Red River, NM

I realized the other day that I'm several blog posts behind. I'll try to post a couple subsequent entries soon after this one, but if I recall, this is our most recent adventure after the Balloon Fiesta. This past fall, we decided to make a weekend trip to Red River, which is in northern New Mexico. According to numerous websites we visited, this area of the country has some of the most beautiful fall foliage around. Not only did we decide to go up for an evening, but I was able to convince Cari to go CAMPING!! I haven't been camping since my bachelor party, and Cari isn't a huge fan of being in the middle of nowhere in a tent all night, but she knows I love to be outdoors and agreed to humor me.

So, the planning began. I found a long list of all the state campgrounds around the Red River area. We also planned on bringing Belle, so in the event all the campsites were full (which I thought could be the case given the popularity of this area in the fall), I also got a list of 2 or 3 dog-friendly hotels. Finally, on Friday, I came home from work, packed up the car with food, camping gear, and clothes, and went by WalMart for some last minute essentials (firewood, chairs, etc.). I picked up Cari after work and we hit the road. The drive up was beautiful, going through Santa Fe and Taos. We arrived near one of the first of many campsites outside of Red River just after dark, so Cari was a little nervous about having to get settled and pitch the tent with no light. For some reason, the gates to the first campground were closed!! We drove down the road, stopping at each campsite, one by one, and to my dismay, each one was closed. Who would have thought that state campgrounds in northern New Mexico would be closed by mid-October? Not me. Guess we know now!

Given that the camping portion of the trip was no longer a possibility, we started making phone calls to the dog-friendly hotels that I had found previously (thank goodness). We ended up staying in a rustic lodge in the heart of Red River. It was relatively inexpensive, run by extremely friendly people, and could have been straight out of a horror movie. Not the best night's sleep, but after an evening of college football on our 20" TV, beer, pizza, and a happy wife (mainly because we weren't in a dark, cold tent), we were ready for the morning.

Our plan for the day was to do a little hiking, and also spend time in the car driving around and looking at/taking pictures of the fall colors. Using the information and maps given to us by the lodge owners, we drove to the Rio Grande Gorge recreation area. This area had many (OPEN!!!) campsites and numerous hiking trails. We chose one based on a map that would allow us to hike the bottom of the gorge, which looked like a tiny version of the Grand Canyon, and was one of the filming sites of Terminator: Salvation. The hiking expedition took a turn for the worst, however, when Cari saw that the trail was about 2 feet wide with a couple hundred feet vertical drop and no railing. I was ready to go, but couldn't get her to come (and I can't blame her, especially considering her fear of heights). So, we drove around for a while and headed out on the second part of our day, which was the Enchanted Circle.

This drive is especially popular in the fall, as it offers mountain views with beautiful colors throughout. The drive goes from Taos to Red River and then around through Eagle Nest and Angelfire (all ski locations). We took our time in each location, taking pictures and enjoying the scenery. After we drove a full circle, we went back through Taos and back home! Overall, this adventure felt like "the one that wasn't," but looking back on it now, Cari and I did get to see some great scenery, as well as learn more about each other! I hope to go back in the spring for a camping trip with some guy friends, but will make sure to do more research this time!