Once I was finished Ryan was walking toward me so we decided to wake up Laney and get busy packing up. My idea of waking her up would be "Good morrrrning Laneeeeey" in a sing song voice. Ryan's idea was letting all the air out of her sleep mat. Guess which one goes over better for morning-wants-to-sleep-in-Laney? We were packed up within about 20 minutes so the girls went to play chess while I changed and drove closer to Grammie's spot.
She already had bowls of watermelon ready because she knew I was wanting to get on the road early. We had a 7 hour drive today - the 2nd longest of the trip. It was through a section of the Lincoln National Forest which I was thrilled about but there were also long sections back on good 'ol I-10.
Once we downed our fruit and bagels, the kids helped Grammie pack up and we were back on the road in no time. There are several memorable drives in the past 7 years and our trek through Lincoln National Forest is one of them. Our drive 7 years ago took us on a northern pass from Roswell and today's would take us a more southern route that was a fun drive as well as a beautiful one. This route was quite a bit more commercial but it was very enjoyable still to say the least.
With a few stops for gas and a bunch of hours on the road, we finally made the turn south for the 40 minute drive toward the Chiricahua National Monument. This part of the drive was interesting because I kept seeing things in the distance thinking it would be the campground and we would drive right past it. It was 104 outside so I was hoping for at least a tree to put the tent under.
We pulled into an empty parking lot at the visitor's center and Grammie thought they'd closed the park and forgot to tell us! We found it was actually open, checked in, and bought some postcards and stickers at the gift shop. I also remembered I'd brought the kids' National Park passports so I grabbed those out of the car for them to stamp.
We pulled into our campground and I was instantly thrilled. It was a tiny, quiet little campground with perfect little spots all nestled in the trees. It had rained while we were in the visitors center so the temperature was a lovely 72 degrees. Much better than 104!
After we both set up we had a quick dinner and got back on the road for the scenic drive. I'd had it on my list to do but the pictures in the visitors center reminded me why! The views were absolutely spectacular and again there is no way I can do them justice with my photos. Around every turn there was something else to see. I'm just glad noone was behind me!
We first hiked part of Sugarloaf trail. Grammie noticed there were no dogs allowed on the trail - likely because of the mountain lions - so the kids and I hiked in about a third of a mile to the CCC tunnel. The trail was very nice and the views were even better. Next time I would definitely hike to the top of the mountain!
Next we stopped at the Echo Canyon trail to go to the Grotto area. We saw lots of lizards out finding their dinner as we walked. The formations on the trail simply defied physics.
Once we made it to the Grottos the kids were thrilled to be able to climb all around the nooks and crannies that had been created by so many years of water. I wanted to climb up but decided to let the kids have this moment. I'll be back with Dave for sure.
Last we visited Massi Point - the end of the scenic drive. We just happened to drive in just as the sky was turning pink behind the mountain. It looked like there was a fire in the valley behind the mountain. After taking a few pictures we explored the nature center learning about some legends and skirmishes of history.
The drive home wasn't quite as spectacular as it was getting pretty dark. I was tired even though the kids claimed it was only 7:45. We are still having time zone conversations after all these years! The girls and I retired to the tent to write, read, and enjoy the lovely 65 degree night.
