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It's Your World ~ |
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Ruidoso, A Place For All Seasons --by Georgine Manson Ruidoso is a beautiful place located in the Rocky Mountains of south central New Mexico, on the eastern slopes of the Sacramento Mountains at around 7000 feet above sea level. In the summer time it is cool and smells like pines, in the winter time it is even cooler and smells like snow. The name is Spanish for "Noisy" and it refers to the noisy Ruidoso River. I think most people think that all of New Mexico is desert, but that is far from the truth and Ruidoso is living proof that just a short drive away from the summer heat is cool air, rivers and streams, pines and wild flowers and even excellent skiing in the winter. I think this area is just about perfect, and some day I intend to live here permanently in the tall pines and quiet valleys of Ruidoso and Lincoln County. The Village of Ruidoso has a permanent population of around 6000 people, but that figure swells and ebbs according to the season and what activities are taking place. The Lincoln County area has a rich history. It has been home to the Mescalero Apache tribe, Billy the Kid, the Lincoln County War, Kit Carson, "Black Jack" Pershing, the Buffalo Soldiers, the world's richest Quarter Horse race and Smokey Bear. Probably the biggest event in the summer is the Quarter Horse and Thoroughbred racing at Ruidoso Downs Race Track. It starts in May and continues through Labor Day, so there are always horses and horse people around in the summer, which I find very pleasant because they are usually very nice people. There is a casino at the race track, too, the Billy the Kid Casino. It has slots and off-track sports betting, and draws quite a crowd. There's a buffet style restaurant (all you can eat), an entertainment lounge, and a gift shop, etc. as well. A nice event that I got to visit in Ruidoso Downs is the annual All American Arts and Crafts Fair sponsored by the Ruidoso Downs Ladies Auxiliary over Labor Day weekend. Artists and artisans from throughout the area showed their creations, and it was a really fun place that weekend. It had food booths, an apple pie baking contest, all the usual things you would expect from a small town fair. Lots of fun, lots of nice people! Another casino in the area is Casino Apache, "where the slots never close". There are also card rooms there that open daily for blackjack, poker, and craps, and live entertainment at least part of the week. For the 4th of July, Ruidoso has a lot of fun with the Smokey Bear Stampede (July 4-9 this year) in nearby Capitan. Events include a parade, rodeo, barbecue, and dancing-- everyone is welcome to join in. And on the 1-4 of July this year is the Mescalero Apache Ceremonial Dances, with a pow-wow, rodeo, parade, Native American food, and traditional Apache dances at sundown. This is a wonderful experience, and if you have the chance to attend you really shouldn't miss it. Ski Apache is the main skiing area, very beautiful and good snow, though it is already closed down for this season. You can also go horseback riding, hiking, camping, fishing (trout!), play golf and tennis, birdwatch, motorcycle and mountain bike riding-- just about anything you want to do if you like an active lifestyle. If you like to shop, there are tons of art galleries and boutiques in town with some beautiful things! And there are plenty of other shops, too, and museums. And there is very good live theater at the Spencer Theater, too. About an hour's drive west of Ruidoso is The White Sands National Monument, which has got to be one of the most unusual places on earth. It's a vast landscape of brilliant white sand with huge dunes covering nearly 300 square miles. An awesome thing to see, and it makes you feel very small and insignificant. There are lots of good places to eat, and lots of good places to stay at Ruidoso. One of the places I've enjoyed is the DCR Resort, a secluded, quiet place surrounded by tall pines. It isn't an extremely fancy place with spas and pool waterfalls, etc., but it was very nice, very comfortable, and just like it says in the advertising there were "deer, raccoons, squirrels, rabbits and other wildlife coming right into the front yard!" True! We stayed in one of the Regular Villas, a big 2-bedroom condo high up on the mountain with spectacular views of the village, the mountains and a golf course. The main level of the Villa had a fully equipped kitchen, a half bath, a big dining room (that we hardly used, because we ate out on the deck most of the time), a living room with Cable TV/VCR combo, a queen size sofa sleeper, and sliding glass doors opening up on the outdoor deck, which had a gas grill. We hardly ate in a retaurant at all during that trip, even though there are some really good ones all over town. The master bedroom was downstairs, a feature I liked. It had a king size bed and hollywood bath separating the other full size bedroom (where our friends stayed-- we got the master!). There was also a washer and dryer, and they even provided free firewood! So sometime you should take the opportunity to spend some time in Ruidoso. You'll want to come back again and again! |
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