The High Mountains of New Mexico

The place we rented in Taos is on the mesa, so the elevation is something like 6500 ft. So you don't have that high elevation and the problems that it brings. The house we rented thru FRBO on the net is three miles out of Taos with a gorgeous view of the mountains. They tell us that it may get into the high eighties during the day there, but few of the houses have AC because it isn't needed. We have only ceiling fans where we are staying. The house is adobe and it stays cool.

Taos is having a festival during the month of August. "The Summer of Love" festival. Seems Dennis Hopper lives there and has an art gallery in town. They filmed part of Easy Rider in Taos back in 1969 and somehow saw the need to commorate the forty year aniversary of the filming. Not that that interest me in the slightest. I would rather get a glimps of Julia Roberts who lives out on the mesa close to where we are staying.
 
Another place to consider that is much more off the beaten track is Silver City and nearby Piños Altos. SC is only at about 6000 feet so you're looking at highs in the high 80's but bone dry with nights in the 50's, but from there you can go up into the Gila Wilderness (the oldest and largest such are in the lower 48), see the cliff dwellings and much else. Silver City is quirky and fun, with lots of art galleries- kind of like Santa Fe circa 1970. It will feel mighty cool after Texas summers and there is a great deal of beautiful country to see. If you like to hike or bike it is the best place I've ever seen.

Kevin
 
Want2retire said:
NOW I remember why I was so glad to leave Texas.

It's 81 here, right now, and it has rained a little every day this week. :D
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Texas looks pretty good compared to New Orleans. I was there a couple of weeks ago and the heat index was 112. Give me that dry heat if I gotta have heat!:)
 
3 or 4 years ago we rented a lovely artist's house in Dixon, NM. I cannot find a current listing for the exact house; perhaps the owner no longer rents it. But this place is in the same vein: Dixon village mountain vacation house rental, CyberRentals property 100837

Its in a pretty place surrounded by BLM land and is within relatively easy striking distance of Taos and the nearby places of interest.

Another thought is Alamosa, CO. Might eb too far, but it would be inexpensive and has areasonably pleasant climate. Surprisingly hip for a little town in the middle of the San Luis valley.
 
Well, we will have a vacation house in Ruidoso for a week starting this coming Saturday. I'm seeing highs in the upper 70s and lows in the 50s in the extended forecast -- sounds heavenly. It'll probably take about 10 hours to cover, especially since we're taking the dog and will need more stops for water and potty breaks. I'm looking forward to going 80 MPH legally on the stretches of interstate in west Texas. My wife has no desire to do 80, so I guess I'll be driving that segment...
 
Zig, as a reasonably frequent traveler on those 80 mph interstates, I caution you be careful you don't become too enthusiastic. I see a lot of people pulled over for exceeding the limit....

BTW, I recommend the Lincoln County Grill in Ruidoso - nothing fancy, but the food is good. Also, be sure to drive over to Cloudcroft and check it out. At an elevation of 9,000 ft, it's a cool little town...
 
REWahoo said:
Zig, as a reasonably frequent traveler on those 80 mph interstates, I caution you be careful you don't become too enthusiastic. I see a lot of people pulled over for exceeding the limit....
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I plan to have the cruise control on about 78 or so...
 
ziggy29 said:
Well, we will have a vacation house in Ruidoso for a week starting this coming Saturday. I'm seeing highs in the upper 70s and lows in the 50s in the extended forecast -- sounds heavenly.
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It sure is a nice place to escape from the heat. Just read about the drought in Texas. Awful! How are the fire ants in your backyard?

We are heading back to our place in the AZ high country early next week. Only 7000 ft, high in the low 80s, low in the low 60s. Just right temperature for navel gazing, catching up on some reading, comtemplating the meaning of life. Heck, whatever one wants to do actually... I am sure even Zen practitioners would agree that once the mind is free of the uncomfort of temperature, enlightenment would come easier.
 
I spent the summer of '80 in the hills east of Santa Fe. Missed the whole record-breaking heat wave going on back home in north-central Texas. Don't regret it at all!
 
ScooterGuy said:
Rudioso is fine. I'd avoid Roswell, it's flat, hot and dull, except during the Roswell Festival (then, literally anything that looks vaguely humanoid will be roving the streets -- I believe that, if aliens landed anytine during the festival, they'd go un-noticed).

