Southeast New Mexico Road trip

We celebrated my son's second birthday in Roswell. It wasn't so special for him, but I got a kick out of it. In one of the many UFO gift shops the owner gave my son an alien beach ball when he found out it was his birthday. The entire town seems to be in to the UFO phenom/gimmick.

Quick Tips:

It gets cold in the desert. In winter, the nights can be quite chilly and while driving thru the higher elevations snow is not uncommon. Pack according to the season, even warmer seasons can have cool nights.

Best Way To Get Around:

Drive. I didn't see any evidence of organized tours in the area or even public transportation for that matter. Don't buy gas in White's City (at the entrance to Carlsbad Caverns) if you can avoid it. If you can make it to Carlsbad City you'll pay a lot less.

We didn''t want to pay as much as we did for a Motel 6, but we were pleasantly surprised at what we got got the price. Since they were out of double rooms, they gave us a suite for the same price. The room had a fridge and a microwave along with an oversized tub. Beside the two double beds was a loveseat with a pull-out bed. We were very comfortable.
Outside, behind the motel, was a playground for children of guests. My son was eager to run around after a long day in the car. They didn''t mind us bringing our medium sized dog in the room ($30 deposit) either.
In the early morning I went outside to the car. Two deer watched me carefully from the other side of the parking lot.
All in all, it was the best Motel 6 I''ve ever stayed in. Other amenities included an indoor pool, luggage carts coffee in the lobby.

We were desparate for a Latte. They are hard to come by in this part of the universe. After asking a couple of locals where we could get an espresso drink we found this cute little deli. If it weren't for the mercantile store adjoining the food service area it would seem completely out of place in New Mexico. They serve specialty sandwhiches along with coffee. The sandwiches are all named after nearby towns like Hondo and the stores' namesake, Tinnie. The sandos come on specialty breads and have a bit of a southwest flare.