New Mexico Weekend Getaway

Last weekend it felt like time to get away from El Paso, my home town, for a few days.  Although El Paso, on the westernmost tip of Texas, seems far away from anywhere, a road trip of a few hours can put you in some pretty amazing places.  We decided to spend a long weekend in Lincoln County, New Mexico.

New Mexico, USA

Several things drew us back to the Lincoln area.  For one, nearby is Ft. Stanton, a beautiful historic site that is the setting of a fictional work that my husband Wayne and I have been trying to finish up (Forts, Farbs and Phantoms). For another, we located a new place to stay in the area that would be quiet and encourage us to get down to the difficult business of putting words on paper. And Lincoln itself is a small, charming community full of Southwest history and some good restaurants with friendly owners.

We left El Paso on a Friday morning, taking a leisurely driving route through Alamogordo, Cloudcroft, and Ruidoso.  (A more direct route is straight to Alamogordo, through Tularosa, and then to Ruidoso).  After a quick drive through Ruidoso to see what was new on main street, we headed east through the Hondo River Valley.  Green, green, green!  A pleasing sight for two desert rats.

Bypassing the turn off to Lincoln, we drove a few more miles east to Tinnie, New Mexico, a small community with a well-known restaurant, Tinnie's Silver Dollar.  They have two rooms for rent.  We splurged and chose the larger room.  It was a great choice.  We had a living room to set up our laptops, good WiFi, a king size bed, and even a jacuzzi, which we never got around to using.  We toured Tinnie's grounds for a stroll after dinner.

Saturday began with breakfast at the historic Wortley Hotel in Lincoln.

Then it was a short drive to Ft. Stanton.  The fort was quiet this weekend, with only a few re-enactors on the shady grounds.  

I loved walking around alone and looking at the buildings, the architectural styles reflecting the many reincarnations of the fort through history.

Being back in Lincoln and Ft. Stanton did exactly what we had hoped.  We could hardly wait to get back to our room and get the plot in our new book moving.  

How fortunate we are to live close to the beautiful state of New Mexico that offers green landscapes, fascinating history, and a relaxing atmosphere.  I would pack my bags quickly for another visit soon.