stepping back into old new mexico

Land of enchantment - I was definitely enchanted with this area called New Mexico; amazed at the history in this place, the geological and other aspects of this land. I grew up on the tale of Smokey Bear, learning that "only you can prevent forest fires", but I didn't know the tale of that little bear cub.

I had learned a lot of native and mexican american history - mostly from TV because it was inaccurately, or poorly, or not taught in school - but was unaware how much of what I knew had taken place in this area - geography not being a strongpoint. Here there were Pancho Villa, Kit Carson, Billy the Kid (William H. Bonney), Geronimo, Buffalo Soldiers, Navajo Code Talkers of WWII and so much more. Other historical figures listed on the http://newmexico.org/western site are Archbishop Lamy, Charles Bent, Kit Carson, Willa Cather, Flying Priest, Greer Garson, Conrad Hilton, Mable Dodge Lujan, Fred Lambert, John Gaw Meems, Robert Ollinger, Millicent Rogers, Will Schuster, Carrie Tingley.

We took a step into some of this history the day after the Rodriguezes arrived, allowing them to rest and acclimate. I had a number of resources to plan our day trips, particularly the AAA tourbook, the New Mexico Vacation Guide 2008, and the Ruidoso Visitor Guide. For this expedition, we took the Rondo on the road northwest through the Hondo Valley onto highway 380 to Capitan. It was here that a little black bear (the state animal) was rescued from a forest fire, subsequently becoming the symbol for educating the public to prevent such disasters.

A little further up the road we head steep into history of the old west. Up that road was the most serene scenery, where I could easily imagine the deer and the antelope play and nary was heard a discouraging word and the clouds ..., well they did get cloudly at times. It was on this road, we saw elk.

But if you follow the history nary would not be quite accurate. Lincoln County had a rather feisty and turbulent past - Main Street called 'the most dangerous street in the West,' I believe. They had what was called the Lincoln County War - full of factions fighting factions. We walked down this street, getting a slight glimpse of the times. We further drove over to Fort Stanton from which soldiers came to intervene in that war under a new Governor Lew Wallace (author of Ben Hur), another aspect of those very times. Other noteworthy names are Sheriff Pat Garrett, cattle baron John Chisum, General John J. 'Blackjack' Pershing.

Hunger overtook us, so we made our way back to Ruidoso, amidst the Mescalero Apache Indian Reservation to get some chow.