9/2/13 - Raton, NM

We hooked up and drove to Raton, New Mexico. On the way we stopped at Pecos National Historic Site.  This site has the ruins of Pecos Pueblo which at its peak in the mid 1400s was occupied by 2,000 Indians in a five storied adobe building complex with several below ground kivas.  Now the largest remaining structure is the ruins of a Spanish mission built in the 1620s.

When we got to Las Vegas (New Mexico) I called to see if a brewery there was open.  Josh at New Mexico Craft Brewers was brewing today and told us to come on by.  He gave us two pints of his beer and we left him a Karbach Saisson and a Southern Star Buried Hatchet.  Jim had a strong ale and I had a stout – they were both really good.  This is a currently a nanobrewery but the equipment for a 15 barrel brewery has been acquired and will be put together soon.  We talked to Josh for a while and watched him work.  Then we got gas and continued on to Raton.

We had reservations for today and tomorrow at the NRA Whittington Center.  We got set up and then drove to the grocery store.  We also found a geocache at the New Mexico State Police office.  Jim dropped off a trackable geocoin that we have been carrying for a while.  He was hoping to find another to trade it for.  When we got back to the Casita and unloaded the groceries we got a nice visit from a Casita owner in the campground from Nevada.  He and his wife have been here for the 40^th anniversary festivities of the Whittington Center this past weekend.