Cloudcroft, New Mexico

Event date: Wednesday, Aug. 21, 2019

We got a slow start this morning. We had a good breakfast at the hotel, then set off for our daily adventure. Our destination for the day was Cloudcroft, about 40 or so miles south of Ruidoso.

We set off west along US 70 for several miles before turning south on New Mexico 244. The entire drive along NM 244 was great. It is a very rural area with great scenery. There are numerous mountain meadows, and the pine covered hills are lovely. The speed limit ranged from 35 to 55 mph, occasionally dipping to 25. There was very little traffic, so it was a very pleasant drive.

Much of the drive from Ruidoso to Cloudcroft was through heavily forested country such as this.

I love a lush mountain meadow such as this.

On the return trip along US 70, we watched the hulking presence of Sierra Blanca approach.

Fewer than 1,000 people live in Cloudcroft, which sits at an elevation of 8,600 feet. Summers there are pleasant, and it is a popular getaway for West Texans who are trying to escape the heat. But there isn't much here. If you like small towns, though, it's a nice place. The downtown district sits 1 block north of the highway, and it is lined with businesses that, for the most part, cater to tourists. We stopped in for a cup of coffee at the Black Bear Coffee Shop. A delightful young couple run this place. While visiting, we discovered that they had connections to San Angelo; both had attended classes at Angelo State University previously. They make a great cup of coffee there, but it is a bit steep. I suppose in such an isolated location, prices tend to be a bit higher.

Black Bear Coffee Shop at the west end of the business district in Cloudcroft.

Looking east through the Cloudcroft business district from in front of the Black Bear.

Some of the businesses in downtown Cloudcroft.

The Cloudcroft Hotel is in the center of the business district.

Looking west from the east end of the business district.

We scouted around town looking at cottages and such where we might spend a week or so next summer, but we decided Ruidoso was probably more to our taste. 

Fort Stanton and Capitan

Event date: Tuesday, Aug. 20, 2019

After our tour of Lincoln, we drove a few miles up US 380 to Fort Stanton. The post was established in 1855 as part of the campaign against the Mescalero Apaches. It also witness some action during the American Civil War when Confederate troops from Texas attempted to secure New Mexico and the West for the Confederacy. Later, it also had a minor role in the Lincoln County War.

Over the years, the fort served numerous purposes, including a tuberculosis hospital in the early years of the 20th century and as an internment camp during World War II. After the war, the fort became the property of the state of New Mexico. In the ensuing years, it saw service as a hospital for the "mentally challenged" and later as a women's low security correctional facility. Today it serves as a museum and is designated as a New Mexico State Monument.

First stop at Fort Stanton should be the Museum and Visitor's Center, erected in 1855 as barracks for enlisted me. The center contains numerous exhibits and information that will guide you through the remainder of your tour. More than a dozen buildings are open to the public. If old military posts are your thing, you can probably spend several hours here.

Fort Stanton Museum and Visitors' Center

Cavalry exhibit in Visitors' Center

Quadrangle at post

Barracks

Room in hospital building

Trees and buildings laid out with military precision.

The Fort Stanton-Snowy River Cave National Conservation Area is located nearby. A room in the Fort Stanton Visitors' Center is devoted to the cave. The Conservation Area includes over 100 miles of multi-use trails. Wow! I could spend some time here.

After our visit to the fort, we continued our drive up US 380 to the small town of Capitan. We enjoyed green chile cheeseburgers at Oso Grill, which won first place in the New Mexico State Fair's Green Chile Cheeseburger Challenge in 2018.

After the burgers, we moseyed across the street to visit the Smokey Bear Historical Park. Although most folks are familiar with Smokey Bear (note that it is NOT Smokey THE Bear), few are aware that there was an actual bear that served as the living symbol for this campaign to prevent forest fires. The actual Smokey Bear campaign was already in place when a 5 pound, three month old bear cub was found in 1950 after the Capitan Gap Fire. The small cub, whose legs had been burned, was rescued by local fire crews. At first, the cub was known as Hotfoot Teddy, but later his name was changed to that of the fire campaign icon.

Smokey soon became a national celebrity, and he was shipped to the National Zoo in D.C. where he lived for 26 years. Smokey died November 9, 1976, and his remains were shipped to Capitan where he is buried.

Exterior of Smokey Bear Museum

Image of Smokey most of us recognize from the "prevent forest fires" campaign.

This shows how little Smokey was found after the Capitan Fire by fire fighting crews -- up a charred tree with injured feet.

