Life at The Ranch presents itself as a constant search for activities to keep us active. Wanting to “do our part” for the co-op lifestyle, we joined the beautification committee. There is never a lack of chores to do around the Ranch, lots of stuff needs sprucing up. This time of year the weather kinda dictates what we can do and when we can do it; what with some frigid temperatures and gale force winds that pop up out of nowhere, trying to throw a coat of paint on decorations and buildings can be a daunting task. We did accomplish quite a few chores with some fun things squeezed between. 

The bicycles were screaming for some action, so one day we loaded them up and headed into Carlsbad for a ride along Riverwalk Drive. That is a park stretched along the Pecos River and dammed up to create a small “lake” (Lake Carlsbad). It’s a short 6 mile loop, but the park is very nice scenery-wise and we found they have several pickle ball courts that were well cared for and mostly available. Mark that one down for another future activity.

A couple of friendly potluck get-togethers with several of our fellow Ranch hands, complete with a little Cornhole competition, led Jeanne to spearhead a spontaneous Game Day in the yard. The Ranch has a horseshoe pit (which we spruced up with a little paint and sand), we set up a couple of Cornhole sets, a Ladderball set, and an Axe Throwing target (no, not steel bladed axes. Who in their right mind would want a bunch of geriatric, half blind retirees throwing razor sharp deadly weapons in a social gathering setting?!?!) 

The number of species of cacti around here may not rival the numbers in, say, southern Arizona, but they certainly do their best to stand out in the Spring blooming season. Our daily walks around the Ranch give us plenty of cacti scenery to view…

There is a traveling car show in these here parts called the Main Event which makes a stop in Artesia. We battled the hurricane force winds and took a walk-about among the participants. As do all the car shows that we have attended, it made me regret my incompetence in the automotive field. There were some pretty sharp restorations and hot rods in attendance.

Once the “Arctic Ice Age” began to wane, Jeanne and I made a day road trip over to Cloudcroft, NM on the advice of many of our neighbors. It was about an hour & a half drive up into the 8,000’ altitude to get to “town”. Town consisted of one small strip mall of a few quaint little shops, one large high school, one large elementary/junior high school, and a lot of BBQ shacks. The crown jewel, if you could call it that, was Cloudcroft Brewery. We wandered the “city” streets and had lunch at the brewery. They serve an outstanding wood-fired pizza and have a nice selection of adult libations.The Mexican Canyon Trestle is just on the west edge of town and we were of the opinion it was supposed to be a trail as part of the Rails-to-Trails nationwide system. We found the trestle and discovered it was not a trail at all, just a restored part of the Alamogordo & Sacramento Mountain Railroad system that was built for logging the Sacramento Mountains. The trestle is the only one of (53) trestles that has survived the ravages of time. There is a viewing platform that overlooks the trestle and as a plus, it affords a nice overview of the valley floor in the Alamogordo area. That just happens to be covered in the brightest, whitest sand you’ll ever see (OK, the area is better known as White Sands National Park…)

Consider yourself caught up with our activities for now. I know this was a minimal post, but let not your heart be troubled. We are days away from “Hit the Road, Jack” and our continuing nomadic lifestyle. No plans set in stone, just going where the wind blows us. I will close out with a montage of the multitudes of “ho-hum” New Mexico sunrises & sunsets. Until next post…