Friday, April 26, 2019

Caballo Lake Easter Egg Hunt

On Easter Sunday, Caballo Lake State Park held it's annual egg hunt at the Riverside Campground.

Caballo can be found about 20 miles south Of Elephant Butte and complete park details can be found in this blog post: Caballo Lake State Park


The hunt started with a small parade led by Ranger Saul.




The crowds gathered at a large field at the south end of the park. Three sections were available for kids of different ages. This was to be an old school hunt, with 9000 painted hard boiled eggs.





They started getting impatient so armed Rangers were brought in to keep the peace.




Turns out the PA system in the firetruck was on the fritz so the start did not go as planned. The middle group suddenly dashed forward and mayhem ensued.



I was standing in the middle of the field as the swarm approached.








And then they were upon me, quickly passing by.














Soon they were gone in the distance.


A couple of the hunters showed me their catch.




It was smiles all around. The kids had a great time.


See all these kids the past few days reminded of my nephews.

Below is Jake, who turns 17 this year.


And this is Riley, who will be 20 and is going to college in Lincoln, Nebraska.


It seems like yesterday when these pictures were taken. I mean, I am still 37...

Regards,
Greg and Freddy

Monday, April 22, 2019

Elephant Butte Easter Egg Hunt

The day before Easter, Elephant Butte Lake State Park held it's annual egg hunt for kids ages one to eleven. Hundreds of children participated collecting thousands of eggs.

It was a lot of fun as you can tell by the pictures.

A complete park overview can be found in my post from last year:
wgwood.blogspot.com/2018/02/elephant-butte-lake-state-park.html

Anyway, on to the hunt!


The calm before the storm. The hunt was held in an open area near Lions Beach Campground.



Finders of the special eggs would win cool prizes.



I think this is a rabbit...


The crowds started gathering as starting time approached.


The kids were split up into four age groups starting a few minutes apart. A great idea.

The youngest went first.


This was a laid back group. No sense of urgency. Plenty of eggs for everyone.

Unlike some groups to come.







A very happy egg hunter.





Yep. Nice and mellow.

The next group was the three and four year olds.


They were a little more mobile and extremely fun to watch.



"Mom wants me to pick up these things."


"So I did."



"Now what do I do with it? Eat it?"


"Good job! Now put it gently in the basket so that it doesn't bounce out."


"Oopsie."



This guy has already learned to delegate the bucket chores to dad.


 



"I think I am having handle issues. Can you help me?"
"Sure, let me take a look."


"Sorry, gotta go!"
"Wait..."

 
These two figured the best way to get eggs was to run in front of the crowds to the land of plenty.



Some moms got a little carried away.

The first rule about egg hunts is that only the kids are allowed to pick them up.


We will keep an eye on you next year.


This is proper picking.



Next up was the five to seven year olds. Speed became a factor.





OK young Jedi, use the Force to pick them all up at once.


The young gal in the middle used the Force to levitate over the sand.




Suddenly it was over. Until I mentioned that there were a few eggs left near the rope next to me.




Wow. Army ants devouring a rain forest could not have cleaned it quicker.

Last up was the eight to eleven year olds.


In an attempt to slow them down, furrows were dug. But these were determined kids.





Seriously determined.



A few stopped to help their fallen comrades.



But for the rest it was sheer mayhem.




The last few eggs were picked up.


And like an outgoing tide, the kids retreated back to wherever kids retreat to nowadays.



But it wasn't over yet.

There were eight pink eggs hidden amongst the thousands that contained numbers to corresponding age appropriate prizes. A giant bunny called the winners forward.










The event was a huge success and the participants and their parents had a great time. I want to thank the volunteers and the State Park workers who made it possible.

Putting smiles on children's faces is a wonderful thing.

Regards,
Greg and Freddy (who sat in my car and supervised everything)