Ruidoso, New Mexico In the Summer... Absolutely Divine

We've always gone to Ruidoso, New Mexico in the winter to ski, so it was a truly wonderful experience staying at the Inn of the Mountain Gods Resort & Casino during August. We've been having triple digit heat here in Texas, so 80 degree weather was like Heaven.

Ruidoso has had a blessed summer of much needed rain which has made everything look like something out of a brochure. The above picture was taken from our balcony, of the tenth hole. The rest of the 18 hole championship golf course is even more beautiful than this picture. Every single day you could see the course crew out grooming from sun-up to sundown. It was breathtaking. It was quite challenging playing with at least half the holes being uphill and we were told no carts on the course until 10:00AM... We teed off at 9:00 AM. So, for an hour we played aerobic golf since it was mostly uphill. Needless to say, we were thankful when 10:00 rolled around. Luckily, we had a fast five-some playing ahead of us and a slow five-some playing behind us. It was like we had the course to ourselves.

This was taken at twilight.

This was the 9th hole looking down at the Inn of the Mountain Gods.

One day we had lunch at the golf course grill which was nothing special, but it was good and the drinks had ice so we were happy. We also had drinks at the Buffalo Bill Bar and enjoyed the lovely views from the patio as we enjoyed them.

We were also able to do the Apache Eagle Zip Rider which was a blast! The zip line is accessed by ATV and you can go two at a time. Thankfully, hubby stayed at the bottom to record my ride. The man going at the same time as me was heavier so he went across much faster than I. Still, it was a total rush of adrenaline and such a frightening joy, if that makes any sense. You go all the way across the lake in less than 3 minutes. Video will not show here because it's too big by 34 MB. Sigh. So, here's a picture of where you launch from. I never have received my one and only picture I paid for. 

The ATV ride up to the launch was another adventure unto itself, I kid you not. There is another Zip up at the Ski Apache Ski Area called the Apache Zip Tour that is one of the 10 longest in the U.S.A. Unfortunately, it rained the day we were scheduled to go, so we cancelled. Might be more fun in the winter anyway.

Apache Indian Teepee across the lake.

All of their rooms have been updated this year and the room was lovely, the restaurants were better than ever and the room service is still outstanding. We never even saw the need to leave the hotel. We didn't gamble but we did walk through the casino to have lunch at the casino restaurant one day and it seemed pretty dead.

I think I'm back to blogging since it is the best way to recall what I've been up to and when I did it. Yes, I'm old and it's a huge help....

Ruidoso, New Mexico... A Deceptive Mystery of Sorts

We just returned from several days of skiing at our closest ski area, Ski Apache, owned and operated
by the oh-so-often deceptive Apache Indian Tribe. Let me explain by number.

1. After 25 years the website for Inn of the Mountain Gods STILL DOESN'T WORK properly. After making online reservations, one must still contact reservations at the hotel to secure a room. They add new pictures, new menu items, remodel the entire hotel, adding more rooms, and still the website can't seem to deliver even the smallest improvement, or just retain the info for that matter.

2. The hotel still boasts fine dining at their upper end restaurant "Wendell's". Although we had an amazing Caesar Salad made by our waiter at the table, dinner still took more than two hours to deliver. There were only 9 tables of people (2 tables of which were 4) and 3 waiters. Unacceptable. I could have handled at least half the tables even though I haven't done so in more than 40 years. (Shut. Up.)

3. The web cam at the ski area website boasted great and plentiful snow. The reality was that there wasn't much snow and what there was, was *made* snow. It was slush in the sun and like black ice in the shade. I have certainly skied better snow, even in Ruidoso. It's not a new concept. Had I known how truly dangerous the skiing was, I'd have gone shopping in town instead of wasting a whopping $115.00 for less than 30 minutes of skiing. Enough said there.


4. When I first checked the Ski Apache web cam (on the Ski Apache website), the gondola was running. When I arrived at the ski area 45 minutes later, no gondolas were running and there was no wind nor extreme conditions preventing it from operating it during normal hours. Hmm. Color me confused. So, if I wanted to get to the top of the mountain I had to ride 3 exposed (to the elements) lifts. Did. Not. Happen. The huge parking lot was nearly empty upon my arrival, which shocked me, although I'm not sure why. I've been there many times before when the ski area was void of skiers.

