This morning we hit the annual New Mexico State Fair. We return with our wallets considerably lighter, our tummies considerably heavier, and our bodies considerably more tired! The kids had a great time looking at the baby animals and petting the goats and the yak(!) at the petting zoo. They also enjoyed the pony ride, and it will be Garrett's last time. The weight limit is 60 pounds, and that's about what he weighs. So, no more fair ponies for Garrett. I suppose at some point the kids will realize that there is an entire Midway with rides that we never, ever visit. Until then, they remain blissfully unaware that there is anything more to the fair than cows, rabbits, and ponies! Oh, and lots of food, of course!
We wandered through the exhibits while Garrett kept an eye out for places to blow his hard-earned allowance. After vetoing three or four different guns (what is it with boys and guns? And not just cowboy guns--automatic rifle knock-offs too!), I finally allowed him to buy a Transformer set. At the moment, he is happily forming and transforming them in the living room. As soon as his purchase was made, the fair was over for Garrett. He spent the next 2 hours asking to go home so he could open his toy. He did settle in long enough to polish off a piece of pizza and some cotton candy. Paige dutifully did her part as well, although her effort required a major wash-down in the restroom when she was done.
So, we can check the State Fair off our list for another year. It was fun, but I'm not sure it was worth the nearly $100 we paid for it! Entertainment ain't cheap these days! But, the funnel cake and turkey legs may have made it worthwhile...
Saturday, September 13, 2008
Monday, September 1, 2008
Into the Depths
The Bryson family descended into the depths this weekend. Our journey was marked by darkness, some crying, weariness, and awe. Before you get worried, our journey was simply to Carlsbad Caverns in southern New Mexico! Dave and I have talked about taking the kids there for about a year, but we wanted to go when we could see the bats. Garrett was dying to see them fly in and out of the cave. Since they migrate in the winter, we only had the warmer months to go. This summer flew by, and we realized we were nearing the end of the "bat window" again this year. So, on a spur of the moment decision last weekend, we booked a hotel room and decided to drive south!
We left Sunday after church and drive 5 hours to lovely, scenic Carlsbad (note: heavy sarcasm), where the nicest place in town was the local Wal-Mart. However, our hotel, while stuccoed a horrible mustard-yellow and red, was clean and had a nice warm indoor pool. We drove out to the cave Sunday night to watch the bat flight, along with 1,200 other people, give or take a few hundred! We worried that we would miss the flight, because we were a few minutes late. We had no idea that the exit of the bats from the cave takes almost 30 minutes! There are THAT many bats in the cave! It was like they would never end! Garrett thought the same bats were just flying around in circles, until we pointed out the long, long line of bats flying away.
After swimming and some much needed sleep, we awoke early this morning to explore the cavern itself. We had planned on walking in the Natural Entrance, which is a steep, winding route. However, when we arrived at the cave, it was in the midst of one of the hardest rain storms I have seen in a long time! Just running from the car to the door of the Visitor's Center had us soaking wet, and Dave had dropped us right in front of the door! The Natural Entrance was closed due to lightning, so we waited the storm out for awhile before they re-opened it.
We assumed we would dry out as we walked down into the cavern, not realizing that the cave has 90% humidity. So, we were basically soaking wet for about 3 hours! But, we had a fabulous time. God has created such amazing wonders for us to enjoy! Paige was not so excited about the darkness, and so we ended up carrying her much of the way. Garrett got very tired by the end, but he was still thrilled by the whole experience!
We ended our journey by buying a "National Parks Passport", which has spaces for stamps from each of the nation's 390 national parks. We probably won't get to all of them, but we'd like to try to see as many as possible! Here's some pictures from our adventure:
We left Sunday after church and drive 5 hours to lovely, scenic Carlsbad (note: heavy sarcasm), where the nicest place in town was the local Wal-Mart. However, our hotel, while stuccoed a horrible mustard-yellow and red, was clean and had a nice warm indoor pool. We drove out to the cave Sunday night to watch the bat flight, along with 1,200 other people, give or take a few hundred! We worried that we would miss the flight, because we were a few minutes late. We had no idea that the exit of the bats from the cave takes almost 30 minutes! There are THAT many bats in the cave! It was like they would never end! Garrett thought the same bats were just flying around in circles, until we pointed out the long, long line of bats flying away.
After swimming and some much needed sleep, we awoke early this morning to explore the cavern itself. We had planned on walking in the Natural Entrance, which is a steep, winding route. However, when we arrived at the cave, it was in the midst of one of the hardest rain storms I have seen in a long time! Just running from the car to the door of the Visitor's Center had us soaking wet, and Dave had dropped us right in front of the door! The Natural Entrance was closed due to lightning, so we waited the storm out for awhile before they re-opened it.
We assumed we would dry out as we walked down into the cavern, not realizing that the cave has 90% humidity. So, we were basically soaking wet for about 3 hours! But, we had a fabulous time. God has created such amazing wonders for us to enjoy! Paige was not so excited about the darkness, and so we ended up carrying her much of the way. Garrett got very tired by the end, but he was still thrilled by the whole experience!
We ended our journey by buying a "National Parks Passport", which has spaces for stamps from each of the nation's 390 national parks. We probably won't get to all of them, but we'd like to try to see as many as possible! Here's some pictures from our adventure:
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| Carlsbad |
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