Run to the Hills ....or Mountains

A couple weeks ago we decided to get out of town for the weekend and go in search of some fall colors.  There aren't all that many trees that change colors in Las Cruces so we headed for Ruidoso, NM which is about an 1 1/2 hr drive NE of Las Cruces.

We spent Saturday afternoon walking around on the main street of Ruidoso that has a lot of little shops and touristy stuff to look at (kinda like Jackson Hole, WY) which was fun but the main reason for the trip was to get into the mountains.  So Sunday we drove up a long and winding dirt road up 9000ft to the Monjeau Lookout.

The Monjeau lookout is a rock fire lookout tower that was built in the 1930s by the Civilian Conservation Corp.  A couple years ago the area was ravaged by a wild fire and the wooden part of the tower was burnt and the forest service has spent the last year or so rebuilding it. There is still a lot of damage left to the forest around the tower with burnt trees and little vegetation in some areas but the tower itself has been restored to its former glory.

We didn't get to see as many fall colors as we would have liked ( most of the trees we encountered were either pines or charred remains of trees) but we did get to see some beautifully yellow leaved Aspens.  We love getting into the mountains and away from people.  There is definitely something to be said about being alone in the middle of nowhere. Love it.  So here are some pictures of that trip.

The lookout tower

view from the top of the lookout

 

 

Love these trees

 Our adventurous little girl

 Carter was bound and determined to make it to the top all by himself. He is one independent little monkey

I love this independent little boy