"Go to the Mountains!"

 A week or so ago I was feeling rather blue, because no matter how enchanting New Mexico is, it is still really ugly compared to the PNW.  I was confiding my feelings to Dad, and he said, "Well, 'Go to the mountains!'"  Drew went to Bremerton for an Eagle court of honor for one of his old young men this weekend...

 (This is the sweet young man who has lost both of his parents and also a stepmother to freak accidents/illnesses.  He gave Drew one of his mentor pins.)

...so I decided to take the kids to the Jemez Mountains because it is one of my favorite places from my childhood. It was so fun to drive out there and remember the familiar curves of the road and colors of the cliffs.

 We hiked over to Spence Hot Springs (aka the Naked Hot Springs, thanks to the high probability of encountering "bares" while visiting) and soaked for awhile.

 Vivien and Rafe had fun playing with the "slimy rocks."

 Annie kept screaming in horror whenever any of the algae would come remotely close to her.

 And Merrick kept trying to pitch himself forward and drink the water, so I took the two littles up after awhile and got them dressed while Vivi and Rafe played a bit longer.  There was a group of college students there and a couple other young families.  The water was warm enough that it wasn't hard to get in and sit down and you weren't cold until after you got out. 

 After I got everyone dressed (which I will just say is REALLY HARD on a steep rocky slope when you have a busy, unstable baby set on exploring and no one can dress themselves and your shrieking older son has to be whisked into the woods to go to the bathroom before he dies and you have to get dressed too quickly to be careful and then get to enjoy pine needles in your underwear for the rest of the day), we hiked down and headed over to Battleship Rock for a picnic lunch (fruit kebabs and sandwich kebabs, of which Annie ate the cheese and cucumbers, Rafe at the bagels, and Vivi ate the meat.  I really do try to feed them a balanced diet...).

Afterwards I let the kids play by the river (another of my favorite childhood memories) until Merrick tried to throw himself in too many times.  Then we went back to the car.  Annie had a really hard time walking today for some reason (her shoes might be too big), so I held her hand for all the hiking, but every time she'd stumble she'd say, "Stop tripping me Mama!"  

 I have always loved Battleship Rock.

And we had to stop at Soda Dam on our way out, because I love it too.

  

 The cave where Vivi and Rafe are climbing in the picture above is home to the hot spring that made the dam, and it's still making beautiful formations in that steamy little room, accented with green.

 Such amazing shapes!

 I asked the kids if they wanted to go see the top and started them climbing up the rock face.  I was going to help Annie climb too, but she was not having it, so we stood and watched them go instead.  It wasn't until Vivien got to this point, looked down at me then promptly froze, screaming in terror, that I realized that it is actually pretty high and steep . . . I started walking around to an easier place to climb up so I could get to where she was while holding Annie and Merrick, but by the time I reached her she'd gotten ahold of her fear and made it up the rest of the way.

 

There was a little trickle of the hot spring coming out the top of the dam that was fun to observe. On our way down Rafe biffed it hard and skinned his hand, so everyone got to have a good cry at Soda Dam to finish off our day.  On our drive back I remembered how I used to silently will my parents to stop for Indian fry bread . . . I am excited for all the adventures we will have, for the fears we will conquer, and for the memories we will make in these mountains together over the next few years.   Come visit me and I'll take you!