We spent a week at Anne’s Outlook in Angel Fire in early August for our annual summer retreat to the mountains. Here is a comprehensive trip report
Thursday – We drove to Canyon after work and got in late.
Friday – We spent the day in Canyon and had some cousin time. That evening, we had burgers at Rebecca’s house to celebrate Jon Michael’s birthday.
After dinner, I loaded up the kids and headed up to Angel Fire. Jennifer and Henry stayed in Canyon for Rebecca’s baby shower. We saw some rainbows outside of Clayton, NM, which were Hannah’s “first rainbows to see in this life.” Nothing beats the open road on the first day of a road trip.
Saturday – We spent the day at the house unpacking and playing. We took a short hike on the logging road, did some bird watching, put training wheels on the bikes, and took a short ride to the “bear house”.
That evening, we took a soak in the hot tub
Sunday – In the morning we took the canoe down to the lake so we could use it during the week. Nathan took another soak in the hot tub
We watched some deer that came up to the house
and some tv
Then the kids took a walk down to the bear house before Nana and Pappy went back to Canyon.
I put together the bike trailer and pulled the kids for a ride around the loop. Between the hills, the altitude, and 60 pounds of dead weight behind me, I almost died. It was tough.
That evening we went down to the valley and played at the park. Henry liked being outside in the mountains. We had to be careful to keep him bundled up in the evenings.
Monday – We spent the morning in the canoe at Monte Verde lake. Here is Nathan ready to go
The kids enjoyed the canoe. Being on the water was one of the most peaceful moments of the week.
After the canoe ride, we tried our hand at fishing in the youth pond. We didn’t catch anything. Are you surprised?
Henry hung out in the stroller while we played at the park and had a picnic.
We walked along the trail in the valley and got back to the car just before it started raining. When we were headed back to Anne’s Outlook, we came across an elderly couple who got caught in the rain. We gave them a ride back to their condo, then spent the afternoon playing at the house. We had dinner on the deck and watched the hummingbirds.
Afterwards, we went back down to the valley and hiked the Lady Slipper trail, one of Nathan’s favorites.
Nathan was especially interested in what appeared to be cow poop in the trail
Here is a picture at the big tree. Compare to last year.
Tuesday – We didn’t get many pictures on Tuesday. Jennifer stayed at the house with Henry while I took the kids on a rafting trip in Toas. We did the Orilla Verde in the Rio Grande gorge. The kids did great, and they really liked the Class 1 rapids we went through. The biggest problem we had was they ate all their snacks before we got on the raft and were hungry the whole time. Somehow we managed to survive. After the float trip, we ate lunch at Taos Pizza Outback, then went to Twirl and let the kids pick a toy and play a little.
Nathan picked cowboy and Indian figurines and Hannah picked a book with 1000+ stickers. These kept them busy a lot during the week.
That evening we took a walk around the lake.
Wednesday – We started the day playing at the house
Before lunch, we hiked the Oesta Vista trail. I did the full loop but Jennifer and the kids just did the flat part and then went across the road to the park. Jennifer took a jog in the valley, then we had a picnic and headed back to the house. In the afternoon, we played in the woods and made a fort and a teepee.
It still needs some work. Hopefully we can add to it next year. That afternoon, Jennifer took the kids to the library and got some books to read. That evening, we took a walk to the bear house and had an early bed time.
Thursday – First we tried to go swimming at the country club, but the indoor pool was too cold and we didn’t last long. Later that morning, the kids and I hiked down from the house to the park on the Oesta Vista trail. It was about 1.5 miles but was all downhill. The kids did great.
Nathan was a gentleman and helped Hannah through some steep parts.
Jennifer met us at the park and the kids played.
That afternoon, I worked on my puzzle in the basement
Hannah did some coloring
Jennifer relaxed with Henry
We went out to eat for dinner and saw another rainbow
Then watched the sunset from the deck
Friday – In the morning, we did a repeat of all our favorites: lady slipper trail, canoe ride, park and picnic.
Then we cleaned up the house and began packing while the kids played. After dinner we took a final walk around the lake and then took some family pictures on the deck.
Saturday – We loaded up in the morning and said goodbye to Anne’s Outlook
We made it to Canyon after lunch and spent the afternoon doing more cousin time. Uncle William came out to visit which was a nice treat.
Sunday – We drove home and arrived around 5pm. Our little cousin wanted to come with us. She wasn’t ready for us to leave….so sweet!
Other highlights from our trip:
- bird watching
- working puzzles
- watching old football games and SEC Network debut
- afternoon rain showers (and 3 hail storms!)
- Watching Johnny Manziel’s first preseason NFL game
We love spending time in the mountains and are already looking forward to next year when Henry can do more!