5. Following our last excursion to stay at the IOMG, I refused to even enter the casino during this trip. The Apache Indians may shun us if we wear anything made of snake (or reptile), but I in turn, refuse to lose my money to their obviously shoddy gaming establishment. They do not deserve any of my money, thank you very much. If I'm going to gamble away my money it will be to people (like the best hotels in Las Vegas) who treat me well and kiss my fine derriere while I'm losing my hard earned money. IOMG is not that place. Furthermore, they allow smoking at the tables but do not allow drinking at the tables. What kind of crazy ridiculousness is that? Get me drunk for free and I'm all about losing money. What part of this seems confusing? Oh. Dear. It must be that devil firewater they all seem to find so addicting. Since I'm 1/16th Cherokee I do not understand this craziness. I can handle it. Why can't they? C'mon. Really?


6. Inn of the Mountain Gods also offers NO PAY PER VIEW movies in the rooms nor spa services. In my opinion this is sheer idiocy. We would have watched multiple movies (at whatever price), and I would have totally accessed the spa and all its services, and they would have made money. (Can we spell revenue lost through laziness?) I simply do not understand this absurd oversight. Stupid non-marketing, really. Even in Las Vegas I can get BOTH AMENITIES. Uh-Huh.

7. Our last night there we ordered room service filet mignons and all the sides for dinner (only one side was offered for your effort of showing up in the dining room) and it was more prompt and much more delicious than our first night in the restaurant. Seriously? What's that all about?

8. I did ski one day but the conditions were horrendous and I didn't ski very well. Being a fair weather skier I'm convinced that had the conditions been better I'd have been Hell On Wheels Skis. The sun was out and it was seasonably warm, but the snow itself sucked. It was scary and it was dangerous and I didn't like it.

9. I so wanted to do the Apache Zip Tour until I discovered that it can reach speeds up to 70 MPH. during your *tour*. WHAT? Umm... No. Not I. I'm brave if I reach that speed with my car. I'm no longer a speed freak in any way, shape, or form. Besides, the PRACTICE ZIP LINE is located at the bottom of the mountain, something like 30 to 45 minutes away. Honestly, I just feel that they don't have all the kinks worked out yet (yes - excuses, excuses), so I'll wait until I'm sure they are good to go.


10. Yes, I've become a wimp. I can live with that. Also, I can't stand the Apache Indians and their mistreatment of their clients bread and butter, the tourists. I'm now looking for whiter slopes with friendlier folks, still within reasonable driving time... I'm a tree. I can bend. I can also pray.

In addition to all I've stated above, Ruidoso and the surrounding area have been devastated every year for the past five years (maybe it's been 10 years). Fire. Flooding. Drought. Fire. Drought. Very, very sad indeed. Lost businesses, lost homes, lost valuable employees, lost friends, lost forest, lost wildlife, lost ski area terrain. The list goes on, as must I. Ski Apache will, I'm sure, continue to to let what they've built deteriorate as well as discourage future tourists by continuing their deceptive ways. Not much has changed in the last five years, nor the last 30 years. The Apaches still run the only game in town and I'm Cherokee. Perhaps that is my problem and I am at the end game with Ski Apache, as well as being done with the entire tribe....

Now, it's time to get back to golfing... Just as soon as the weather warms up.

Must Be Time For Another Road Trip... 2015 Edition

Lately I find that I just don't have the patience for much of anything aside from keeping my nose to the grind, as it were. I don't know if anyone else goes through phases like this, but I certainly do. I feel restless and the things I normally derive joy from doing on a day to day basis, are either boring me to the verge of tears or causing me a great deal of frustration. It's the same feeling that you would educe from taking one step forward and three steps back in a walking race. Uh-Huh.

I have no patience with long stoplights or people who seem to be asleep for the first few seconds after the light changes to green, because they are talking on their freaking cell phones. I have no patience with people who ring my doorbell unannounced. I have no patience for neighbor's dogs who bark for hours on end, nor do I have the patience to suffer through visits from Jehovah's Witnesses or anyone selling anything. The people who block grocery store aisles are now on my hit list. I'm beginning to scare even myself. And today, a neighbor child is blowing an industrial size whistle, seemingly non-stop and I'm envisioning ripping it from her mouth and tossing it to Kingdom Come. You know. Right after I ask the parents if they are deaf or something (like stupid).

