We are staying in Las Vegas, New Mexico at a KOA Campground. Our site is on the edge of a hill and the winds are strong. We had the playground all to ourselves and thought that the campground was fairly empty.
We started out the morning early with a trip to Fort Union. We learned about the Santa Fe Trail and how the military set up forts to protect the land that the US was claiming. We learned that this was the largest of the forts. The walls were made of brick and covered with adobe. A lot of work as gone into preserving the site.
I was in a bad mood most of the morning. I think I am just tired. Thankfully I bounced back once I was out in the fresh air.
Up next on our day was Capulin Volcano National Monument. We visited the Visitors Center to pick up our Junior Ranger books and head up to hike the rim. We opted to start by hiking down into the crater and having lunch. I wanted to be able to say I ate lunch IN a volcano! Obviously this is no longer an active volcano. Â 
Down down down we go. The weather was windy and about 35F! We were cold but enjoyed the hike.
We warmed up on the rock wall as Emmerson wrapped up his lunch.
Up next was hiking the 1.25 mile rim of the volcano. The wind was howling. Due to the elevation, apex 7900 feet above sea level, we took request brakes to catch our breathe and warm up in the sunny spots.
The walkways retained a fair amount of heat so laying n them became a wonderful treat. We were the only nuts hiking the rim this morning!
The storms were rolling in as we hit the half way point. If you look careful you can see the black truck in the parking lot to the left of us in the photo.
As we were heading down the volcano it started to SNOW! We turned in our books and earned our junior Ranger badge and also a patch for hiking the rim!
Off for more exploring in the SNOW! There were hundreds of pronghorn in the fields we drove by. They were too far away for photos. But the snow was hitting the car and sticking!
A group of mule deer was feeling very photogenic and allowed Mom to snap a few photos.
You can see the snow was starting to coat the grasses.
We went to lower elevation and stopped at a old haunted hotel called the St. James Hotel. Lots of “bad people” stayed there. There were even bullet holes in the ceilings and rooms were people were shot and killed. It was fun but we didn’t stay long. On the way our we saw more mule deer.
