Nothing like a good family outing

There’s nothing like a good outing to bring a family together.

If you want to go on a leisurely drive to somewhere for a daytime adventure, with some wide-eyed young’uns in tow, you certainly don’t have to leave New Mexico.

Space requires only a mention of a few, but you can easily google any and all that grab your attention.

Northeast

When we lived in Las Vegas, the largest town in this quadrant of the state, we discovered that a drive away from the mountains could turn up some real gems. Mills Canyon up in the high plains near Roy is one of them.

The Canadian River cuts this deep valley through the area where a man named Melvin Mills once built his home and a hotel and planted orchards and trees near the river, so it’s a great spot for hiking and picnicking.

A little farther north, near the village of Folsom, there’s the Capulin Volcano, where you can drive to the summit and then walk around the rim. When we were there, we saw a herd of mule deer grazing inside the crater of this dormant volcano.

Meanwhile, to the south along Interstate 40, I can think of two big attractions, especially for the kids. One is the dinosaur museum at Mesalands Community College in Tucumcari; they say they dig up bones from the nearby mesa pretty much every day, and you can see their natural sciences laboratory at work while wandering through the museum.

And if you want to throw in a Billy the Kid side trip, take a quick 40-mile drive from Santa Rosa to Fort Sumner, where history recounts how The Kid was killed and buried in a grave on the outskirts of town. But a trip into Fort Sumner is really taking you more into the …

Southeast

Here is where one of the most famous cities in the state is located. Roswell is known internationally for the reported UFO crash of 1947. There you will find a light-hearted UFO theme all around town. But if you want to seriously consider what happened way back when, I recommend the International UFO Museum & Research Center downtown.

Also in this quadrant of the state, check out the White Sands National Monument — that’s where I saw the most beautiful sunset I’ve ever seen before.

Southwest

There are two features to this area that are etched into my mind: the Gilas and downtown Silver City. There are a lot of small-town downtowns worth exploring in our state, but Silver City’s really stands out for me.

With its Big Ditch and Bullard Street features, there’s an Old West feel to it all. I guess that’s why, when I think of Louis L’Amour, I’m reminded of Silver City; he often set his western tales amid the mountains and mining around this historic town.

Northwest

Here’s where you’ll find the Navajo Nation, the largest Native American reservation in the U.S., and some of the most incredible rock formations you’ll find anywhere. There’s Red Rock, Standing Rock and, of course, Shiprock — though the drives between them can be long and tedious. But this is Badlands country, well worth exploring with plenty of gas and water.

Pick a place and check it out. If nothing else, it’ll remind you of just how much this state has to offer traveling adventurers.

Tom McDonald is editor of the New Mexico Community News Exchange. Contact him at:

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