My wife Karen, the kids and I took off the last week of June and visited my sister Elisa and her family in Edgewood, N.M., near Albuquerque.

It was our second try, as our first trip in late December got us to within 400 feet of the Albuquerque runway, only to be turned back because of heavy snow conditions. We ended up coming home and rescheduling for late June.

We flew out of Santa Maria at 6:15 a.m., and I have to compliment the folks running the Santa Maria Public Airport. We pulled up to the terminal and unloaded our luggage at United Express. While Karen and the kids checked our luggage, I parked the car.

I met them at the new boarding area, where the staff was friendly as we made our way through the security screening. Soon we found ourselves headed to Los Angeles to make our connection to Albuquerque.

My sister and her little boy, Travis, met us at the airport, where we were greeted with 98-degree temperatures. We headed for Elisa and husband Mark/s home for one night before heading south to visit Carlsbad Caverns.

It was our first visit to New Mexico, &#8220Land of Enchantment.C Elisa had a full itinerary for us, including a few days in Albuquerque, where we saw the Isotopes AAA baseball team play under dark clouds, complete with lightning off into the distance.

I understand it was just the beginning of the monsoon season there, and afternoon showers and lightning are common for this time of year.

The next day found us at the zoo and aquarium for the kids and Old Town Albuquerque for a little shopping.

That evening we took a spectacular ride on the Sandia Peak Tramway, the world/s longest aerial tramway, which offers an 11,000-square-mile view from the base to the top of 10,378-foot Sandia Peak.

The next morning we drove to Santa Fe, where we shopped and mingled with the summer crowd near the historic plaza. We stayed in Santa Fe for several days and used it as our base to explore the area.

Saturday morning found us rising early to make the two-hour trip to Chama so we could catch a ride on the Cumbres & Toltec Scenic Narrow-Gauge Railroad, an authentic remnant of the Denver & Rio Grande Railway San Juan Extension completed in 1881.

The train departed Chama and made its way through the forested meadows of the Rocky Mountains, where we saw elk, deer and a few bears drinking from crystal-clear stream waters running alongside the train.

We crisscrossed the border with Colorado several times and, by 4:30 p.m., rolled into our destination of Antonito, Colo., where we boarded a bus for the 45-minute ride back to Chama.

While on the train, I could not help but think back to hearing my grandfather tell stories of buying cattle in New Mexico and driving them back to Rancho La Vega in California.

I do not remember which part of New Mexico the cattle came from, but it was easy to envision cattle grazing in the lush grass of northern New Mexico.

I have several Navajo rugs my grandfather gave me hanging in our home that came from one of the cattle-buying trips to New Mexico.

I found a Navajo rug in one of the shops in the plaza in Santa Fe that had the same pattern and colors as those we have.

I found out the rug in Santa Fe was made in the late 1800s. I also learned there is an Indian museum in Los Angeles that will authenticate our rugs, so I will have a better idea of how old they really are.

I am sure my grandfather told me when they went to New Mexico on those buying trips, but I was just a small boy then and can/t remember today.

I do remember he told me they drove the cattle down Foxen Canyon past Zaca Creek into Buellton. I am guessing they must have come through Cuyama, although while at a museum in Santa Fe, I did find the &#8220Kings HighwayC that ran from Santa Fe to Los Angeles. That looked to be an easier route. One day I will research it a little closer.

We had a great time on our vacation, and there are several places in New Mexico I want to go back to see. In the meantime, I am glad to be back on the beautiful Central Coast of California.

Kevin Merrill is a vineyard

manager for Mesa Vineyard Management in Santa Maria.

He is president of the Central Coast Wine Growers/ Association Foundation and a current board member for the Santa Barbara County Farm Bureau. He can be reached at kmerrill@mesavineyard.com.

July 15, 2007