Valentine’s Day Weekend Destination: Raton, New Mexico

It was one year ago that we took a little road trip for Valentine’s Day weekend. We dropped the dogs off at dog camp, and took off from Dallas. A social media post from Raton Pass Motor Inn had caught our eye a few weeks prior, announcing that about our favorite little road stop was being for sale. We had thought about it over for several days, until one afternoon day at lunch we decided, “Let’s go check it out.”

We kept it low-key, simply telling friends and family that we were going on a road trip for the long weekend. But we were excited at the possibility that lay before us. The stretch of road from Clayton to Raton is one of my favorite roads, and for the first time in over a dozen years, we saw it in winter rather than summer. The occasional snow drift along the road, the lack of thunderstorms over Des Moines, and the sight of the snow-capped Sangre De Cristo mountains was all new.! Fortunately, we were blessed with favorable weather (unlike this year!) We were able to put in swing a visit to Sugarite Canyon State Park, see some ice-fishing, marvel at the snow (a rarity in Dallas), visit the museum downtown, as well as enjoy the food and drink offerings.

What we saw then is what we see now: a great little motel situated in a great little town, in a region that is full of possibilities.

And here we are, one year later. A lot of plans are currently on pause, but our enthusiasm for what we want to do here for our guests has not diminished. We’ve got a number of exciting things cooking, and we look forward to sharing them with you in the not-too-distant future!