The first part of the adventure for Mom and Dad was the 48 hour train trip, complete with sleeper car and meals. They had a great time in spite of some delays.
Next, we explored the area around my new school.
Stephen grilled a non-traditional Thanksgiving feast.
Then we headed South toward Cloudcroft, just at the tail end of a rare NM snowstorm. It was a good thing we took the truck with 4 wheel drive, because The Lodge in Cloudcroft didn't exactly plow or shovel very well!
On our way to Cloudcroft we explored Fort Stanton, which has had a varied history and still has many interesting buildings along with a small museum. The museum docent remarked that someone in our group must be into history, because we spent so much time in the museum before walking out to visit the buildings! We replied that we had to read every sign and plaque -- doesn't everyone?
We arrived at The Lodge in time for a delicious dinner by the fire, with a pianist playing a selection of jazz standards.
The next day we left snowy Cloudcroft, which is at approximately 9,000 feet in elevation, and headed down the mountain to White Sands, which is at just over 4,000 ft. By the time we got to the park it was sunny and in the high 40's. No snow there!
During our road trip, we made a couple of lunch stops that included a lot of what Stephen calls "local color." The Smoky Bear Diner was one of those places.
We had some time at home after our road trip, during which we took walks in the open space, read books, played ukuleles, and just hung out.
When it was time for the Osterhouts to complete the adventure with another 2 day train journey, the kitties tried to join them.
Ultimately, they were not allowed to pack themselves. I don't think they would have enjoyed the trip. Here is one final photo, a shot from the moving train, taken with Mom's phone:
