Land of Enchantment

On to New Mexico!

About that snow... so much for our dreams of sunny desert skies. Interstate and many highways were closed outside of Hays and we had to take an alternate, calling eachother to make sure no one had slid off the road or gotten lost.

Slushy, snowy highways finally found us in Raton, New Mexico ("the Rat" in Spanish), where we settled into the charming Microtel. My room had a table, sofa and lots of chairs so I hosted a little get-together where we enjoyed drinks, snacks and a game of Hoopla! (won two games, lost one).

The Shuler

Another beautiful old opera house with intricate decorations... and a tiny stage floor. We cut our deck floor, squished the furniture onstage and managed to make most of the walls fit.

The day was slow and cold. It snowed on us during the load in and one local crewman went sliding down the metal ramp as he was carrying a wall. As Alan was trying to pull out the truck ramp his foot happened to be planted on a sheet of ice and thanks to physics, he went sliding under the truck. It's moments like that I wish I had 24 hour video footage going. Ah well.

We had a good crowd and survived the small stage to enjoy a lovely drive on to Alto the next day. Near the resort of Riudoso (where I recall going on a family trip when I was young, stayed in an A-Frame cabin and built a pine needle city with my sister).

Weather: Gorgeous!

Mood: Upbeat and adventurous!

Wildlife spotted... a herd of antelope. Roadrunner! (state bird). And cacti. I guess that isn't wildlife..but it is alive. In the wild.

Food: Excellent meal at Stella's (Estelle's?) In Las Vegas, New Mexico, in 'historic old downtown'. It was run down but had lots of character. We found a music store with an adorable couple who gave us some great New Mexico driving tunes and the great tip for lunch - where I recieved an education about Mexican food and probably the best enchilada I've ever had. Then a bookstore - always a must-see.

And on to Alto...