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Mysterious Beauty in New Mexico
By : Tania Casselle
Photos J. Kevin Foltz
If you believe the stories that made Roswell famous, you know that visitors to this town have arrived from much farther away than any airport. But beyond Roswell's reputation as an intergalactic portal to planet Earth, the city is a gateway to Southeastern New Mexico, offering wonderful desert-to-mountain landscapes and year-round leisure.
Aliens and Art
Decide for yourself whether a "flying disk" crashed in 1947, complete with its alien crew. The International UFO Museum & Research Center documents the controversial Roswell Incident in detail, including witness accounts and radio and newspaper coverage from that day, plus photos of other sightings around the world.
Believers and skeptics alike gather at Roswell's annual UFO Festival (July 2-5, 2009) for talks, a parade, Fourth of July fireworks and fun sports, including an Alien Disk Golf competition. The festival is the only time of year you can tour Hangar 84, where allegedly the alien bodies were taken. There's also live entertainment: This year's headline act is Jefferson Starship. With costume contests for UFO fans who are convinced the truth is out there—and some of their costumes are very out there—this four-day street party packs the city, so it's worth booking rooms and flights early.
It's soon second nature in Roswell to scan the wide, blue horizons, just in case you spot something unexpected. But you'll definitely spot some remarkable pieces in the Anderson Museum of Contemporary Art, an eclectic and occasionally mind-bending collection, including super-sized sculpture by Luis Jimenez. See the work of New Mexico artists like Peter Hurd and Georgia O'Keeffe at the Roswell Museum and Art Center, and don't miss the exhibit on space pioneer Robert H. Goddard, with videos of his early rocket launching experiments.
roswellmysteries.com
Piste, Putt and Poker
Drive west of Roswell to the resort town of Ruidoso, and beneath the stunning Sierra Blanca peak you'll find Ski Apache. Owned and operated by the Mescalero Apache Tribe, Ski Apache's 55 trails offer plenty of challenges for expert and novice skiers alike. Daredevil skiers and snowboarders can test their skills at the Boneyard Terrain Park.
Or try your luck at the Las Vegas-style casino at The Inn of the Mountain Gods Resort and Casino, also on the Mescalero Apache Reservation. It is set on the edge of Mescalero Lake, and you get the full catch-your-breath picture when you walk into the lobby, with its multistory window framing the lake and mountains.
The casino has slots, table games and poker tournaments, and when you've banked your booty, maybe you'll head into Club 49 to shake your booty on the dance floor. Or check out a show (star performers have included B.B. King, The Beach Boys and Bill Cosby) or other events such as Contest Pow-Wow. In downtown Ruidoso, there's also the Billy the Kid Casino and seasonal horse racing at the Ruidoso Downs Racetrack.
The Inn of the Mountain Gods Championship Golf Course is one of several courses in the area. Designed by Ted Robinson and featuring an island fairway and fast-breaking greens, it's sure to keep you on your toes. The Links at Sierra Blanca is a highly rated Scottish-style course, while the tight fairways and small greens of Cree Meadows require pitch-perfect shots—although the short layout makes it a friendly option for novices. In Roswell itself, take a swing at the Spring River course or the New Mexico Military Institute Golf Course.
innofthemountaingods.com; skiapache.com; ruidoso.net
Natural Mysteries
About 100 miles south pf Roswell, Carlsbad Caverns National Park takes you underground to see spectacular stalactites and stalagmites. Start with the Big Room, accessible by elevator and covering a cave floor area larger than six football fields. Follow the well-lit paved trail for a peek into a subterranean world of fantastic formations carved out by time. Or hike the 750-foot descent through the Natural Entrance, the mile-long explorer's route past Devil's Spring and Witch's Finger. Adventurous cavers might take a ranger-guided tour, crawling through chambers to the Hall of the White Giant or into the maze of Spider Cave. During the summer Bat Flight Program, hear a talk by a ranger about these amazing and harmless creatures, and then watch from the amphitheater at sundown as thousands of bats swoop from the caverns and take to the sky.
nps.gov/cave
Follow the scenic Dunes Drive into White Sands National Monument, a 16-mile round-trip into the world's largest gypsum dune field. The ever-changing dunes shift up to 30 feet a year, and if their rippling wave surface patterns remind you of a glittering ocean that's because White Sands was formed from ancient gypsum deposits left behind by a sea that engulfed this area 250 million years ago. The Monument is around 130 miles southwest of Roswell, and you can explore its unearthly beauty on hiking trails or on a guided sunset walk. You might even catch a glimpse of Pavla Blanca, the legendary maiden ghost of the Great White Sands, dressed in her bridal gown. For a unique desert thrill, slide down the dunes on plastic "snow saucer" sleds, which are available at the Visitor Center.
nps.gov/whsa
Cowboys were baffled when they couldn't see the floor of the lakes just east of Roswell, or touch bottom, even after tying their saddle ropes together. So it's not surprising that these lakes now form the Bottomless Lakes State Park, although the water actually ranges from 17 to 90 feet in depth. The bottomless illusion is created by the deep blue-green color. Swim from the sandy beach surrounding the largest, Lea Lake. You can also scuba dive, hire a paddleboat or camp around the lakes, which are surrounded by red rock bluffs.
emnrd.state.nm.us/PRD/bottomless.htm
How To Get There: American Eagle provides service to Roswell, NM.
Book your trip today! Visit www.aa.com, call American/American Eagle reservations at 1-800-433-7300, or call your travel agent for more information.
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