I used to refer to this strange emotional phenomenon as PMS and later, I thus blamed menopause. I no longer have either *condition* among my repertoire of excuses for foul moods, so I'm fairly perplexed as to what I can blame this on. Am I really just a total bitch after all is said and done? Possibly, but hopefully not that uncomplicated. Perhaps it's just *crotchety old age syndrome*. Whatever. I think I'll go with Early Spring Fever.

Mr. Snoots, the poor dear, doesn't really understand but in an effort to prove his allegiance he feigns sympathy and understanding. I cannot say that I blame him for that ploy. Were I in his predicament I'd probably resort to the use of a sledge hammer, so I must praise him for his acumen.

Oh patience, where art thou?

Sensing this, Mr. Snoots, in his infinite wisdom, has suggested a road trip. I'm always game for a road trip! So, we're headed to our favorite little ski town. Ruidoso, New Mexico. We'll only be gone for 4 days but usually that's all I need to set me right with the world again. As I've said before, all work and no play makes Snooty a very cranky entity indeed. Very. Cranky.

Mr. Snooty plans to stay at the hotel and take care of business on the computer, which will keep him busy. Then, we can go to dinner in the evenings. Normally, when I go skiing alone, I have room service, watch a movie and go to sleep. So, this should be tons more fun! However, when the hotel removed my person from the casino for taking pictures, they completely squashed my pension for gambling. I wouldn't give them my money even if they begged me and rolled out the red carpet.

Of course, Mr. Snoots doesn't ski anymore but I don't care. I'm just thrilled to not be going alone. I went alone for so many years once the kids were gone and after a while, it just wasn't fun anymore. We humans need contact with other humans and he's my #1 choice, so it will be nice to have him along.

Did I mention that I'm now considered a senior and can ski for a discount price? When I turn 70, I can ski for free! That's my goal. So, I'll finally be getting a *deal* after skiing HERE all these years.

Anyway, I'm out of here as soon as I can gather all my ski things but that might take a while. I promise to try take lots of pictures but I'm more forgetful these days. Two full half days of skiing is probably more than I can handle in my out-of-shape condition. It might well kill me, but I doubt it. Only the good die young.... Most likely I'll be as sore as a two bit floosie on payday. Besides, I ski like an old lady now. You know. Because I'm an old lady now. I can only dream about how I used to ski but, I'm perfectly good with that. As always, I'll take my bottle of champagne, a jar of Icelandic caviar, cream cheese, chopped red onion and toast points to have for my afternoon snack. It became a ritual for me about 20 years ago and I'm not one to break tradition. Well, not this one anyway.

See you soon!
 

Everything Else Paled In Comparison To The Skiing....

The week before we arrived, Ruidoso had received two separate storms that dropped something like 26 inches of fresh powdery snow. This made me even more excited about getting up to ski the next day. It was also being predicted that another storm was scheduled to arrive within a day or two. Honestly, this little New Mexico ski town has not seen so much snow in a number of years.


Now, in order to reach the Ski Apache ski area, you have to drive approximately 45 minutes to an hour, up a mountain with winding roads and breathtaking views. The first time I ever skied there I was shocked that you had to travel so far to get to the mountain and frankly, I hated it. I was spoiled by being able to ski in and out wherever I skied, and this was a major irritation. But, over the years, I came to accept it and fell in love with this little ski area. Unlike many other ski areas around the country, it's always warmer skiing there and every year they continue to make improvements and add new runs, as well as new lift chairs. So, it has pretty much always satisfied my needs in the skiing department. This year was no exception. The snow was incredibly light and fluffy, with many of my favorite runs being *groomed* daily. Old ladies who are out of shape like the groomed runs, trust me.

