Forest and Falls

If you're like me, New Mexico seems like a desert wasteland. Truth or Consequences? What a name for a town. Of course, Albuquerque and the hot air balloon festival are well-known. In 2022, we went to Carlsbad Caverns, which are absolutely the biggest cave(s) we have seen. Outside of that, we have driven through the state a few times on our eastward adventures but haven't taken much time to explore it. This trip is different.

So far we spent time at White Sand National Park. Next up: Lincoln National Forest. First stop is a picnic lunch at the Trestle Recreation Area near Cloudcraft. 

What a peaceful, relaxed place for lunch with perfect fall weather. Ideal break before we drive onward. The skies were crystal blue, the mountain fresh air. Lovely. Lincoln National Forest is beautiful. And large! 

We drove through a captivating village called Cloudcraft. It is the highest point in New Mexico at just over 8300 feet. I could return here…in the summer. 

From Cloudcraft we were searching for Hope. We found it. Barely. Hope, New Mexico is so small you will miss it if you blink! Wouldn't it be fun to say, "I live in Hope."

On a road trip, there are a few places I like to find: Spanish missions, lighthouses, waterfalls to name a few. Papa and I both like to hike and golf when we can. Today, we combined two of those activities and hiked to our first waterfall within the Lincoln National Forest. Sitting Bull Falls, located outside Carlsbad, is an easy mile-long hike to the falls on a well-maintained sidewalk trail. To really explore the pools and caves, there are several steps to go down near the end of the trail, then traversing some slippery rocks, but totally worth it. Like visiting the ocean, there is something uplifting and restorative about the sound of the water cascading down a waterfall.

Source: https://youtu.be/6LiHNtKEE_4?feature=shared