These pics were taken in town, for those of you that know Ruidoso, the location is a few blocks south of Farleys on Mechem and White Mountain DR.

Where's the snow?

I have a friend who has a rv park outside of town. Deer crossing or something like that...

The elk have really descended on town this year.

They know they aren't getting shot in town. Miss Ruidoso, beautiful up there.

The snow is almost non existent, most of the snow on Ski Apache is man made snow. The Deer Crossing RV park is at San Patricio, I would say about 20 miles east of Ruidoso in the valley.

Yep, that's it. He is from Dallas and retired from the Dallas Police Department. Man he has some stories from the 70's and 80's. He was a rookie on DPD and got drafted to Vietnam....

I will have to stop there sometime and tell him "Welcome Home". Not surprising that they are from Texas. I read somewhere that 70 percent of the property in Lincoln county, NM is owned by Texans.

Great pics DC

Wow, that thing is beautiful. A few years back we stayed at the Stanley Hotel in Estes Park and elk were smashing the flower gardens at the hotel.

Old elk, he has seen a few moons.

Great picture

Good bull.

Yeah, a guy needs to be careful driving through town as I have seen deer and elk walking down the main drag. I will be out there in the Mescalero Apache Rez in January chasing lions. Really nice country that is not too rough to get over. I feel that one of the reasons so many of the deer have moved into town is to get away from the lions.
Adios,
Gary

Great pic. Love spending time up there.

We lived in El Paso fro 18 years, it was always nice to go to Cloudcroft or Ruidoso on weekends.

Heading to cloudcroft for vacation with family next week. Appreciate any "must see" or "must do" things while there. 1st time there. Definitely hitting the snow sledding. Not into skiing. Maybe lincoln or white sands.

If you golf, Cloudcroft has a wonderful 9 hole course, if the elk and deer will let you play thru...


DC When we worked in Ruidoso, we ate a few lunch/dinners at Farley's, you had to wade through the deer to get to your truck. We golfed at the muni course and it is HF'd just because of deer and elk damage.

Great photo too sir

White Sands is ok to visit, I don't know if the family will do any shopping but if they are Ruidoso is only 30 to 45 minute drive. It is pretty this time of year and there are a ton of gift shops. If you want a laid back place to relax and enjoy the scenery then Cloudcroft is the place to be. Personally, I enjoy Cloudcroft more than Ruidoso because of its laid back atmosphere. There are a few shops down town to get a few things. Have to go to the General Store, they have homemade pies and other things daily. Also the the best apple cider around. You can also visit Sun Spot that is close by. There is an observatory there that studies the sun with a huge telescope. They have tours there. If there is snow you can rent snow mobiles for daily rides. Also skiing is more laid back in Cloudcroft. Where in Rudioso you may get "snobbed" for not having the "proper" ski attire, you will see everything from Ski Bibbs to scotch guarded jeans in Cloudcroft.

Thanks for info. We are bib wearing Texans so should fit right on in. Can't wait to go.

You might not find enough snow for sledding, this year has been a disaster for snow. If you have never been, take a trip to Alamogordo, they have a space museum that is interesting. The Rockin BZ burger joint used to be the spot to get a green chili cheeseburger. If you have small children, the train ride in the city park is a classic, well worth the money if you have one that likes trains. Scenic wise, the trip to Alamogordo is worth the gas money spent, there is a tunnel, our grandkids love it. The pullover stops are opportunities for fantastic views. One place you can see White Sands that is miles away.

These involve a lot of scenic driving. About and hour and half to Capitan, but another place to eat is Smokey the Bear Restaurant in Capitan, their green chili cheeseburgers are also great. The Smokey the Bear museum is also in Capitan, that is not one our tour highlights.

The Fort Stanton tour is mostly a self guided tour, most of the buildings are closed to visitors, but a drive through will change your opinions of TV westerns and the stockade type of forts. Lot of history, Kit Carson was an Army scout stationed there, General Pershing also spent time there. As did many Apache Chiefs.

This trip can be made going through Ruidoso, but I would suggest staying on 70 and going to the 380 and 70 junction and taking 380 into Lincoln. Stop in Lincoln to say you saw the place where Billy the Kid escaped, take 380 to Capitan, then back track to highway 220 and see Fort Stanton and then head to Ruidoso. 2 bars downtown, the Quarters and Win, Place and Show. Women can shop with the kids and you can have a cold beer. Parking in Midtown Ruidoso sucks, but there are public parking areas on the maps.

I forgot about White Sands, if you have young kids the trip to Alamogordo is a full day, White Sands might be too much. But too say you did see it, I would add that to the day trip to Alamogordo. It is one huge sand box. The best part is they have walk ways so you do not have to struggle walking through the sand.

If you have the plastic saucers for sledding, I would take them with you. The grandkids loved sledding on the sand dunes. You can find a comfortable place to sit and watch them tire themselves out. It will make up for no snow on the mountain.

On the way back to Cloudcroft, you can skip the highway you used to get to Alamogordo and stay on 70 and head to Tularosa. The pistachio "ranches" are north of Alamo, time to buy some pistachios, get some of the red and green chili flavored pistachios. Maybe a bottle of wine for the dinner, the kids will crash early after the sand dunes. We stop at the Heart of The Desert pistachio place, they sell both pistachios and wine.

After the pistachio ranch is Tularosa, a small town without a lot of anything, but some history in the area. You can skip that and turn back to highway 82 and go to Cloudcroft or you can take the scenic route keep on 70 and go state highway 244 and on to Cloudcroft. This will take you through the Mescalero reservation and up Apache Summit.

Thanks for sharing. Been a few years since we last visited, hope to get back there soon.

Yes, I forgot about the space museum, it is really pretty kool.

AS far as White sands, take some plastic discs or sleds and the kids can do some sledding down the dunes.

Yes, I forgot about the Apache Summit restaurant towards Ruidoso, if it is still in operation, great Apache Fry Bread. Kinda like a giant Mexican sopapillas.