Riding Horses, Trains, and Tractors

Our first stop on our Griswold Summer Vacation took us to Cerrillos, NM which is just south of Santa Fe.  JP's Aunt and Uncle have a ranch there in the hills which provides many different avenues of entertainment for the kids.  There is the "work" to be done including feeding cows, gardening, hauling food scraps, and maintaining the road.  (This is where John Deere comes into play.)  This trip we were also treated to a visit from friends who had horses and they were kind enough to take the kids on short rides around the yard.  This was not Bubba's first ride on a horse - he has been on one of the little pony rides at a carnival before; but it was Pickles first ride and she was very excited.

 
Riding John Deere is the highlight of every trip we take to Cerrillos.  Bubba starts from the moment he arrives pestering Uncle Boyd about riding it.  As you can see from her smile Pickle was SUPER excited that she was allowed to drive it.  Boyd and Bubba actually did some work on the road with the tractor . . . it is not all fun and games at the ranch.

And on our final afternoon we took a ride on the Santa Fe Railway from the old Santa Fe rail station out to Galisteo Basin and then back.  It was a short trip (about 2 hours round trip) through the outskirts of Santa Fe and through some beautiful county.  With our family it is all about riding the rails . . . doesn't matter where you are or where you are going.  This was also Baby Sissa's first train ride!

Staying in Cerrillos is always a treat . . . the weather has always been nice (even the time it was in the teens), the food is always yummy - the kids were super excited about Root Beer Floats this trip, and the bed is super comfy!  I know everyone is wondering how our crazy excursion is going . . . so far it has been going pretty smoothly.  Pickle is behaving herself and has gotten better at entertaining herself in the car, Bubba stays busy with his Leapster, and Baby Sissa sleeps the time away.  JP and I still need to adjust our travel times to incorporate bathroom stops and lengthy feedings as well as letting the kids run off some energy now and then.  So far we have shown up to both of our first stops at least 2 hours late . . . .

Now we are in Denver and will be here until Sunday when we move on to southern Colorado . . . more pictures early next week.