Cloudcroft

The location was good given our drive from Albuquerque to Carlsbad (remember, M doesn't know where we're going), it looked like it had a lot more character than a chain motel in Alamogordo, and it was in the mountains, which offered a little more interest than the desert.  But I wasn't sure what to expect. I worried that it was over-hyped and overpriced. Or that it was a snooty country club for the high rollers in Alamogordo. It may have been a bit of these things, but it was actually a nice place to stay and my biggest regret was that we got in late and had to leave early.

It's old - Conrad Hilton once ran it.  And it does have character.  And it has a ghost - named Rebecca - after whom they named the restaurant.  We ate late - at least for us. Michele had a stuffed Poblano (they were out of the blackened trout) and I had a very good steak. Their specialty appeared to be flambeed desserts, but we passed on the Bananas Foster and Cherry Jubilee. We still went to bed on full stomachs since I had warned M we needed to get an early start.

The next morning we headed east - toward Roswell and Lubbock - or at least in that direction  Now that would have been a real surprise!