February 2023 | Issue No. 33 |
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Hello & welcome to my February 2023 newsletter! I'm so glad you're here. I recently saw a New Mexico Bucket List on Instagram & thought I'd expand upon it & share with you this month. How lucky are we to live in such a beautiful state filled with amazing natural landscapes & destinations many have to travel great distance to see? It's so easy to get caught up in our daily lives & forget that there are so many incredible wonders to experience right at our doorstep. I know I'm guilty of it. This will be a “To Be Continued…” series because there are so many to share. I've narrowed it down to my top 25 bucket list destinations across the state. You'll have to stay tuned over the next couple of months as I reveal the entire list. Here's the first set. How many of these spots have you visited? What is your favorite? |
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Encompassing 275 square miles of desert, the stark white gypsum sand is a rare occurrence brought about by the isolation & weather patterns found in the region. Mile upon mile of blinding white dunes are a sight to behold as you wind along the road that curves through the park…& one you won't easily forget. White Sands was established as a national monument in 1933 & re-designated as a national park in 2019. Visitors can hike or sled down the dunes & learn about the hearty plants & animals who live there. It's home to the largest collection of Ice-Age fossilized footprints on Earth. The sunsets & starry nights in the midst of such isolation are favorite subjects for photographers. White Sands National Park is the most visited national park in New Mexico, for good reason! |
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The observatory consists of 27 dishes (each measuring 82 feet in diameter) arranged in a Y-shape formation allowing them to act like one giant telescope stretching 22 miles across. Researchers at the facility study a variety of cosmic phenomena, planets, stars, gas & dust clouds, galaxies, pulsars & black holes. Congress approved funding for the VLA in 1972 & construction started the next year. In 2012, the VLA was rededicated & renamed in honor of Karl Guthe Jansky, the American astronomer who first discovered radio waves coming from the Milky Way in 1932. You may visit the facility on designated days & learn more in their informative visitors center as well as walking areas of the grounds near the dishes. |
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Over 30,000 acres of Bosque del Apache are designated wilderness. The refuge is best known for the tens of thousands of cranes, geese & ducks who call it home each winter. Visitors can hike, watch wildlife & photograph the landscapes & animals found in this magical place. You won't only see birds in this vast refuge. You many also catch a glimpse of coyotes, lynx, pumas, mule deer, javelinas, snakes, jackrabbits & more. Peak visitation occurs in winter, October through February. when bald eagles & thousands of sandhill cranes & snow geese flock to the fields and marshes. Plan to visit the weekend before Thanksgiving during the annual Festival of the Cranes. Witnessing a flight in or out is truly a sight to behold. |
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At Carlsbad Caverns National Park you'll find more than 119 caves, formed when sulfuric acid dissolved limestone, creating caverns of all sizes. Natural wonders including ancient sea ledges, rocky canyons, flowering cactus & desert wildlife are just some of the things you'll experience. Carlsbad Cavern includes the Big Room, a natural limestone chamber roughly 4,000 feet long, 625 feet wide & 255 feet high. It's the third-largest chamber in North America & the seventh-largest in the world! Visitors can explore the caves self-guided or through tours. There are also hundreds of thousands of Brazilian free-tailed bats who live deep in the caverns from roughly April to mid-October. Currently reservations are required for admittance to the park, so make sure to check for details if you're planning to visit. |
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While the actual crash site is roughly 75 miles from Roswell in a remote area of the desert, the town has embraced the legacy. You can visit the International UFO Museum & Research Center where you'll find information on the incident, as well as crop circles, UFO sightings, Area 51, ancient astronauts & abductions. Founders of the Museum incorporated as a 501c3 non-profit educational organization in 1991 & opened to the public in 1992. This small museum is filled with an impressive collection of memorabilia sure to interest any UFO enthusiast. Many businesses around town have adorned their buildings with UFO iconography…the only flying saucer themed McDonald's in the world is located in Roswell. In 2023 they will celebrate the 73rd Roswell UFO Festival on July Fourth weekend. |
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Formed from volcanic ash 30-35 million years ago, City of Rocks State Park covers roughly one square mile. You'll find wind & water sculpted monolithic boulders, some nearly 40 feet tall. Visitors have compared the rock formations to a small city, with boulders resembling houses & chimneys alongside courtyards & streets. There are cactus gardens & hiking trails. You may see deer, antelope, javelinas, snakes & jackrabbits along with over 35 species of birds. The park is a popular bird watching destination. In addition, the park is home to some of the darkest night skies in the country. There is an onsite observatory perfect for stargazing, but check availability before visiting. |
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Born of a geological phenomenon called the Santa Rosa sink, Santa Rosa Blue Hole (once known as Blue Lake) is one of seven sister lakes connected underground. It has an 80 foot surface diameter & 130 foot depth with 100+ foot visibility. The water completely renews itself every six hours, naturally refilling with 3,000 gallons of water every minute. The water is a constant 62 degrees year round. These phenomena make it a destination for tourists, travelers, researchers & scuba enthusiasts. Scuba divers will drive hours to get there. The Blue Hole Dive & Conference Center is located onsite. This is truly an oasis in the desert & a definite stopping spot on I40 in the midst of miles of desert landscape & highway blacktop. |
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The Gila Cliff Dwellings were primarily built in the 1280s. The preservation of this ancient community offers a look into the past at the Mogollon culture who lived there from the 1280s through the early 1300s. The Pueblo people who called this area home built their dwellings in natural caves & in the open. You will find examples of both types of settlements withinin the monument. Gila Cliff Dwellings National Monument is surrounded by the Gila National Forest & lies at the edge of the Gila Wilderness, the nation's first designated wilderness area. The wilderness area is a favorite destination for travelers from near & far. It offers many additional recreational opportunities such as hot springs, more ancient sites, camping, national forest trails & fishing along the Gila River so it's a perfect getaway to experience history & nature. |
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The Spring market in Albuquerque has begun & is traditionally the busiest time of year in the local real estate market. The home listing inventory is very low & with mortgage interest rates coming down, buyers are in the market to find a home. If you have been thinking of selling, now is the time! Give me a call today to find out more about buying or selling, I'd love to help you realize your real estate goals in 2023. |
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Thanks for joining me for this first segment of my New Mexico Bucket List. I hope you'll follow along over the next couple of months too. Maybe you'll find a new destination to visit this year, or remember a forgotten favorite. The Land of Enchantment certainly lives up to its name when you consider just how many otherworldly landscapes we have to explore within the state. I don't know about you, but I'm ready to plan an adventure soon! To Be Continued… |
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