My Mountain Playground

With the passing of the Memorial Day Holiday, the tourists return to Rudioso like swallows to Capistrano. There's always a bit of a lull between the end of ski season, typically in early April, and this past holiday. But the summer season is now off and running just like the quarter horses at Ruidoso Downs Race Track. And there's a lot more to do this summer in Ruidoso than cheer on the ponies!

I've titled this piece "My Mountain Playground" not simply because of my own perspective on Ruidoso's wonders but I believe every visitor has this vision in mind as they trek up to our cool mountain paradise. Any why not ... there's plenty to do and plenty of room for all.

Three great public golf courses dot the area, those being The inn of the Mountain Gods Championship Golf Course, The Links at Sierra Blanca and Cree Meadows Country Club. These offer a range of green fees and difficulty for the low handicapper or the casual hacker. And don't forget, whatever your skill level, the ball goes a lot farther at 7000 feet of altitude.

Besides golfers, Rainbow Trout like our altitude as well. Out streams and local lakes are regularly stocked with Rainbows and native Brown Trout lurk as well. Higher stream elevations offer the angler a chance to grab a few of our small but feisty native brook trout. The Rio Ruidoso, New Mexico Department of Game and Fish.

Golfing? ... fishing? ... hell, you can get sweaty and dirty doing these things. How about some good old fashioned American consumerism? If the answer is yes, a better answer yet is Ruidoso's Midtown area. Imagine a beautiful retail walking district with sight lines to forested mountains and just about every type of shop you can imagine. Outdoor gear, clothing, mountain bikes, home made fudge and confections, wonderful galleries, unique restaurants, western arts, exotic pet supplies and don't forget a stop in Candle Power, where they raise hot wax to a high art!

A full blog on my mountian playground would be biblical in scale so I'll save some for the next entry. In the meantime start planning your next trek. A great place to find local places to stay is the lodging request form on one of Ruidoso's fine tourism web sites.

Why Ruidoso New Mexico

As you may have read in my short Blog biography, I moved to Ruidoso in the mid 90's with a desire to escape the big city life. After having spent half my life in that environment, I thought it was time for the change. Of course this begs the title question ... Why Ruidoso, NewMexico? Well my friends the list is long indeed but let's start with the climate.

Check out the local Ruidoso forecast on a regular basis and I'm certain you'll begin to appreciate my attraction to this area. Four gentle seasons as we locals describe it. Average daily highs in January in the low to mid 40's and average daily highs in the Summer hovering right around 80 degress. All this with plenty of sunshine, an adequate amount of precipitation considering our southwestern location and, with the exception of an occasional forest fire, no real severe weather of any kind.

If you like outdoor activities, Rudioso's climate is pure heaven. Hiking in the Sacramento Mountains, birding at nearby Bosque del Apache, skiing at Ski Apache, fishing the Rio Ruidoso, biking the Billy the Kid Scenic Highway, golfing on one of our areas Championship golf courses, hunting big game in the Lincoln National Forest or adjacent Mescalero Apache reservation or motorcycling around smooth black ribbons of newly paved highway at either of Rudioso's two annual motor cycle rallys, Ruidoso offers all this and more. How is it I can even find time to blog you must wonder. Well ... its the area' scenic beauty which motivates.

Nestled in the Lincoln National Forest at 7000 foot altitude, Rudioso is a pine topped oasis sitting high above the surrounding desert. Scenic vistas abound with the area's vigorously changing topography and whether you like lakes, rivers, rivers, mountains, forests, desert arroyos or high top mesas, it all surrounds Ruidoso like nature's scenic variety pack!

Friends from back home might have thought I'd lost my mind for making the move until they visit. Then, without a word spoken, I can tell they've actually realized I've regained my sanity for listening to Horace Greeley's long ago spoken exhortation "Go west youg man!"

Motorcycles Rumble thru Ruidoso

The weather was spotless this past weekend for the leather clad road warriors who attended Ruidoso's Aspencash Motorcyle Rally. This annual three day event, typically on May's third weekend, draws bikes and bikers of all shapes and sizes to our cool mountain paradise. The area around Ruidoso provides some truly awesome touring country with plenty of scenic vistas, historical markers and roadside food stops to round out great days of riding.

This Rally is the smaller and younger of Ruidoso's two rallys, the other being the Golden Aspen Rally which takes place in late September. Though not as expansive, this Rally interestingly provides a poker run for attendees with a $10,000.00 cash prize as well as a trade show featuring motorcycle dealers and manufacturers as well as a wide varierty of vendors selling parts, t-shirts, riding gear of all types, custom paint services and just about anything else motorcylce related which can be squeezed into Rudioso's Convention Center.

For those who've never been, The AspenCash Rally is not your typical assemblage of foul mouthed, black t-shirt wearin' gang members. Quite the contrary in fact, as Ruidoso Rally organizers have striven to remove the types of enetertainment which draws that type of crowd. No wet T-shirt contests, drinking in the streets or general malevolance is permitted here. The Rally is really more of, dare I say, a family affair. Here friends get reacquainted with a cool beer at The Quarters, cruise up and down Ruidoso's Midtown and generally just chill out with like minds in our beauiful mountain village.

If your considering joining the legions who've adopted recreational riding, the AspenCash is a great rally to attend and start the adventure. Its safe, low key and even without a bike, you'll feel comfortbale cavorting with other attendees ... and with the mere mention that your considering joining their ranks you'll get treated like a brother in arms.

So regardless of what your riding and how many wheels it has consider visiting Ruidoso in May 2006 for next year's gathering. Its a lively event, with great people and a friendly town which opens its arms for this crowd. See the sights, people watch or just hang out and look good ... its all mountain cool in Ruidoso.