Killer Chile Relleno

The freestone streams and tailwaters were all jacked up and flowing fast this past week...well, the one I was interested in fishing. So, Sylvia and I decided to head south for a fun road trip to Ruidoso, Cloudcroft, and White Sands. I've never seen Cloudcroft and White Sands, even though I've lived in New Mexico for twenty years...so yeah, I was excited to take this beautiful drive to a new destination.

We enjoyed the first day's ride through wide open spaces, the Valley of Fire, and on to the mountains surrounding Ruidoso. Ski Apache claims it is the southern most area for snow skiing in USA...and, Ski Cloudcroft claims the same? Hmmm...

For me, my favorite part of this first day was finding a great fly fishing shirt in one of the downtown Ruidoso shops. It's an OR shirt in a light gray color with a vertical zipper at the left pocket...pretty much perfect for fly fishing the mountain Rios. I know. I'm all about fly fishing. Anyway, we ended the day at the hotel's bar with evening cocktails (I indulged) relaxing in a big, overstuffed leather sofa by the fire. A wonderful evening, indeed.

The next morning, we departed Ruidoso in route to Cloudcroft. And what a relaxing, beautiful drive through the mountains it was. So nice, I want to make that trip again. We had a reservation at The Lodge in Cloudcroft. A resort lodge originally built in 1899 with all of the charm you'd expect from lodges built in the the turn of the century. Judy Garland, Poncho Villa, Clark Gable, and many celebrities have stayed in this resort.

We decided to check in at The Lodge upon arrival in Cloudcroft, drop our bags in the room, and head for White Sands. I've never seen White Sands and wow! Just wow! The national park exceeded my expectations and I'll definitely be returning there some day. I'm just going to post below some pictures of this 'landscape wonder' to let the views speak for themselves.

Of all the things I imagined to discover on this trip, a killer chile relleno dinner did not even enter my mind. We had dinner reservations at The Lodge's restaurant, but first enjoyed a glass of wine (that's me) in the hotel's bar. After drinks, we moved to the dining area next to a window with a view all the way to White Sands. So you know, The Lodge sits on top of the mountain at the 9K foot elevation with magnificent views...which you can see White Sands some 36 miles away. While that view is awesome, the blue corn chile relleno dinner was the most memorable. That dinner. Will. Take me back there! And, I'll be packing my golf clubs next time too...that little nine hole course of their's looks like fun with all of the elevation changes from tee to green.

Click on photo for larger view

NOTE: The WTF shirt I'm wearing is not what you think. WTF = Where's The Fish?