Smokey's final resting place is under this rock, hauled from the mountains where he was found as a frightened cub. The caption says: "This is the resting place of the first living Smokey Bear. In 1950 when Smokey was a tiny cub, wildfire burned his forest home in the nearby Capitan Mountains of the Lincoln National Forest. Firefighters found the badly burned cub clinging to a blackened tree and saved his life. In June 1950, the cub was flown to our Nation's Capitol to become the living symbol of wildfire prevention and wildlife conservation. After 25 years, he was replaced by another orphaned black bear from the Lincoln National Forest."

After paying our respects to Smokey, Donna and I returned to Ruidoso, passing through some beautiful mountain country around Alto. Rain began falling as we entered the northern part of Ruidoso.

Historic Lincoln, New Mexico

Event date: Tuesday, Aug. 20, 2019

I've had a love affair with the history of the American West since childhood. Beginning with the Lewis and Clark exploration of the newly acquired territory (Louisiana Purchase) in 1803, I'll read anything about the American West I can get my hands on. The Lincoln County War has always held my fascination.

Since Ruidoso is only about 35 miles from Lincoln, we decided to drive over there one morning. We had passed through the small village once or twice before, but we had never stopped. This time we stopped and toured the old courthouse and the Tunstall-McSween store.

The Lincoln County War had simmered for some time prior to the murder of John H. Tunstall in February, 1878. But it was his death that served as the official start of the war. It officially ended in mid July of the same year with the "Battle of Lincoln," when Tunstall's friend and business partner, Alexander McSween, was killed. In between these two dates, numerous killings occurred, all because of greed and the desire to control a monopoly in the area. And violence related to the "war" continued well past the "Battle of Lincoln".

Several notable historical figures played some part in the so-called war. These included Lew Wallace (NM territorial governor and author of Ben Hur), John Chisum (cattle baron of the Pecos River country), Pat Garrett (buffalo hunter turned bartender turned lawman), and of course William H. Bonney (later known as Billy the Kid). Numerous lessor figures of historical importance also participated, and their names are easily recognized by Western historians: John Poe, Charlie Siringo, Jesse Evans, Pete Maxwell, and Jimmy Dolan, to name a few.

Our first stop of the day was the Courthouse Museum. Built in 1873-74, the building served as headquarters for the Murphy-Dolan business enterprise, one faction of the upcoming Lincoln County War. It was sold to the county in 1880, and served as the courthouse for many years thereafter. Following his trial for the murder of Sheriff Brady, Billy the Kid was held upstairs and guarded day and night by two men while awaiting his execution by hanging. Before that event could occur, though, the Kid made his escape, killing both guards in the process.

US 380 is the only road through Lincoln. The Courthouse is on right. The white picket fence in center of picture is location of the Wortley Hotel, from which Deputy Bob Olinger emerged after hearing gunshots from the courthouse. He didn't know it, but he had only seconds to live.

After a visit to the privy, the Kid and Deputy Bell reached the top of these stairs. No one knows for sure what happened next -- there are several theories -- but the Kid was able to get his hands on a pistol. As Bell fled down the stairs, the Kid snapped off a couple of shots. Bell staggered out the back door and died moments later. The hole in the wall at the bottom of the stairs was supposedly made by a bullet from the Kid's gun.

The area where the Kid was held while awaiting his execution. Lincoln didn't have a real jail, so the Kid was held in chains, with leg irons attached to the floor. After killing Deputy Bell, the Kid broke into the gun room, took down Olinger's double-barreled shotgun, and waited at the window at center of picture for Olinger to return. As Olinger approached the courthouse, someone yelled to him, "Bob, the Kid has killed Bell." Olinger looked up and exclaimed, "Yes, and he's killed me, too." About the same time, the Kid yelled, "Look up, old boy, and see what you get." Olinger was struck in the head and chest by both barrels and died instantly.

The Wortley Hotel, just across the street from the Courthouse. Olinger had taken some prisoners here to be fed.

The Courthouse, as seen from near the Wortley. The Kid was in the upstairs window at left, just above the white sign, as he waited for Olinger to return to investigate the shooting. The steps leading up to the balcony in front were not in place then. Most people going upstairs would have gone around back to enter the building.

Back of the Courthouse. Deputy Bell stumbled out the door on the right and died only a few steps from the door.

The museum, of course, has exhibits covering all of this, but it also contains photos, relics, and exhibits on law officers of Lincoln County, the history of the Masons in the county, and the history of the building in general.

From the Courthouse Museum, we moved down the street to the old Tunstall-McSween store. This building was a major reason for the war. The Murphy-Dolan faction did not like competition, so when Tunstall and McSween partnered to open the store, it was just a matter of time before violence erupted. One of the neat things about the store is that many of the items on the shelves are original. It's interesting to look at some of these old items.

