Ruidoso:
I've spent at least one week a year here for the past four years. For those who are not familiar with the landscape and geography of NM, Ruidoso is in the Central to Southeast region of New Mexico. During the winter it serves as a popular town for skiers. In the southern region, its attraction lies in the natural and abundant hiking opportunities, coupled with all the charm of an art-ridden mountain paradise. Summers in Ruidoso are packed with tourists who eagerly participate in the horse races, art shows, and hiking adventures.
I have two favorite things to do in Ruidoso. To begin with I always love walking down the unending main street and exploring all the curio shops. Ruidoso provides the perfect blend of Southern flavor and mountain new-age freedom. The shops host a variety of local goodies - everything from homemade fudge to incense to dream catchers to native american artwork to vintage and second-hand clothing. The buildings themselves are colorful and varied in style and design. Victorian buildings sit next to adobe structures which are adjacent to log cabins. One of my favorite shops is an art house which showcases not only the traditional landscape pieces, but breath-taking human portraits. One artist even has the tradition of capturing extreme details in his subjects, but he always leaves out the eyes.
My second favorite place in Ruidoso is Inn of the Mountain Gods Resort and Casino. The Inn is located on reservation property and owned by the Mescalero Apache tribe. While I am not a gambler, I love the resort for its location and architectural beauty. When you walk into the front foyer, the first thing you notice is the back wall - one large window. Your gaze is captured and you walk toward the back. But before you get there you notice two parallel stair cases. In between the two stairs lies a huge, two story fountain. The fountain is painted and has a Native American design on it. At this point, you look away from the fountain and the windowed back wall. Along the walls on either side of you are paintings - painting after painting of Native American art. Gorgeous earth-toned hues blended and mixed to capture the beauty of Earth and her people. Back to the glass wall. Finally, you've found yourself at the back of the resort. What you see makes you gasp. Outside, running down the two floors to the ground is a man-made architectural wonder of a water fall.
The weather is typically cooler in the Lincoln county forest regions as the evergreens that populate the mountains provide shade and fresh air. Unfortunately, this year, drought and an over-abundance of zealous fires have ravaged the entire state of New Mexico. Even the mountains of Ruidoso provide no refuge for the tired and sunburnt peoples of New Mexico. This year when I went, I almost wept. My green trees were burned. My cool air was blistering. The streets were fairly empty. The whole country has been consumed by this massive heat-wave. But what many people don't realize is that New Mexico has been dealing with it much longer. My area of the state has seen two mini-rain falls in over eight months. Add that added to 100+ degree weather and the results are heart-breaking. People naturally assume that when you see brown plants, the plants are dead. When you are in a drought, you know that's not true. It's when you see sun-bleached blonde-white plants that hopes are lost. However, one thing NM has taught me is that even when all the life has been sucked out of the plants, there is still a wonderful, majestic beauty in the Land of Enchantment.
Summer, 2007
Summer, 2011
Sincerely,
An American Nomad
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