Otherwise known as vacation, part one! 
We set out a bit later than intended Monday morning. Larry couldn’t drive through Colorado Springs without stopping at the Air Force Academy, so we did. . .even though we missed going inside the Chapel by minutes. There’s always next time!
We did walk the short trail between the Visitors Center and the Chapel, though. I love watching Drama Boy with Baby Boy; he is as loving to him as he is bossy to his other little brothers.
We took a short drive through the Garden of the Gods before continuing south to spend our first night somewhere in SE Colorado.
Tuesday morning found us back on the road again with a quick detour to Capulin Volcano. Unfortunately it was a very cloudy/foggy morning, so the drive up the volcano was nerve wracking for both driver and co-pilot. We arrived in Carlsbad in time for a somewhat late dinner with my good friend Beth and her family, who graciously opened their home to our rowdy crew for a couple days.
While they were busy with work and school on Wednesday, we grabbed picnic food from the grocery and headed to the Caverns. We’re not big on buying souvenirs, but like to have the kids earn their Junior Ranger badges at the National Parks; Carlsbad was no exception. Here they are studying the Natural Entrance before we began our descent.
Larry and I took turns carrying Baby Boy; he was busy kicking his legs and hugging and playing with my hair while I was grasping the hand rail for dear life. Heights are not my friend! Larry took over when we got to the Big Room, and Baby Boy promptly fell asleep.
If we come back with our grandchildren, do you suppose this stalactite and stalagmite will have become a column?
After another delicious dinner cooked by Beth, we took the kids to the playground by the Pecos River that her husband Bob had helped plan and build. I didn’t get any pictures as my subjects were moving too fast, but before heading in for the night we walked across the floating bridge where the kids found a bench that begged to be sat upon.
On Thursday morning, we were up early and headed east to Texas, so stay tuned for more pictures (tomorrow? next week?). We did little sightseeing there, preferring to spend our time visiting with more dear friends and watching the kids play with their own friends.
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