Since I had not skied in several years, I was careful to start off slowly as I tried to locate my *skiing legs*. After several rather shaky runs, I at last found my skiing balance and made something like 23 or 24 runs by the end of the day. My last trip up the Capitan Chairlift, I decided the run next to Capitan (my fave) looked pretty good but discovered a bit too late that it had not been groomed. Seriously, my legs simply don't have the strength any longer to tackle runs with choppy, deep powder. So, I did what I always do in these situations. I freaked out and panicked. After I calmed down for a few minutes, I mustered up the courage to point my skis down the hill and go for it, not caring how ridiculous I looked. And, I did look ridiculous. I think I might have also done the unthinkable... I reverted back to a snow plow several times, which I had not done since I was 12 years old. It got me down the mountain, so I didn't care, as long as I made it down the hill without somehow maiming or hurting myself.


By the time I reached my car, I was sweating and whooped. All I could think about was getting back to the hotel and a nice hot bath to ease the aches and pains of the day. But, the fun wasn't over yet! For some reason, my car would not unlock with the button on my key chain so I opened it manually. I immediately tried to start the car so I could get some heat going but the 4-Runner wasn't even making an attempt to rev up. It wasn't making a sound. I knew this was going to be the proverbial pain in the ass of an experience.


As luck would have it, a local man and his two daughters were parked next to me and were preparing to leave after a day of skiing, so I asked if he'd mind giving my little 4-Runner a jump start from his Ford F-150 truck, which he was more than happy to do. I was so relieved. Until it wouldn't start my car. UH-OH.

About this time one of his friends came along (headed home with his kiddos) and he tried to help as well. It turned out that the two dads worked together in Ruidoso as firemen and EMT's. They were two of the nicest young men you'd ever want to meet. One even called a mechanic friend who made some suggestions that they tried, but still nothing worked.

I finally told them thanks for trying and that I'd just call AAA and let them take care of it. I told them they needed to get their kids home and that I really appreciated everything they tried, but they refused to leave this little old lady alone until they were certain help was indeed on the way. I can't begin to tell you how comforting it was to have them there. Eventually, I received a call from a local tow service (who they knew & approved of) who said he was on his way up the mountain to get me and tow my car back to town. I was finally able to talk the guys into leaving me there alone and they agreed that I'd be in safe hands. (It was at this moment that I realized I'd forgotten to charge my cell phone the night before, which meant it wouldn't be working for much longer.)

Remember, it takes 45 minutes to an hour just to get up the mountain and even longer when there is bumper to bumper traffic trying to get down the narrow roads on the mountain. The tow truck finally arrived just as it was beginning to get dark and I was beginning to freeze my hiney off. I was also on the verge of tears, the darker it got. I couldn't even call Mr. Snoots to let him know that I was okay and he expected me back at around 4:30 PM. Uh-Oh.

Anyway, the tow guy turned out to be an angel and we talked about all manner of things as we made the slow descent down the mountain. He also called one of the other guys at their shop and arranged for him to give me a ride back to the hotel so that I wouldn't have to call and wait for a taxi. It was almost 7:00 PM before I arrived back at the hotel and the warmth of our room. Mr. Snooty was beginning to panic, unsure of what might have happened to me.

So, here is praise (Woot! Woot!) for Harlan and Michael, the firefighters/EMT's who were like gifts from God to me that day. You guys were so wonderful to work so hard trying to get my car going. I just want you to know that you both TOTALLY ROCK! In addition to my heartfelt thanks, I'm sending a donation to the Ruidoso Fire Department naming the two of you as my reason for donating. I hope that your wives are as proud of you as I am!

Also, I want to give a big shout-out to Francisco and Sal at Sierra Blanca Collision Center, in spite of the fact it cost just under $200.00 for the tow and fixing whatever it was that was wrong. Sal is the Manager and is the one who gave me a lift all the way up to the Inn of the Mountain Gods, for free. You two guys TOTALLY ROCK as well!

The next day Mr. Snoots and I spent the morning checking to see if the car was ready, getting a taxi to come get us at the Inn, taking us into town where the car was, and going back out to the Inn. By then, I had no desire left to go skiing, even for a half day, which meant my second day of skiing went *poof* in the blink of an eye. Then, it began to snow and snow and snow and snow.

To be continued...

Snowed In On Vacation? What More Could I Possibly Ask For?

