Ruidoso New Mexico

We spent the last weekend in Ruidoso.  There is so much there that it could have its' own blog!  Outdoor activities- horseback riding, skiing, snow mobiling, fishing, camping, hiking etc.

Indoor activities- Museums, casinos, and the world class theatre, (The Spencer Theater)

The racetrack that hosts the All American Futurity quarterhorse race and so much more.

There are so many things to see that it will take several posts...

These guys are out in front of the Chamber of Commerce....

Ruidoso means Noisy Water, they have the Rio Ruidoso running through town.

This sign amused me.  You can tell it is a seasonal community.

Ski Apache

I know, it is 105 outside and I am talking about skiing. Frankly, as trecherous as the road is up to the ski area, it is much safer for me to do it in the summer! Besides, it is another place to escape the intense heat. (Although it's a dry heat) It is a beautiful place no matter what time of year you go and this was no exception.

The ski area is located on the Mescalero Apache Indian Reservation and includes Sierra Blanca, at an altitude of 12,003 feet. We will get back to the desert -today we remember fondly the 69 degree temperatures in the mountains.

Monjeau Views

I wanted to post some of the views from the lookout today. You can see Ruidoso and Capitan in the background. I have been posting alot from the surrounding mountains lately, this is because we try and escape the desert HEAT on the weekends. We are lucky to be so close and able to do this. Makes you think you are on vacation because it is so vastly different.

Monjeau Peak

Old Linen postcard of Monjeau Lookout from 1948. Today, to escape the heat, we took a drive up to Ruidoso to visit it. Monjeau looks the same, except the trees have grown up and you cannot get the same photo. By the time I could see the building, I was too close to get a shot of the enitre lookout.

It is a view that rivals any I have seen in Colorado, Virginia and Montana. It takes about 2 hours to get there from Alamogordo, but is WELL worth the drive. The best part is that it was 69 degrees up there and 100 in Alamo. What a relief!

Spectacular from every direction!

Ruidoso Fun

Father's day we decided to escape the heat a bit and headed to Ruidoso. Ruidoso is in the mountains, and is a resort/skiing area, people visit to vacation, ski, watch the quarter horse races, and gamble at the Inn of the Mountain Gods. Nestled in a beautiful area, there is alot to see and do. We chose the fun park... it has bumper boats, go carts, minature golf etc. It was relaxing and well worth it!

Hungry after all the exertion, we went to eat. I had to document the size of the hamburger that John ate. It was an full 1 pound of meat, cheese and several slices of thick bacon and entirely yummy! (I am not mentioning the chicken quesadilla and fries that he also had).