Valley of Fires

This weekend we were able to squeeze in another camping trip, this time to Valley of Fires in southern New Mexico. Valley of Fires is located in the midst of a 5000 year old lava flow in south-central New Mexico. The flow is several miles wide and runs for more than 40 miles southeast from Little Black Peak. Among the lava, the desert blooms in a stunningly diverse array of cacti, shrubs, trees, and, after our wet winter, a profusion of wildflowers. Here the kids stand at the edge of the lava flow.

We arrived around dinnertime and set up camp. After eating, we strolled through the lava flow and got a glimpse of the amazing landscape. The next morning, after the kids woke up much too early, we broke camp.

As a brief aside, let it be known that New Mexico tends to be windy in the spring. This is true of Valley of Fires. The tent campsites are in a secluded depression, so the wind was less severe here, but taking the tent down is still a challenge. Once the tent pegs are up, a tent becomes more of a kite. The lesson here is that we enjoy camping with a degree of difficulty...

After packing up, we headed to the Malpais (Spanish for badlands, a term used for lava flows in the Southwest) nature trail, a one-mile loop through the lava flow. In spots, we were able to get off the simple trail and explore among the lava. Ryan for one is very nimble in scaling the rocks. All of the children enjoyed the chance to wander off the trail and explore a bit, and Summer, despite her protestations, did not have a heart attack at the sight of her children scrambling up and down lava crags among cactus. Here the kids stopped to observe a strange desert bug.

And here is a photo of the kids on the hike, with a 20 foot high piece of lava behind them.

We left the campground and headed east through the Sacramento mountains to the town of Capitan, home of the Smokey Bear Historical Park. The real-life Smokey was rescued from a wildfire near Capitan in 1950, and this small park celebrates the bear--both the real creature and the image--and the role of wildfire and wildfire suppression. The kids enjoyed finding Smokey's grave.