Wednesday - December 31, 1997: Abilene, TX to Carlsbad, NM
Happy New Years Eve!
We've escaped from Texas! And just under the wire! In time to check in at the Best Western Stevens Inn in Carlsbad, NM which happens to have the best (only) nice restaraunt in town and best (only) New Years Eve celebration with a live band!

We also made it in time to catch the last Christmas on the Pecos River Boat Ride of the year, nay of the entire Holiday Season! Won't be another until '98, but we got on despite being told that the boat was originally sold-out. It was both very cold, and very well worth the $7/per to see an astounding array of Christmas Lights on the calm Pecos river. Each house along the river attempting to outdo the next door neighbors house. One house was made up like an ocean, with dolphins leaping out of the water and Santa water-skiing behind eight tiny reindeer. Another was the Santa Land Drive-In, complete with miniature cars lined up to watch a giant screen Christmas Cartoon with sound and all!...Well, you get the idea...pretty impressive over all, and a great way to wrap up 1997 in the New Mexico night under a sliver of a Pecos moon.

Steak, Lobster and Champagne at The Flume in the Hotel Restaraunt, and then we decided to skip the band, they only played two types of music; Country and Western...so it was Dick Clark and a bottle of Korbel back in room 311 to greet the New Year. Happy New Year one and all