Exterior of Tunstall-McSween store. The two men formed a partnership to compete with the Murphy-Dolan faction. The partnership would lead to their early deaths.

Interior of Tunstall-McSween store.

19th century merchandise on the shelves of the Tunstall-McSween store.

Tunstall's quarters in the store. He lived on his ranch but would stay here when in town. According to a sign, the hole in the floor next to bed is said to be where a wounded Billy hid following the Regulators ambush of Sheriff Brady. However, according to sources such as Robert Utley -- who is a leading Lincoln County War researcher -- it was Jim French who hid in the flooring, and it was in the McSween home, not the store. Who knows for sure?

We drove up and down the only street running through town. There are historic structures on both sides of the highway. If you decide to venture to Lincoln, be forewarned that there is no gasoline available there. The nearest gas stations are in either Hondo or Capitan, both about 10 or so miles away.

The old Ellis store.

The Torreon was built about 1850 or so by early settlers in the area as a defense against Indians. It also served as a defensive position for the Regulators during the Battle of Lincoln in July 1878.

Old church.

I snapped this photo from behind the Courthouse to show the weather. Every day, storm clouds like these moved in. We enjoyed rain every single day of our trip.

Cool Ruidoso, New Mexico

Donna and I just returned from a 4 night stay in beautiful Ruidoso, New Mexico. We primarily went there to escape the heat of San Angelo. We were very successful in doing that.

For those of you not familiar with this little mountain town, let me give you some background.

First, Ruidoso is just under 400 miles from our home in San Angelo. Now, if we want to see mountains, the Davis Mountains in West Texas are a bit closer at about 250 miles. And we love the Davis Mountains. But the mountains in Ruidiso are true alpine type mountains. In fact, if you live where we do and you want to do a bit of snow skiing in the winter, then Ruidoso and nearby Cloudcroft are the closest places to do so. I read somewhere once that Cloudcroft is the southernmost ski area in the Rocky Mountains.

Ruidoso sits at an elevation of just over 6,900 feet. It is surrounded by the beautiful pine-covered Sierra Blanca mountain range, and there are numerous babbling brooks throughout those mountains, including Rio Ruidoso (which translates as "noisy river"). The range is dominated by 12,000 foot Sierra Blanca, home of Ski Apache, a ski resort owned and operated by the Mescalero Apache tribe. The tribe also operates nearby Inn of the Mountain Gods resort, which includes a casino.

The city of Ruidoso has a population of about 10,000, but the surrounding areas brings the total population to about 20,000 or more.

We stayed in a hotel in the "Midtown" area of Ruidoso, which is an area dominated by tourist shops, restaurants, and related businesses. We were easily able to walk 3 or 4 blocks and find a place to eat. Each day started cool, usually about 60 degrees although one morning was in the mid-50s. It would warm to the mid- to upper-70s by noon or so, then the rain would move in, cooling things back down. Yes, it rained all 4 days we were there, roughly about the same time each day. Donna wore a light jacket everywhere she went, and I wore one a time or two as well. It was great! We wanted an escape from the heat, and we got it.

We had a schedule of activities everyday, so we stayed pretty busy. I'll be posting our activities as quickly as I can; I'm still processing the pictures.

I did not take many pictures of Ruidoso itself, but I'll share what I did take. But I think I have some good pictures of the surrounding country, and we did see quite a bit of it.

For now, I'll leave you with the following pictures to hold you until my next post.

This is our hotel, located on a rise and surrounded by pine trees.

This photo was taken a few blocks east of our hotel, and it looks west towards Sierra Blanca Peak.

A sampling of some of the shops along Sudderth. Love to see those trees!

We awoke our first morning to discover a herd of elk grazing behind our hotel. What a great way to start the day. Imagine seeing elk right in the middle of town!

I included this picture to show you how undisturbed the elk were by traffic along the side streets behind the hotel.

Nice shot of these female elk (cows).

This is the only male (bull) I saw in the bunch.

Love this shot of the calf nursing.

Waiting for Fall

Well, things haven't changed since my last post. It is still hot and dry here. As I write this, we are on our 23rd straight day of triple digit temps, and the upcoming forecast is simply more of the same. We've not had any real rain in a long, long time, so everything is very dry. This is compounded by the good rain we had in the spring. As a result of those generous rains, we now have some very tall grass in the countryside that is dry and ripe for a grass fire. In fact, we've had several small grass fires in the area. It's a real tinder box out there!

