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Southeast New Mexico

Southeast

This week, New Mexico True Television hits the road for horseback riding and mountain biking in Ruidoso, history in Lincoln, art in Roswell, tasty treats at McGinn’s Pistachio Tree Ranch, and exploration at Valley of Fires and White Sands National Monument.

inn-of-mtn-gods-horse_5_Hey there, My excursion through Southeast New Mexico consisted of using many different forms of transportation to see the terrain, the first one being a mountain bike. Nothing could prepare me for taking in Ruidoso, New Mexico by bike at the top of Ski Apache. Imagine being at the top of the mountain, seeing gorgeous forest to your left, seeing White Sands in the distance to your right, and then a rugged trail in front of you, begging to be tread. Talk about a sight to see. I’m not going to lie, I was a little nervous at first. But once I started to move down the trail with my guide, Brett, all I could think of was how nice the wind felt on my face, and how grateful I was to be able “work” on a mountain bike. Needless to say, I got a lot more comfortable after having to go up and down the trail about 7 times so our photographer could get a good shot. I’ll tell you, making TV isn’t as easy as it looks!

It wasn’t very long until I boarded my next mode of transportation, this one a little more interactive. He was a friendly horse named Prettyboy. This gentle giant among many other horses were boarded at The Inn of the Mountain Gods Stables in Ruidoso. Riding horses is one my favorite outdoor activities, especially in undeveloped terrain. The bonus is that riding in this area you also get a sense of history too, because you are taking in this land as the Mescalero Apache People have done for many generations. When you are on the trail, you feel totally in sync with your horse and the earth. It’s truly an enchanting experience.

white-sands-yoga_5_Another highlight in this area was stopping at Ft. Stanton and in Lincoln, New Mexico. These two places gave me a perspective of how old New Mexico really is. Ft. Stanton is an old military fort that has over 155 years of history, and Lincoln is the place where the infamous Billy the Kid escaped from jail during the Wild West days. It’s one thing when you hear all the old stories about New Mexico, but when you are there and you see these buildings that have literally been written in history books, it really starts to hit you.

Another great stop along the way was our art tour of Roswell, New Mexico. Many people have no idea that Roswell has very well renowned art community, as well as an Artist-in-Residence program. If you are in town, do not miss the opportunity to see this sometimes overlooked dimension of Roswell. Honestly, they have some of the best and most accessible art museums I personally have ever been to. An unexpected surprise on that shoot was having the chance encounter with Don Anderson, a pioneer in the Roswell art community.

ski-apache_9_Finally, the most awe-inspiring location we visited was White Sands National Monument. I got to tag along with my friends Sasha and Laura on this trip and on the way we made two great stops along the way; Valley of Fires and Three Rivers Petroglyphs. When we actually go to the gates of White Sands, we didn’t know what to expect. Sasha was visiting from Florida, and while she was used to white beaches, nothing could compare to what White Sands offers. There is really no way to explain what it’s like being surrounded in all directions by white sand (which is actually gypsum not sand). There were moments where I felt like I was in the Sahara desert and other moments I felt like we had landed on another planet and there was nothing but wind and sand. In my opinion, it is one of the most unique places on the planet. But to put icing on the cake, we stayed for the Full Moon, which made for the ultimate E.T.-movie Moment.

As always, thank you for reading and watching! Hopefully we gave you some inspiration to get you and yours on the road to Southwest New Mexico. -MN

http://www.newmexico.org/nmtruetv#article86856

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