Trip planning mistake

[patperry2766]

I fear that I've made a mistake in the summer vacation plans, and I don't know if it's too late to correct the problem.

We are planning on meeting up with my sister & her family for the 2nd leg of the trip near Red River NM (July 8-15th) so that leaves the week before that free for us to do what we want.

I have reservations for a week at Davis Mountains SP, but I'm starting to wonder if there is enough there to sustain the minds of a 16 & 7 Y.O. for that length of time, or do I need to cancel those reservations and make that just a long weekend trip.

I'd like to do something in Utah, but there are so many places to see, I'm overwhelmed and don't know which direction to go.

I've also looked at Colorado, and several of the SP are already booked up for our travel time. I think I'm gonna be facing that problem at any of the more popular destinations.

I need help to salvage the 1st leg of my trip!!!!

[4runnerguy]

Might be pretty warm in the Davis Mtns., so outdoor activities during the middle of the day might be not so much fun.

I'd head to higher elevations. But it's a tough week to get reservations. Here are just a few places I found you might still get in. You might have to piece together several different places to fill up a week.

East of Pagosa Springs. Check out West Fork NFS CG. Still had some sites available for that week, but no hookups there. (Right nearby is Bruce Spruce Ranch which hs some FHU. We have driven by but never stayed there.) Pretty nice temps up in this area during the middle of the summer (you'll often need a light jacket in the evening). Head up to Wolf Creek Pass area for great hiking and wildflowers. Go to Pagosa Springs to take in the pool or take a day and tube down the river.

McPhee Reservoir has a CG that rarely fills. Near lots of popular places like Mesa Verde, Hovenweep, Durango, Telluride. There are a few spots there with FHU. I noticed that site 29E is available from July 2nd through the 10th. Enough to keep a family busy for a few weeks.

Often there are sites up at Mesa Verde at Morefield CG. Some FHU sites but those book quickly. Being up on the Mesa means being cooler.

Trying to find something during the week of the 4th of July will be tough at this late date. If you can go w/o hookups, it really opens up the available spaces. Check recreation.gov for what might be available. Look for places away from the main tourist draws such as Durango and you'll have better luck.

Just to say it again, it will be much cooler in the mountains of CO or NM.

[TexasShadow]

ft. davis and mcdonald observatory star party and/or tour of the big telescopes on the hill.
balmorhea swimming hole
then north up to Guadalupe National Park, hike to the top, highest mt. in TX.
Carlsbad Caverns
Santa Fe historical area
Chama

[Busskipper]

patperry2766 wrote:
I've got planned:
McDonald Observatory, they are having a star watching party 7/4
Balmorrhea SP to swim at least once. I have a feeling we'll go several times
Alpine, Marfa and the other towns in the area to sight see
Ft Davis

I think that I'm probably overthinking it

I always tell the story of taking the Granddaughters on an "Epic" Hike in Maroon Bells, Weather was Perfect, Aspen were Golden, Water was flowing, hard to Imagine a more Perfect day.

As we finished the day I asked : Girls, "What was the best thing you saw/did today"

"Skipping Rocks in the Water" they both said in unison - For me that tells the story - just get them out - THEY WILL HAVE FUN!

What you do is not nearly as important as "Who you do it With"

JMHO,

[2gypsies1]

From Davis Mtn. you can do a day trip to Balmorhea (by the way, the water is cold), do a day trip to Big Bend Nat'l Park and hike in the Chisos where it's a little cooler. See if there's something in nearby Alpine - perhaps a pool, attend a program at McDonald Observatory - day and night.

You could also break up the week's stay by moving and doing Carlsbad Caverns Nat'l Park - we stay at Brantley Lake State Park. Then an evening program at White Sands Nat'l Monument. Stay in Alamagordo. Just north of Albuquerque is Cochiti Lake Corp of Engineer park and nearby is Kasha-Katuwe Nat'l Monument "Tent Rocks" which is fun for a hike. From the campground it's an easy drive into Santa Fe to explore.

You don't have to spend a whole week in a place. Do other things as you move northward.

[patperry2766]

I've got planned:
McDonald Observatory, they are having a star watching party 7/4
Balmorrhea SP to swim at least once. I have a feeling we'll go several times
Alpine, Marfa and the other towns in the area to sight see
Ft Davis

I think that I'm probably overthinking it

[RespondingBack]

Why not give the teens some rough parameters (monetary limits, distance and time to get-together) and see what they propose as places/things to do?

With TripAdvisor, FourSquare, and a million other websites, they might be more enthused if they contributed some ideas.

[PawPaw_n_Gram]

Have been a campground host at Davis Mountains SP. A really neat activity is the tour at the MacDonald Observatory. Most folks only go to the evening star party, but to me the real treat was the daytime tour where you get to go inside the enclosure of one of the big telescopes.

Fort Davis National Historic Park will take a day if you really explore the place and look into the history.

The biggest issue the 16 year old will have is that the only cell tower serving Fort Davis is on the other side of the mountain from the campground. There is limited WiFi at a couple sites in the campground, but not enough to satisfy a 16 year old. You or that child will likely be driving to the top of the mountain several times daily so they can check there social media.

Chama is one of my favorite places in the world, but I love trains, especially steam trains.

[Lwiddis]

Rexlion, native ruins and cliff dwellings. Soak in some natural springs. Search for Forrest Fenn's hidden treasure? Tell Pat!

[Lwiddis]

Rexlion, fishing? Hiking with your kids? Tell Pat!

[rexlion]

In July I would definitely want to be farther north and higher elevation than Davis. I'll agree with NMDriver that the northern NM area is worth spending some extra time exploring. I'm hoping to spend some time fly fishing around Cimarron SP in July. Some interesting hiking trails there, too. Nearby, both Taos and Santa Fe are artist meccas with interesting shops. There are sites not far away with native ruins and cliff dwellings. Soak in some natural springs. Search for Forrest Fenn's hidden treasure.

[Allworth]

Stop trying to second guess yourself and enjoy the trip!

[Lwiddis]

We got it then and now, Dutch!

Pat, give your kids a chance to see the outdoors. A slightly elevated risk? Yes but the reward is to the Moon.

[patperry2766]

Lwiddis wrote:
"...is there enough to keep us sustained during the day at the campground if we choose not to venture out."

Sorry, still sad. My brother and I were reminded to be back at noon for lunch and then at 5 for dinner. We were expected run, bike, explore, find new friends etc....sustain our selves. We were both swimmers but we couldn't without an adult, however. My M&D camped where they wanted and my bro and I made our own fun.

Unfortunately, for the most part times have changed to a point that that type of thinking isn't conducive to raising kids with this generation anymore.

When I was growing up, I'd leave the house at 8 AM on a Saturday or Sunday and was just told to be home before dark. I'd put hundreds, if not thousands of miles on my bike each summer just doing what boys do....but that won't fly anymore. Too many bad people and too much evil in the world today to not keep close tabs on your children.

Times have definately changed for the worse. You can only be responsible for how you raise you child and to give them enough training and upbringing to allow them to hopefully make wise choices. You can no longer count on their friend's parents raising them with the same kind of morals and values that you're trying to instill in your own.

[Dutch_12078]

Give them each age appropriate books to read. Might work better if they're on e-readers these days. As a kid growing up camping, I was never bored even on rainy days since I always had a book I could get lost in. Sunny days were for exploring, swimming, etc. Now I'm 74 and it still works for me...