Texas Schleichers: Trip to Albuquerque: Out on the Town

Our family was so excited to go out to Albuquerque in late June/early July to help celebrate my parents' 40th wedding anniversary. We kids had offered them a trip or a party as a gift ... but they said that they just wanted some together time with us! Awww... :) We thought that sounded fantastic.

During our week in New Mexico, we planned one big outing for most of our days together! Here's what we did ...

The Tram

The Sandia Peak Tramway is one of Albuquerque's most famous attractions. As a little girl, I rode the tram a few times -- especially when out-of-town guests would come to visit. Matt made the tram even more special for me since he proposed to me at the base of the tram in April of 2002. The next day (when it was less windy) we were able to ride the tram up and have a fancy dinner on Sandia Peak. We were excited to share the tram experience with our boys, and they were pretty pumped, too. It was pretty busy on the day we went, but the kiddos did a great job waiting to go up and then waiting to come back down after we walked around a little at the top.

All of the cousins enjoyed watching the tram station (and the city) get smaller and smaller as we rode the tram up the mountain. The ride took about 15 minutes.

The views from the top are just breathtaking.

These special, labeled tubes help people to locate various sites around Albuquerque (that are waaaay in the distance from the top of the mountain).

We enjoyed some yummy snacks and making fruit loop bracelets while we waited for the descent.

Explora Science Center

Both Ian and Ryan remembered the Explora Science Center from our last trip to Albuquerque. They LOVE this place -- tons of cool, hands-on exhibits! The kids have so much fun learning and exploring. Unfortunately, Ian had a tummy bug, so he, Momma, and Nathan stayed home when the rest of the kiddos went to enjoy the museum together. Thankfully, though, since Grammy and Papa have a family pass, our family of 5 (and Grammy and Papa) were able to go one more time later in the trip when the other two families had gone home. Ryan thought it was GREAT that he got to go twice.

1-2-3-JUMP on the way into the museum

building a wind-powered car

making a water maze

wind tube

a little "cave" where the kiddos could test out various types of light. I think this was one of Ryan's favorite places.

silly mirrors

Even Nathan thought he looked silly!

This Mouse-Trap-type contraption might have remained Ian's favorite part of the museum.

making colored shadows

flying a plane

more 1-2-3-JUMP!

The Zoo

The zoo had reached some sort of milestone (maybe 1 million visitors this year??) during our time in Albuquerque. We were already planning a trip to the BioPark, but it was a wonderful surprise to get free admission. As expected, it was a little busy (and the morning was pretty warm), so we didn't stay more than a couple of hours. But the kids enjoyed seeing the animals, and I enjoyed seeing all of the updates since I had been there last (when I was a 5th grade teacher in the Albuquerque Public Schools). The reptile/amphibian house was probably our boys' favorite.

the boys LOVE maps and enjoyed helping to decide which animals we should see next

Nathan always enjoys coming along for the ride! :)

Finding the creatures in the reptile house exhibits was a little like a real-life Seek-and-Find book. The kids thought it was fun!

up close to a peacock

We fed the ducks and koi fish Goldfish crackers before leaving the BioPark.

Hiking at Tent Rocks

Matt and I agreed that our trip to Tent Rocks was our favorite outing of the trip. We love to hike and explore nature in this way! I carried Nathan in the Baby Bjorn, and Matt carried Ryan in the hiking backpack for a majority of the way (though Ryan walked a fair share, too). Ian was a trooper -- especially once Uncle Andrew showed Ian what black obsidian rock looked like and challenged Ian to find as many rocks as he could along the hike. :) The beginning of the hike wasn't too exciting -- just a sandy, uphill path. Once we got into the slot canyons (the passageways between the tent rocks), though, there were many things to explore and see ... and it was a little cooler, too. The kids loved squeezing through narrow places, crawling under tree roots, and touching all of the sand ... the PERFECT adventure! :)

a group shot before the hike

What an amazingly creative God we have!

grandkids and grandparents by the tree roots

Ian with black obsidian

a mid-hike snack

Ryan, using his walking stick to navigate the slot canyons

Some of the slots were pretty narrow!

We were proud of how well Ryan and the rest of the three-year-olds did with the hiking, even on the steep parts!

We ended the hike with a yummy picnic lunch before driving back to Grammy and Papa's house.

Alpaca Farm

One of our most unique adventures was going to an alpaca farm. We learned so much from the owner! She first of all showed us some of the equipment that she uses to spin the alpacas' wool into yarn. She is able to sell certain alpacas' soft wool for a surprising amount of money.

Then, we went outside to meet the alpacas. What friendly creatures! We even got to see a baby alpaca who was only a few days old. The owner has some training as a veterinarian and helps deliver the babies herself.

Then, we had the chance to pet and feed the alpacas.

Nathan wanted to pet the alpacas, too.

Finally, we all took turns taking the alpacas for a walk around the farm.

Then, the kids got to feed the koi fish in the pond (and make silly faces at each other through the glass).

Before we left, the owner gave each child a finger puppet made of soft alpaca wool. What a fun outing!

The Santa Fe Opera

My parents treated Sarah and me to attending an opera called "Daughters of the Regiment." (Andrew and Matt lovingly stayed home with the kiddos, and Amy/Jason/family had already gone home.) I had never been to an opera before. The Santa Fe Opera House is just beautiful -- outdoors and nestled in the mountains. The show was amazing -- talented singers, a humorous plot, beautiful costumes and sets. Unlike most operas, the dialogue was in English (yeah!), though the songs were in French (with English subtitles on the seatbacks). So, it was easy to understand the plot. We had a wonderful evening together. What a treat!

I was fascinated by all of the upscale "tailgating" in the parking lot prior to the opera. Lots of fancy, gourmet picnics!

Home Depot Workshop

Ian, Ryan, and Abby had a great time building their own Minion Scooter at Home Depot's build-it-yourself workshop on July 4th! With just a little help from us adults, they all brought home beautifully painted creations.