MY New Mexico Ruidoso

My New Mexico

Well, it's not all mine but sometimes I feel like I know the secret places to find the best views, food and photo opportunities that make it so.
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A typical day's adventure to Ruidoso is a good example. Heading east on highway 70 out of Las Cruces, my home base, takes you over Saint Augustine Pass with a 100 mile view of the White Sands Missile Range Headquarters below and the magnificent Organ Mountains off to your right.
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About 40 miles further east, just past the highway check point is the entrance to White Sands National Monument, one of my favorite places to go for a quick cleansing of the city noise, politics and other goop that makes up part of living in a small city.
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Past White Sands, Holloman Air Force Base, Alamogordo, Tularosa and Mescalero you start climbing Apache Summit and upon cresting the top you see the great white expanse of Mt. Serra Blanco, home to Ski Apache. Breathtaking!
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Easing down the northeastern route of highway 70 you come into Ruidoso (Noisy water) and Ruidoso Downs. (Home to the nations famous quarter horse races) I love the slogan the Ruidoso Chamber of Commerce has bestowed on Ruidoso; “Seasoned Just Right”
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One of the most famous landmarks of Ruidoso is the Bolin Mill and it's historic contribution to the history of Lincoln County, Billy the Kid and Sheriff Pat Garrett. (More on this and the Lincoln County Range Wars at a later date)
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The Mill's waterwheel was the only structure left standing after a fire destroyed the original mill's building and gift shop this past summer. Last time I was up that way the owners were rebuilding the gift shop and restoring it to it's original condition.
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Ruidoso is about 110 miles from Las Cruces and takes but a couple of hours to get there. Just one of MY favorite places in New Mexico.
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Artwork by the author.
www.jackpumphreyarts.com