Conquering the Rockies - Day One

Loading the bus - 6:30am at the Hillsboro campus.  The girls are ready to board the bus.  This field trip was a part of the summer I semester history course.

Entering New Mexico.  After riding the bus all day someone remembered the poem, "The sun has riz, The sun has set, And here we is, InTexas yet!"  After the long tiring ride we decided to stretch our legs for a few minutes at the border.

Capulin Volcano is an extinct cinder-cone volcano in northeastern New Mexico.  It was getting late in the day but we called ahead and the ranger kept the gate open until we got there.  We drove to the top and enjoyed the view from the 8,000 foot elevation.  Capulin has been extinct for about 60,000 years.  The crater is about 400 feet deep.  Paul was the only one the went all the way to the bottom.  Several of the others hiked part way around the rim trail which is about 1 mile around.


Grandma and I visited here several years ago while returning from one of our mission trips.  At that time I hiked the full distance of the crater rim trail.

The view from the top.  We were beginning to get excited about "Exploring the Rockies" as we got our first view of the distant mountains from the top of Capulin.

After leaving Capulin we ate at supper at the Sands Restaurant in Raton, NM and  then checked into our Best Western.  The Best Western in Raton is a very nice facility and the wi-fi was the best I have ever had in any motel.

 Thanks to Paul for the restaurant photo.


I noticed this rose blooming outside the restaurant!