L&K Take America

Sometimes I have to stop in towns because it’s just too long of a drive to get from my current location to my next destination. This trip is definitely about the adventure along the way rather than the destination, but sometimes I have a need to get to a certain place at a certain time. Right now, that destination is Dallas, Texas. There isn’t a great route from Denver to Dallas, so I’ve planned a few short stops with reasonable drives between them. The first was Raton, New Mexico.

I have to admit, I had pretty high hopes for this little town based on my research online. It looked as if there was some history, good boot stores and cute local restaurants. We got into the campground just as it was getting dark, and there were some pretty serious looking clouds rolling in:

To me, these looked like what people described as clouds before a tornado. I inquired at the front desk when I was checking in and the guy actually laughed at me when I asked, “Should I be worried about those ominous clouds?” He said that there will be thunderstorms surrounding us and when I look up, I’ll be able to see the stars. It would be gone in 20 minutes. Ok then! Clearly I know nothing about weather in New Mexico.

After getting set up, it was time to find some dinner. Unfortunately, EVERYTHING in this town closes at 8pm, or so it seemed. I was able to find a hotel restaurant that was open until 8:30, so I rushed over and got something for Luna and I to share.

Luna didn’t sleep well at all. There were dogs somewhere close by barking the ENTIRE night. She wasn’t barking back, luckily, but she was on high alert and growling every once in a while. Uggh. Extra coffee would be in order.

The next morning, I wanted to go check out the local scene. Dad had sent me a link for what looked like a cute little boot shop. Sadly, the whole town was really run down. Almost all of the store fronts were empty or in the process of closing. The boot shop, Solano’s, had limited inventory and I was the only customer. It was very depressing. The staff was wonderful though! They gave Luna a lot of love. It looked like the town had been bustling at one point. There were closed down theaters, restaurants, gas stations, you name it. I’ve come across a couple of these towns in my travels and it makes me sad. Sad for what used to be, what could be, and the story of how it all fell apart.

According to Wikipedia, the name “Raton” (Ratón) “is the Spanish term for “mouse” (literally “small rat”).” This could have been the beginning of their demise. The town apparently “quickly developed as a railroad, mining and ranching center for the northeast part of the New Mexico territory, as well as the county seat and principal trading center of the area.” I wasn’t able to find anything on why it’s no longer a booming metropolis, but it does seem like it’s heyday has come and gone.

I did stumble into a cute coffee shop, Enchanted Grounds Espresso Bar, before heading back to camp to pack up and head out. The owner was very sweet.

While I was packing up, Luna was doing her normal thing of eating grass, chasing bugs, rolling around in the grass/dirt. All of a sudden I look over and she’s freaking out; shaking her head like crazy, pawing her face, trying to get something out of her mouth. A bee had stung her little lip!! Eek!!! After examining her and making sure the bee was out, I immediately googled emergency vets in the area, just in case. There was one close by, but we were about to head out. She wasn’t showing any signs of a really bad reaction, so we loaded into the Jeep to head towards Santa Fe. The picture above is her sleeping, recovering from her traumatic morning. Uggh!

Lesson of the Day: Luna…no more kissing bees (as Dad said).