway' with rumble strips cut into the road to play America the Beautiful as you drove down the highway. Unfortunately, much of the song had been paved over but we were still able to hear part of it. After driving through Cibola National Forest, we then toured the Quarai Ruins and Abo Ruins at Salinas Pueblo Missions National Monument. After lunch at Whataburger, we drove north through Jemez National Recreation Area to Valles Caldera National Preserve where we spent the afternoon hiking near the historic cabin district, watching the elk herds, and enjoying the beautiful scenery. In the evening we made one final stop at the White Rock Overlook.

Our final day was mostly spent driving, but we did stop to explore the Echo Amphitheater in Carson National Forest where Elizabeth enjoyed hearing the echoes. In the afternoon we stopped briefly at the Four Corners Monument so Elizabeth could experience being in multiple states at the same time.

We flew to Albuquerque for a weekend and drove west to El Malpais National Monument where we hiked through lava fields and caves in the El Calderon area. We then drove to El Morro National Monument where we saw the inscriptions and hiked the Mesa Top Trail.

Heading north to Farmington, we enjoyed a New Mexican meal at Si Senor, then toured Aztec Ruins National Monument where we hiked part of the Old Spanish National Historic Trail across the Animas River. Finally, we toured the ancient ruins at Chaco Culture National Historical Park before returning to Albuquerque.

We took a weekend trip to New Mexico where we visited several National Park sites. We hiked through ruins of different eras at Bandelier National Monument, Pecos National Historical Park, and Fort Union National Monument. We also hiked the rim of Capulin Volcano National Monument and learned about the National Laboratory at the Los Alamos unit of Manhattan Project National Historical Park. Finally, as we drove through Santa Fe, we stopped at the New Mexico State Capitol.

We flew to Albuquerque and toured Petroglyph National Monument before driving south to Las Cruces. The drive followed the El Camino Real de Tierra Adentro National Historic Trail. In the Las Cruces area, we visited two newly created National Monuments: Prehistoric Trackways National Monument and Organ Mountains-Desert Peaks National Monument.

Next, we drove through the White Sands Missile Test Range to White Sands National Monument (now called White Sands National Park) near Alamogordo. The next day we crossed over the mountains to Carlsbad where we hiked for several miles underground inside Carlsbad Caverns National Park.

We drove to Albuquerque and rode the Sandia Peak Tramway to view the city from an overlook high in Cibola National Forest. We also drove to Santa Fe and took a guided tour of the city on the Loretto Line, toured the Cathedral Basilica of St. Francis of Assisi, and had a great meal in the courtyard of La Casa Sena. We also visited the Journey’s End Monument, which is the ending point of the Santa Fe National Historic Trail, then drove east along the historic Route 66.