Donna and I tried a new restaurant a few days ago. The Indian restaurant we enjoyed when it first opened several years ago finally closed its doors, and that is a good thing. It had changed hands several times, and each change resulted in a downgrade in quality and service. When it first opened, we ate there at least once a month, but in the last couple of years, I think we ate there only once, and we were extremely disappointed then and vowed not to return.

So, it was replaced by a new Asian restaurant that serves Thai, Japanese, and Vietnamese food, among others. Donna had some noodles while I had a bowl of Thai curry. We both agreed that the food was rather lackluster. It wasn't so bad that we won't give them another try, but we agreed that the other Thai restaurant in town does a better job. But we will give these folks one more try.

Donna is getting caught up in a game at the clubhouse. She and a group of ladies meet there once or twice a week for afternoon sessions of a game I think is called Hand and Foot. I'm not sure of the name, so I just call it Hoof and Mouth. Anyway, it gets the old girl out of the house an afternoon or two during the week, and I'm grateful for the peace and quiet that provides me. She seems to really be enjoying herself.

Donna has cleaned out more of her flower beds. Not much is left now but the desert plants and herbs. I don't know if she has plans to put anything in for the fall or not. Right now, it's really too hot to even think about getting out there.

Our two oldest grandsons started school last week. Xander just has 2 more years. Wonder what that rascal is going to do with his life. It will be interesting to watch him over the next few years.

So, right now we are just waiting for the weather to cool a bit so we can get out and enjoy ourselves a bit more.

Surviving the Heat

My oldest grandson, Xander, is 17 years old today. Wow! I hope he has a good day.

It's been almost a week since my last post, and nothing has changed as regards the weather. We are still in the midst of a long triple digit temperature spell, and most days are in the 103 to 105 degree range. When you go outside, it feels like you are in an oven, with heat radiating at you from all sides. The good news is that at least we enjoy low humidity. So, although it is hot, we don't have the uncomfortable damp feeling you get along the coast. Triple digit temps are forecast for the coming 7 days.

With the heat and lack of rainfall, Donna's beds have been drying up. The tall marigolds are holding their own, but the zinnias have really suffered. Donna has thinned out many of the plants. There is still some good color out there, but it definitely is fading, and fading fast. The desert plants, though, are doing well.

We don't get out much in this heat. If we do go out, we try to do so in the morning and get home before noon. It just isn't very pleasant outside.

Summer break is passing quickly. Schools in our area resume classes next week. Donna and I always look forward to this time of year. We enjoy seeing the kids back in school so that the restaurants, movie theaters, and other places we frequent are not as crowded.

And I always think back to former times as a new school year approaches. I remember fondly those times when I would prepare my classroom for a new crop of students. With the fall semester, there is always the excitement of new friendships, football, and approaching cool weather. It really is a wonderful time of year, and I'm thankful for the years I spent in education.

Stay cool, everyone!

Hot, Hot, Hot

Since our trip, it has been nothing but hot in our area. As I write this, we've had something like 10 straight days of triple digit temps, and the forecast for the next 7 days is the same. In fact, a week long heat advisory begins for us today. We've had no measurable rain in quite a while, so things are turning brown and the ground is cracking quite a bit. I need to get someplace cool!

Donna and I continue to follow our regular routines. We go to the gym 3 mornings a week, and we try to walk on the days we don't go to the gym. On most Saturday mornings, we get up early and go downtown to the Farmers' Market, located across the street from historic Fort Concho. The produce has been good so far this year, but with the heat, I'm sure most gardens are burning up now.

We also participate when we can in activities in our neighborhood. We are pretty regular attendees at the weekly bingo sessions, and I think we win our fair share of games. We will attend the big monthly dinner this week. Turnouts are usually pretty good at those dinners. The entertainment is decent, and it is a good opportunity to socialize with folks. Donna has started playing a new game at the clubhouse. I can't recall the name. I'm thankful for this, though; it gives me a few quiet hours at home alone at least one day each week. We've not made the bus for trips "off campus" lately as we've just been occupied otherwise when those events occur.

I'll leave you with a few pictures taken from around the neighborhood.

I call this photo "Moon Walker." Bottom center you'll see one of our neighbors walking along a tree lined street early one morning while the moon is still fairly high in the sky above him.

Here's another photo of the morning moon above a house with some lovely colors.

I snapped these 4 turkeys as they grazed in front of our New Hope Bible Church one morning. Notice how brown the grass is.

I don't see too many rabbits in our subdivision, but I came across these two jacks early one morning.

Annual Birthday Bash

Last Sunday, Donna and I drove up to Big Spring. Courtney and Michael (son-in-law) were giving their 3 boys a birthday party. As they did last year, they decided to have the party at the local bowling alley in Big Spring.

