I’ve been to Albuquerque. Santa Fe, too. Taos? Not yet, but I hope to visit this town one day soon. With my apologies to American musician Meat Loaf, two out of three ain’t bad! But, as I recently learned, there was much more to sightseeing New Mexico than these three destination cities.
I talked about my family in "About" - my wife Debra and our children Jill and David. Jill, a journalist who writes extensively on travel and food, was invited to “Discover Ruidoso” by the village’s office of tourism. The invitation was for two, and since her fiancé couldn’t get away from work, she asked me to come along. “Sure!” I quickly said, as I’m always ready to explore new places. This was our second daughter-father trip of 2019 – we toured Ireland for 10 days in March.
Jill handled the travel arrangements – a flight from Phoenix to Roswell NM and a car for ground transportation. The village arranged our lodging – a well-appointed two-bedroom, two-bath condo at Ruidoso River Resort. It was a five-minute walk from the condo to the Midtown district, which was lined with retail shops, cafes, restaurants, tasting rooms, and more. It proved to a great location!
I talked about my family in "About" - my wife Debra and our children Jill and David. Jill, a journalist who writes extensively on travel and food, was invited to “Discover Ruidoso” by the village’s office of tourism. The invitation was for two, and since her fiancé couldn’t get away from work, she asked me to come along. “Sure!” I quickly said, as I’m always ready to explore new places. This was our second daughter-father trip of 2019 – we toured Ireland for 10 days in March.
Jill handled the travel arrangements – a flight from Phoenix to Roswell NM and a car for ground transportation. The village arranged our lodging – a well-appointed two-bedroom, two-bath condo at Ruidoso River Resort. It was a five-minute walk from the condo to the Midtown district, which was lined with retail shops, cafes, restaurants, tasting rooms, and more. It proved to a great location!
The village of Ruidoso (pop. 10,000, elev. 6,900 feet) is nestled in the Sierra Blanca mountain range of southcentral New Mexico. A river flows from near the top of the 12,000-foot Sierra Blanca Peak outside the village. Early Spanish settlers named it Rio Ruidoso, the “noisy river,” a nod to the sound that it made as it raced down the mountainside. The river was little more than a creek as it flowed past the midtown condo we stayed in, yet Jill and I still enjoyed the babbling-sound of the water as it traveled east to merge with the Rio Hondo.
Almost two million people visited Ruidoso last year. What’s the attraction? The answer wasn’t one thing, but rather many. As we did our homework ahead of our trip, we learned that we could cast a fishing line or launch a canoe; hike along miles of trails, camp in the forest or (in season) ski downhill; ride a zipline or an ATV; place a bet on a quarter horse or a spin of the roulette wheel; taste locally-crafted beer, wine, and spirits; visit a museum or historical site; and much, much more. Ruidoso was also a great place from which to explore other parts of southern New Mexico.
So many things to do, so little time on our four-day trip in which to do them. In the end, Jill and I created a varied itinerary that allowed us to "Discover Ruidoso," as the village’s marketing brochure challenged us to do. We had a wonderful time!
Almost two million people visited Ruidoso last year. What’s the attraction? The answer wasn’t one thing, but rather many. As we did our homework ahead of our trip, we learned that we could cast a fishing line or launch a canoe; hike along miles of trails, camp in the forest or (in season) ski downhill; ride a zipline or an ATV; place a bet on a quarter horse or a spin of the roulette wheel; taste locally-crafted beer, wine, and spirits; visit a museum or historical site; and much, much more. Ruidoso was also a great place from which to explore other parts of southern New Mexico.
So many things to do, so little time on our four-day trip in which to do them. In the end, Jill and I created a varied itinerary that allowed us to "Discover Ruidoso," as the village’s marketing brochure challenged us to do. We had a wonderful time!
My Stories, One Day at a Time
ETs and Spirits
Be Fearless & Stay Tranquil
Art, Wine & Oom-pah-pah!
A Place Unlike Any Other
