THE MOUNTAIN AIR FELT like snow was on the way. We’d been blessed with sunny skies and warm temps for most of our long weekend in Cloudcroft, but it was mid-November at 9,000 feet. So on our last night, my wife, Kathleen, and I tucked into Noisy Water Winery for something to warm our spirits.
We ordered two glasses of their Demigoddess white wine and browsed the Relleno Brothers cheeses, milk bottle candles, and other local provisions before settling on a table in the back, where a group of local women were huddled in conversation around their knitting.
It had been a charming few days in the town of almost 800. We’d chatted up Mad Jack’s Mountaintop Barbecue owner and pitmaster James Jackson while waiting in line for his world-famous brisket and pulled pork; strolled Burro Alley for souvenirs; made some new friends over pizza and music at Cloudcroft Brewing Company; sipped a morning cup of coffee on the porch with the Lodge at Cloudcroft’s resident kitty; and stapled a dollar bill with our names on it above the bar at Western Bar and Cafe.
Not in any hurry to head back outside into the blustery wind, we decided to have one more drink, when one of the women looked over and admired my wife’s long curly hair. “Honey, it’s about to get cold tonight,” she said, bringing over a just-finished gray-knit hat with a ponytail hole in it. “You’re going to need this.”
After some polite hesitation, Kathleen tried it on, pulling her curls up through the top. “It’s perfect for you,” the woman said, and the deal was settled. We bought her a glass of wine as a thank you, and she jotted Kathleen’s name down in a notebook that kept a record of all the knitting she’d given away. “It’s what I like to do,” she added.
Maybe we shouldn’t have been surprised at the hospitality—or the gift (Cloudcroft does claim the title of Christmas Capital of New Mexico). That same welcoming charm and generosity runs through all six of the places highlighted in this month’s “Small Towns, Big Adventures” feature.
But, as I’ve encountered in my travels throughout the state, New Mexico often feels like one great big small town—enchanting in its cultural richness, willing to share its wonders, and greater than the sum of its parts.