Check out Espanola, north of Santa Fe. Look up Chiamyo and the famous chapel there (famous for miracle cures). Go over to Las Vegas, NM, where you might find a t-shirt stating, "Las Vegas -- The City Indifferent -- we don't care who the hell you are!"

Go over to Santa Rosa and look in the Blue Hole ... to date, no one's found a bottom, even on helium-oxygen breathing mixture.

Check out the Navajo Reservation, which operates out of Shiprock, to the northwest. Look for the Acoma Sky City, west from Albuquerque.

I used to live there, and -- though I was certifiable-crazy at the time -- I miss the state, the people and the views.
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I looke it up.
80 feet deep.
 
When we were in Cloudcroft, we went to the National Solar Observatory on Sacramento Peak. That was cool but there wasn't much viewing since it was snowing that day. Roswell was funky, the only thing in town to speak of was the UFO Museum. White Sands is cool, expecially if you can see an F117 fly out of Holloman (the wiki seems to indicate that they aren't there) or you might see the Luftwaffe. We also went to the Very Large Array although they only have guided tours on the days that the Trinity Site is open (next on October 3rd).
 
My parents lived in Cloudcroft for 15 years. I think you will love Ruidoso, but you should drive over to Cloudcroft to check it out for next summer. It is usually about 5-10 degrees cooler in Cloudcroft due to the higher elevation. The trip down to Alamogordo is also well worth it. You descend 4000 ft. in elevation in the space of 20 miles from the pine mountains to the desert and it is a beautiful drive going through all the climate zones.

It will be hot down in the valley, but if you get a chance, you should go to White Sands. The sands are actually made of gypsum, therefore, they don't absorb any heat and are cool to the touch. It is quite trippy to be standing barefoot on a sand dune in 90+ degree weather with the sun beating down on you and have your feet feel perfectly cool and refreshed.

Also, again, even though it will be hot in Carlsbad, if you've never been to the caverns, you should go - they are some of the best in the world (and the temperature inside is a constant 60 or so degrees year round).
 
We considered staying in Cloudcroft where it was even cooler, but we'll be traveling with our dog and I wasn't sure how she'd do for a week at 9000 feet. We'll probably visit, though. Thanks.
 
Hope you have a great trip. My husband and I just returned to N. Texas after our annual "get out of the heat" excursion to NM. We spent 11 days in Taos. The warmest day was 86 while we were there, and into the 50's at night. It was great I love Texas, but the summers are getting hotter, and hotter.
 
Taos

We had a great time in Taos a couple of years ago. Went in October, hiked in the mountains, felt like we were eye-level with the stars in the evening. Very relaxing.
 
Just got home. It was 52º in Ruidoso when we woke up this morning to start packing up the car and heading home.

When we got home it was 101º.

Sigh.
 
Welcome back to the forum. Did you get a chance to look around at RE market there? When visiting nice locations, we always pick up free brochures to see how things are, just out of curiosity.
 
Yeah, we looked around. We definitely want to spend more time up there and elsewhere in that area in the summers to come. The good thing is that I work from home and my wife works for a school so we pretty much have all of early June to mid-August to get away as we see fit assuming I clear it with my boss. That might help keep us sane here for a while longer. I do like it here except for the brutal summers.

Oh, yeah -- and the scorpions and the chiggers and the fire ants and....
 
ziggy29 said:
The good thing is that I work from home and my wife works for a school so we pretty much have all of early June to mid-August to get away as we see fit assuming I clear it with my boss.
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Then it's perfect! My experience has been that RE in the AZ high country has held up in prices much better than in Phoenix. It must be because supply is so limited, meaning the scarcity of private land that is interspersed with the National Forests. I have seen a house sold for 15% less than the asking price two years ago. Down in Phoenix, the average drop is probably 30-40%.

We love our "mountain home". :smitten: Bought it as a possible retirement home, but then realized that it is a long way to the nearest hospital or doctor's office. So, will enjoy it for as long as we can (15-20 years?), then will figure out the next step. Can't think too far ahead. Too many variables in life.
 
Welcome back...sorry you're back in the frying pan. :(
NM is one place I have never been. Closest I've been in that part of the USA is AZ, Scottsdale, Tuscon and Oak Creek Canyon.
I am enjoying reading this thread, putting NM on my "plotting list" of places for our next adventure (for next year or later depending on savings), on domestic soil. :D
Pics?
 
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