I looked out the window and watched the desert landscape roll by. The car vibrated a bit as it bumped over the railroad tracks. My family and I had been driving for hours to get here. I didn't know what the point of coming here was. It's just a few birds flying home for the winter, big deal.

I leaned away from the window and back into the leather seats of our blue minivan. I could just barely see out of the front windshield from this position. The Bosque del Apache visitor's center came into view and Daddy pulled into the first available parking spot.

"We're here!" Mom says excitedly. I push a button and the automatic door slides away to reveal a small parking lot surrounded by small buildings. My Dad led the way to the largest one. It was full of exhibits and pictures of the famous cranes that nested here every winter. I wandered over to the video playing in the corner and listened to the narrator drone on about the eating habits of wildlife.

"Mom, when do we get to see the birds fly?" my little sister Emma asked. "In a little while" Mom replied. After what seemed like hours, mom announced that it was time to look around the rest of the Bosque

"But where are the cranes, aren't they supposed to be flying around like the rest of the birds?" Emma asked as we passed yet another lookout spot on the Nature Loop Drive. Dad slowed down and turned a corner sending dust clouds spewing from beneath the wheels as my other sister Rachel explained, "The cranes are feeding right now. They don't fly until after sundown."

I scanned the scenery for something interesting when Dad cried "Girls, look over here! There are some cranes!" I whipped my head around eager to get a look at the birds. The sight that met my eyes was not what I was expecting. Thousands upon thousands of stork-like creatures stood with their necks bent toward the ground, digging for food.

I couldn't help but be amazed. Maybe this trip wasn't a bust after all.