New Mexico and Colorado Vacation 2014

goofiefoot

Adventurer
The three of us just got back from a great trip. This was our first overlanding-type trip with our 2-year-old, and she did fantastic. We brought books, toys and a tablet with some movies to keep her entertained. Surprisingly, we didn't have to use the tablet all that much.

Austin to Ruidoso

I did some "dry runs" loading the Jeep and found a good combo of storage and visibility. The top shelf of the Tuffy Trunk has a folding table, 3 camp chairs, the footlocker with our clothes, air mattress, and one sleeping bag. The underneath has another footlocker with our dry food and camping gear (behind the ice chest), lantern, canteens, and another sleeping bag. The back seat area held the tent and some other odds and ends, and of course, our daughter.

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Quick stop in Roswell for some photos, but at 110°, we didn't stay long

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We camped at the Oak Grove campground, just north of Ruidoso. We picked out a somewhat private site and set up camp. They were allowing fires in the rings and had tons of wood available from some recent clean-up. I got to use my recently-restored axe to get the fire going. :D

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Ruidoso to Angel Fire

We planned to camp 3 nights on our trip, but a couple of days before we left, a friend offered their condo to us in Angel Fire, so we took them up. It meant we carried all that camping stuff all over TX, NM and CO for one night of camping, but we enjoyed staying in a nice place.

The Carson National Forest was beautiful, and we enjoyed exploring, fishing and hiking around.

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Ruidoso to Ouray

Ahh, back to the San Juans. I'd been looking forward to returning to Ouray since I bought the Jeep. We took the Xterra here a couple of times, but this place is made for Jeeps. We found a nice little house on VRBO which proved to be an awesome base camp. The owners live 2 doors down and were very friendly and accommodating.

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Our first full day there we drove the Alpine Loop. I was a little nervous getting Sara into 4-wheeling situations, but the Rubicon proved a worthy steed. At no point did I ever feel nervous about obstacles. This is the terrain this vehicle is designed for.

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We did some hiking and shopping around town. The Cascade Falls in Ouray was a neat sight.

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I just couldn't get over being in the mountains again. I got a little photo-crazy.

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Ouray to Albuquerque

We had a family reunion over July 4, which was the catalyst for planning this trip. We went to a local ball game and did some sightseeing, but mainly hung out with family and visited. They all loved meeting Sara, and she loved being center of attention.

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Albuquerque to Austin

Home again, home again... We had a fantastic time, and look forward to planning our next trip. Sara is quite the traveler, so we'll start making some plans.

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Richie

Adventurer
Looks like fun! I love the Carson NF. Don't make it up there too often anymore with a 2yr old and a 4mo old.
 

HRPINDC

Adventurer
That looks like an awesome trip! I would love to get out to Colorado with my Jeep and family too, but alas life gets in the way. We're headed to Tahoe for vacation and I won't have my Jeep...... Thanks for posting and providing some inspiration.
 

goofiefoot

Adventurer
Did you drive through Cimarron last week. I thought I saw you. Looks like a fun trip.

We got back home on July 6, so it wasn't us. We didn't make it through Cimarron, although we drove Hwy 64 around Angel Fire and through Taos. We did have a blast!
 

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