We were scheduled to leave for home today but something wonderful happened. It snowed more than a foot here in Ruidoso, New Mexico (within about 36 hours) which means there have been road closings and weather alerts all over the place. If you click on the link above you can see what it looks like here today on the Ruidoso Web Cam. It's like being in a fairytale.

By the way, I am in the old stomping grounds of my friend Jeri, who writes In The Gutter and is currently living in England. So Jeri, just wanted to let you know everything is right here in the world of Ruidoso. Wish you were here...

Although I would have once upon a time jumped in the 4 Runner and gone in spite of the warnings, I know I'm no longer bullet proof, so we chose to stay another night. Yippppeeeeeeeeeeeee! I also got to ski another day and the fresh snow was as light and powdery as it gets.

Everything is covered in snow and looks like a perfect Winter Wonderland. However, no more storms are in the forecast, so we'll be going home tomorrow. *sniff, sniff*

Still, an extra day here has been like a little slice of Heaven....

I have lots of pictures to show you but meanwhile, check THIS and THIS out!

My Little Corner Of The Skiing World....

Ever since I moved back to Texas in 1975, I've been skiing in New Mexico at my favorite ski area, Ski Apache located in the mountains above Ruidoso, New Mexico. Unlike my beloved Colorado, the temperatures tend to stay mild all winter, which makes for comfortable skiing and makes old ladies like me want to get out their boards and take some turns on the hill.

Ruidoso has had some hard hits the last few years but thankfully, they are still there. Last year, not only were they hit with the worst flooding in their history, but they also never accumulated any significant amount of snow, which means the ski area was hurt as badly as the funky little town of Ruidoso. Frankly, they haven't had snow for the last couple of years. Global warming? Perhaps, but I doubt it. They are just located closer to the equator than most ski areas, I suppose. In all my years I've only heard of them not opening at all, just once. They have great snow making equipment and NOW they have a great WEB CAM. Pretty much all of the land is owned by the Mescalero Apache Indian Tribe and they have enough money from other endeavors that they don't really worry. The ski area is located in the Sierra Blanca Mountain Range (also known as The White Mountain Range) of New Mexico, which is really breathtaking countryside.

Of course, we could go to Taos, which almost always has snow, but the drive is too long. Ruidoso is a mere 5 hours from our front door (or 4 hours if I'm alone). Taos is about a 9 hour drive (12 hours if driving in deep snow). Although I prefer the challenges offered by skiing Taos, I don't care to make the long drive, nor does anyone else.

Unfortunately, the Ski Apache Web Cam is a bit depressing at the moment, although a couple of weeks ago it was all totally covered in snow, but I'm going to try to keep a positive perspective. In fact, I've been so positive as to rent a house there for Christmas. Neither of the kids has skied in years (they can't afford it) and we haven't skied together in a very long time so this year we're going away for the holidays. Farmer's Almanac is predicting plentiful snow for that region during the week of December 23rd and since they are seldom wrong in their predictions, I'm going with it. Actually, we can back out by December 1st without paying a penalty, just as an option. Both of our children have reached the point that they would rather be with us than their friends (yes, it does happen eventually if you've done your job right), so they aren't in the least bit worried about not seeing their friends over Christmas. Five years ago it would have been a completely different story.


I'm just praying I don't fall this year while skiing. No telling how that will affect my Osteoporosis. Yikes. It's really kind of scary, but I've never been much for falling anyway. I check my speed constantly ever since turning 50. I had a bit of a *freak out* that year when I was up in Ruidoso skiing alone. I started my descent down a run called *Caliente* (a run I've skied many times and at high speeds) and I suddenly froze. I couldn't push off, or make another turn, or even side-step. I even sat down and cried (okay this was probably due to the onset of early menopause because I cried a lot). It was something like 20 or 30 minutes before I mustered up the courage to continue my descent. It wasn't in the least bit funny. It scared the life out of me, to the point that I left after that and returned to my my hotel room to lick my emotional wounds.

Anyhoo, I found a great house (this isn't the house, but is a comparable option) to rent for this Christmas that has a hot tub to soothe tired muscles after a long day of sliding around on our boards, a wonderful gourmet kitchen, a wood burning fireplace, plenty of TV's, a pool table, and all the other comforts of home, located on a secluded 7 acres. Now, all we need is some snow...