If you've read previous posts, you know we stayed at the Inn of the Mountain Gods in Ruidoso New Mexico, a beautiful resort/casino owned by the Mescalero Apache Tribe. The golf course is beautiful. Lake activities abound, so does a Zip Line that zooms people across the lake. We chose golf.
I promised to show a few of the fireworks displays. They were amazing. The Inn of the Mountain Gods celebrates our nation's birthday on July 2. I asked several the reason for the premature show, but no one knew the reason for the early date. We sat on our balcony and had the perfect view.
Thousands of people gathered on the hotel lawn to watch. Below is a picture of a fraction of them. They brought blankets and tents. One couple even brought a queen sized mattress. The hotel set up kiosks for food and drinks.
Hubby and I were amazed at the crowd of people. We didn't know the event existed until we checked into the hotel, but it is an annual event, and travelers come from all over the state. I want to go again.
The clouds came rolling in, and we feared the clashes of lightning would cause the operators to cancel the event. They did start a little early, but the show was the best I've ever seen.
We had a marvelous time, but the calendar indicated we needed to head home to Houston.
We left Ruidoso and traveled east on 380 back to Roswell, a place we'd stopped in as we made our way to Ruidoso, but this time we left the UFO's and aliens in their museum and waved as we went by. At Roswell, we turned south on 285 and headed on to Carlsbad. We didn't stop at the caverns, we've been there before. The caverns make a fascinating side trip for those who've never been.
We stopped at a red light in the Carlsbad, NM. While waiting for it to turn green, we looked at the map and decided to wait for lunch until we arrived back in Texas. After this many days, we hungered for Tex-Mex food.
BOOM! Bam! Crash!
An alien In a UFO from another planet didn't rear-end us, a sixteen year old girl did.
Hubby yelled a word or two preachers aren't supposed to use.
When the light turned green, we pulled to the side of the road and she did the same. Poor thing. She was shaking in her flip-flops. The three of us examined our car. Uh-oh! Bumper damage. The young woman said her brakes had failed, but my guess is that she was texting. She got out of the vehicle with the device in her hand.
The conversation went similar to this.
Hubby: "May I see your driver's license?"
Girl: "I don't have one."
Hubby: "Insurance?"
Girl: "I don't have any."
Hubby: "Call your parents."
Girl: "I can't. My mom is sick."
Me: "Call your dad."
Girl: "He's not in the picture."
Me: "Then we'll have to call the police."
Of course she begged us not to do that. After a few minutes, she called her father who lives in Texas. It turns out he had insurance on the car. Who knows why she denied having any. I think she hoped we'd forgive, forget, and merely drive away.
We didn't call the law, but an officer spotted us and stopped. The girl admitted she had insurance and retrieved it from the glove compartment. She had no license but she had a beginner's permit. Her dad quickly emailed us with information and seemed quite nice. I said, "See? Your dad is still taking care of you." Her bottom lip quivered. I don't know their story, but I hope and pray she will build a relationship with her dad. He called the grandparents, and they came.
Teenagers! Who can understand the way they think?
On to Texas
We continued on our way to Fort Stockton, Texas, and selected Interstate 10 to take us home to Houston. We stopped in a little town called Ozona for lunch. Texans love our Tex-Mex cuisine, but the place we chose needed new recipes.
Arriving in Junction, we happily checked into our motel.
Let me tell you a good place if you ever find yourself in that town. Issack's is the place to go. Home cooking of the finest quality. This dinner made up for the lunch we left on our plate way back in Ozona.
After 1900 miles of travel, we arrived home.
We tried to bottle the mountains and cool air to bring back, but alas! We failed. Look what awaited us.
We had a memorable trip, and now I'm waiting for my car to be repaired. If you are traveling, stay safe. If you haven't visited Ruidoso, NM and stayed at the Inn of the Mountain Gods, I can recommend it. You'll return home with peaceful and happy memories.
If you haven't read Sarah's latest adventure, please do. She's a real hoot. I have an idea that you may find her in New Mexico soon.
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