New Mexico - Day 6

People from Montana, Colorado and other mountainous states call people like us Kansans “flatlanders.”  And there is a good reason.  Today, the Hicks family demonstrated our flatlander status in high style.  Outside of a very brief drive out to the Sunspot Solar Observatory on Sacramento Peak, we spent the entire day trying to breathe properly.

The good news is, if you must convalesce in a hotel to acclimate to 9700 feet – The Lodge at Cloudcroft is a p.r.e.t.t.y. good spot to do it.  As lovers of all things old and quirky, the Lodge is chockfull of quirks and stories – for example, it just happened to be managed by Mr. Conrad Hilton of Hilton Hotels early in his career.  History practically oozes out of every wall, picture, ironwork banister and wooden rafter.  On a Thursday, the hotel was quiet, relaxing and we sort of felt like we had the run of the place ourselves.

We wandered the halls where hung displays telling the history of the town, the Lodge and other interesting tidbits from the area’s past.  Probably the most interesting thing about the Lodge is that it is apparently haunted.  According to brochures found in the lobby, the hotel’s permanent resident is Rebecca – a red-haired chambermaid who disappeared from her quarters shortly after her lumberjack boyfriend found her with another man.  Seriously, you can check out ghost hunting equipment from the front desk if you so desire to meet Rebecca herself.  We didn't.

Room 101

As flirtatious in death as she was in life, Rebecca apparently likes to mess with people – turning on and off lights, moving furniture, hiding things and opening and closing doors.  Only a few have seen her, but the legend is big enough that the Lodge has landed in a book on haunted hotels that is for sale in the gift shop and the owners have named their restaurant after her.  The only potential connection we had with her was during our first dinner here yesterday evening.  As we sat waiting for our food, the lights flickered and dimmed unexpectedly.  We all looked at each other and in unison said, "Rebecca."  There was another incident with a disappearing desert plate, but we figured out that one was accomplished by an efficient table server who removed it while we were engaged in a particularly interesting conversation.  Truth or legend, Rebecca made our stay more exciting to say the least.

The Lodge was originally built in 1899 entirely of wood.  One of the wall displays questions the sanity of a person who would build completely out of this material on the top of a forested mountain as, sure enough, in 1909 the hotel caught fire and was completely destroyed.  In 1911 the hotel was rebuilt where it stands today, complete with a replica of the original tower room offering views of the surrounding peaks and canyons.  Looking to the west, you can see White Sands Missile Range from the Tower windows.

We grabbed a key to the tower from the front desk and spent a little time stretching our mountain lungs on a five story climb.  Although the activity is forbidden today, past inhabitants of the hotel would carve their name into the wood beams of the tower.  On the final staircase up to the top room are two very famous names – Clarke Gable and Judy Garland who stayed here in the early 1930s.  Outside of Clarke and Judy, other famous guests have included the guys from MythBusters, Sandra Day O’Conner, Poncho Villa, and nearly every state governor since the hotel’s beginning.  It is rumored that Rebecca’s favorite room is 101.  So if you decide to stay there, expect company.

The restaurant has a nice variety of incredible food and the staff is incredibly friendly.  The wooden bar in the restaurant was shipped up to the mountain from Al Capone's bar in Chicago after the building it originally was in burned to the ground.  The Lodge sits on a golf course and offers tee times or, if golf isn’t your style, you can spend the day in the spa.  A game room off of the lobby offers a chess board, checkers, backgammon, scrabble and several cases of paperbacks - I read 3 while lounging.  Wireless internet is available in the lobby.  As I write this, I am sitting on the balcony at a small round granite café table overlooking the lobby’s beautiful stone fireplace.  A fire is crackling below me and the soft sounds of hotel guests are making everything nice and homey.  All in all, like my financial aid friend before me, I HIGHLY recommend staying here if you get the chance.  We all enjoyed our stay and feel like it is a little slice of home away from home.