4th of July in October

There is a canyon in the Cibola National Forest of the Manzano mountain range called the 4th of July Canyon. The reason it has such a unique moniker is that it's one of the very few places in New Mexico where there are indigenous maple trees. So when fall comes along (just about the time of the Balloon Fiesta) all the maple leaves turn red. A veritable explosion of color!

It had been years since I had been to the canyon, so one sunny morning in October, we decided it was high time we had a picnic there again.

After about an hour in the car to get there, you were eager to hit the trails. The color of the leaves were incredible, ranging from bright yellow to deep red!

Somehow, I think the view was lost on you, because you were more interested in dashing down the trails than enjoying the foliage.

You held dad and Papa Bruce's hands as we walked along to make sure they wouldn't get lost. You know how they can be!