Took a week off to drive to Cloudcroft, New Mexico, to check out the scene, eat some chile, and catch up with family from Socorro. Would love to have a cabin up here when we retire to escape the relentless Texas summers... Seventies in the day, forties and fifties at night!
We made a side trip to Balmorhea, Texas, on the way out to take a dip in San Solomon Springs. I've been here many times on field trips and whatnot, but never to swim. We stayed at the state park.
This is the empty canal from Phantom Lake Springs. Saw them years ago before they dried up. Doesn't bode well for San Solomon Springs...
Cute little church just up the road that we "discovered" while seeing if we could visit Phantom Lake Springs.
We took a short detour to Mentone, Texas, awash in fracking truck traffic. Not much there, but the church was worthy of a visit.
As we worked our way toward Cloudcroft, we passed through Artesia, New Mexico. Despite it's small size (~11,000 folks), it's quite a happening town fed with oil money. It's name came from the many flowing artesian wells they had back in the day, but oil is king now.
A gentle reminder that we are going up, up. up!
Cloudcroft!
Actually some contemporary architecture going up here...
We could see the stars!
That white flash at the horizon through the peaks is White Sands.
A tunnel on the road between Cloudcroft and Alamogordo.
Alamogordo was nicer than we expected.
Heading back up to Cloudcroft, we stopped at the overview of the old railroad trestle bridge over Mexican Canyon.
Back in Cloudcroft:
Out the side yard.
Cabin we stayed in.
The Lodge, the old railroad hotel.
Rebecca, the ghost at the lodge.
A brief stop at the church in Tularosa.
Heading up to Three Rivers Petroglyph park:
Took the back way back to Cloudcroft...
Some housing in Cloudcroft:
This is the place we stayed at.
There's an octagon house in there...
The view out of our place...
Off to Sunspot to visit the National Solar Observatory
Back to Cloudcroft!
Heading back home, on the road to Artesia:
Stopped to visit the Settles in Big Spring, Texas:
Somewhere, Texas, during our descent to Austin...