This is a good way to throw a birthday party. Everyone gets to bowl if they want to, there are arcade games to play, there is food available, and there is nothing to clean up. Sounds good to me. Donna and I even bowled a game this year. It was our first time to bowl in 35 or more years, I think. We enjoyed ourselves and plan to go to the lanes here in Angelo sometime and see how that goes. It's a good way to have fun.

Michael's side of the family showed up in force. His mother, step-father, both brothers, their wives, and their children all came out to have some family fun. Jensen turned 5 this summer, Camden 6, and old man Xander turned 17.

Jensen stayed pretty close to the cake all afternoon. That boy likes to eat.

Xander towering over Camden and Jensen. The lady on the left is Michael's mother, and that is Michael's younger brother Cody with his son and daughter on the right. 

Jensen and Camden. Look at that mischievous grin on Jensen's face. Makes you wonder what he is up to, doesn't it?

Daddy Michael helping the lads open their gifts. I think he wanted to play with their new toys, too. I hope he's better at playing with toys than he is bowling!

Gammaw Donna with oldest grandson, Xander.

Trip Reflections

In looking back at our trip, it's clear we enjoyed ourselves. We really like traveling, and we miss the days of dragging a trailer around the Southwest. But we learned some things this trip about traveling.

It was the high tourist season in Colorado, and I don't think we want to go back there again this time of year -- at least, not to the really popular areas. I-25 from the New Mexico line up to Pueblo and over to Canon City was fine, but once into the real mountains, the roads seemed to be jam packed and people were everywhere. The great thing about retirement is you can pick the time when you go places, and we'll be more selective in the future. I love it when kids are in school.

We also learned we really don't like traveling in hot, hot weather. And it was really hot during our trip, especially in Texas and New Mexico. We're getting soft, I suppose, but that happens with a little bit of age. So once again, we'll be a bit more selective of when we travel.

One of several pronghorns we saw along NM 247 east of Corona. Notice how sun parched the landscape is. It was over 100 degrees in this part of New Mexico during our trip.

Both of us were bothered by the high altitude this time. In the past, it bothered me more than Donna, but this time we were both affected. Our sinuses bled almost the whole time we were in Cripple Creek, and I just seemed to be a bit more tired. I guess that happens when you go from just under 2,000 feet elevation to almost 10,000 feet elevation in 2 days.

Looking west from Wilkerson Pass in Colorado. We spent 4 days at 9,600 feet.

We passed quite a few state parks in Colorado and New Mexico. They called to us. We wished we were full-timing in an RV so we could just pull in for a few days or even a week at each one and explore. Those were good times. Wonder if we could still do it?

We had some good food. The first part of our trip was somewhat lackluster. We don't find the food in Cripple Creek to be what we crave. Oh, the food is fine, but we always want something a bit more exotic or more along the lines of our regular diets. Cripple Creek is largely meat and Mexican. Both are fine in moderation, but it's nice to have some other choices. We ate a couple of meals at Baja Billy's in Bronco Billy's, and they were fine. Our best meal in Cripple Creek was at Dynamite Dick's across the street in the Midnight Rose Casino. We both enjoyed the Fettuccine Alfredo there.

Once we left Cripple Creek, we enjoyed the food more, starting in Santa Fe. We discovered a place there last year called The Shed. I wrote about our meal there last September in an item entitled, "Ah, Santa Fe." You can refer to it as we enjoyed the very same meal this time around. We find the enchiladas there to be wonderful, and the hordes of people waiting in line with us feel the same way. It's worth a stop if you are adventurous and like to try new food.

In Roswell, we were craving something a bit different. On our way to the UFO Museum, we noticed a nice looking Italian restaurant, Pasta Cafe Italian Bistro. We decided to give it a try on our way back to the hotel. Donna enjoyed spaghetti and meatballs, which is her standard at Italian restaurants. I experimented with manicotti bolognese. Both entrees were quite good in our very humble opinions, and the salads and bread were also excellent. We'd be happy to stop there again when in Roswell.

On our last day, we stopped at K-Bob's in Lamesa. We've eaten at this particular restaurant off and on over the years since 1984 when we first moved to tiny Wellman, about 40 miles north and west of Lamesa. We've enjoyed other K-Bob's over the years, but this has been one of our favorites. Now, this isn't a fancy big city steak house chain; K-Bob's just serves a good steak at a decent price in a very comfortable setting with usually good service. Just the kind of place the old woman and I like. Donna had a nice little steak while I tried a rib-eye steak sandwich. Good food.

So, that catches me up on the trip. Now in a couple or so days I'll get around to some other things that have been going on.