Cloudcroft. What of it?
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| Tressel just outside of town |
I set When Love Called
and the Glenfield Series in the Sacramento Mountains of New Mexico. The
Sacramentos are the tail end of the Rocky Mountains as they wind their way
south toward Mexico. The Village of Cloudcroft is a very popular vacation
destination for just about everyone living in West Texas and Southern New
Mexico. There are a few reasons why, and they include the Mescalero Indian
Reservation and the casino action available, and the horse racing you can find
in the neighboring town of Ruidoso. You can also find great outdoors activities
such as skiing and camping throughout the area. Another reason Cloudcroft is a
popular destination is because it is generally 20-30 degrees cooler than the
surrounding desert, as the Village sits at the top of the mountain about 8,500
feet in elevation. The air is mighty thin at that height!
Many years ago I was re-surfacing from a failed business
venture and was searching for what I was supposed to do with my life. Sarah and
I had been married for several years, but were still without kids. One weekend,
we went to Cloudcroft for a camping trip. While there, I ran into a real estate
broker who offered me a job as a real estate agent. Sure, why not? How hard can
it be?
We moved to Cloudcroft and give it our best effort. In one
year I sold one house, and that was kind of a pity sell from another agent I
worked with. Times were hard for us on the mountain. But, we were young enough
to still think it was a grand adventure. Later, I joined the Army (for the
money!) and thought we left Cloudcroft behind. When my military time was
complete, we returned to Cloudcroft where I took another stab at real estate.
I’m not a good salesman. I know that now.
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| Burro Street |
When I wrote When Love
Called, which is a book about fresh starts and new beginnings, I set it in
Cloudcroft because that is what the Village represented in our lives. Some of
our worst days and some of our happiest were on that mountain, and we have
life-long friendships from our time there. I wanted a place for Caton to build
his magnificent estate, and where is there a better place than the Rocky Mountains?
Glenfield rose from an isolated, empty meadow with a tiny stream running
through it. And from there, a new start for Lily, and new starts for so many
others, Jayne included.
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| Mercantile; the tea shop is next door. |
Based upon requests from many readers, I have decided to
show you some of the places I’ve mentioned in the books. Many of them are
actual locations, while the characters themselves are entirely fictional. The
main street running through the shopping blocks in Cloudcroft is Burro Street,
where the Pine Stump Café is located. This is where Caton is eating lunch with
his work crew and discovers that Lily is just across the street eating pizza with
Dr. McCranie. What doesn’t actually exist on Burro Street is the Log Cabin Pizza
Palace, nor the hospital. There is no hospital in Cloudcroft, and there never
will be. But, I needed to have one handy, so wrote it in.
The next item of discussion is April Poe’s teashop, where
Jayne stages the scene where Lily and Caton have a sit down conversation to
discuss their relationship. Jayne accidentally triggers a dating contest
between Lily and her two incredible love interests: Jack and Caton. The teashop
is fictional, but it is set on a location that actually exists. I placed it
next to the Mercantile, which was the only grocery store in the Village, and
was a landmark for so many years. It was the place to buy fresh pies and
donuts.
Another place mentioned is the Crofting, where Susan stayed
while Lily was in the hospital, and where Lily and Jayne joined her until the
end of the book. I have stayed at the Crofting before, and I have fond memories
of spending the Christmas holidays with my family there.
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| The Crofting |
Finally, the location that is most renowned is The Lodge,
and Rebecca’s Lounge. Many meals are eaten at The Lodge, and I eat there every
chance I get. They have a great menu and offer excellent service. The Lodge is
an historical location, and boasts to hosting many celebrities throughout the
years. If you’re a fan of Clark Gable, you can see where his initials are
carved on a post in the lookout tower. The Lodge also claims to be the
residence of a ghost, Rebecca, for whom the restaurant is named. The Lodge is a
key location for the story. Lily has her first date at lounge, and Susan meets
Caton in the restaurant, and discovers that Caton was significantly injured
while rescuing Lily from an impossible car wreck that should have left her
dead.
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| The Lodge. Photo by Robert Flaherty |
Of course, I’d love to post photos of Glenfield, itself.
Sadly, there are none. If you find a worthy candidate, let me know!
There’s too much of the story to tell here, so feel free to
check it out! When Love Called is a fantastic story, and is very popular. You
can get more information at my website, www.traviswinman.com
We’ll see you there!
4 comments:
Enjoyed reading this. I have lots of fun memories of my hubby and I and two girls camping for vacation in Cloudcroft. It is a beautiful place.
Those mountains have served as a sanctuary for many years. You can find peace in those cool, high-altitude pines.
Just ran across your post while doing a Google search of Joseph Gulick. I was so happy to read of the following and appreciation of his work. My parents had an art gallery on the Monterey Fisherman's Wharf in California, and he was their featured artist for seascapes. I am fortunate to have quite a few, even a monochromatic seascape, which is one of my favorites. He also had made a Japanese style cherry blossom painting on gold leaf for my Mom, so beautiful. I was just a child at the time, but I remember him as such a kind man. He also would take me out on his boat in the bay when he was in town. I see this post about him is several years old, is there any update on him? Thank you for this post and the fond memories it has brought up!
The last I heard from the Gulicks was a couple of years ago. They were doing well and he was still painting. No reason to believe otherwise! Thanks for your comment!
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