Today's post is dedicated to the road trip I took over the Labor Day weekend to the village of Ruidoso, New Mexico. I have never heard of this place until my friend mentioned Ruidoso as a possible road trip destination for one of the long weekends. Even though it took us about twelve hours to reach destination, I was excited to leave behind the flats of Houston and experience the rigid mountain environment. The village of Ruidoso is a very small community with a population of less than 22,000 people. The village lies in the Sierra Blanca mountain range in the southern New Mexico. Most of the people visiting Ruidoso do so for the casinos rather than sightseeing but my friends and I represented the selected few who came there to experience the beauty of the nature.

To the person who lives in Houston and rarely visits any rural environment Ruidoso opened new things with every turn. First of all, this village is located at about 7,000 feet (roughly 2,100 meters) above the sea level. However, the peak of Sierra Blanca I mentioned earlier is located at staggering 12,000 feet (3,650 meters)! Luckily for us, the Mescalero Apache Tribe - owned ski resort called Ski Apache made it easy for us to reach the peak. We were able to drive up the mountain range to the parking lot conveniently placed next to the gondola lift that saved us from hiking. To say that the view from the top was breathtaking is an understatement. Being at the highest point gave us the opportunity to observe all the mountain ranges in the proximity of the Sierra Blanca. We spent a couple of minutes at the top just simply relaxing and breathing in fresh and chilly air.

I believe another point worth mentioning is a price of staying in Ruidoso. We rented a cabin out in the quiet part of the city far from the restaurants and bars. We ended up paying around $420 dollars for a two night stay in a house that had two bedrooms and a living room with two twin beds. Compared to other popular destinations, Ruidoso stands out as a relatively cheap alternative. Our cabin was located in the middle of the woods and as a result we were surrounded by a variety of wildlife. During our second day of staying in Ruidoso, we got some unexpected visitors. Three deer were walking between the houses looking around as if they were trying to find something specific. You could tell they were a little intimidated by people as they didn't rush to us when we offered them some food. It took them some time to come over and be comfortable with us, but I guess they didn't trust us enough. As I made an unfortunate step, the deer took off running to the neighbors.

Since I spent most of my lifetime living in the urban areas of the world it was unusual for me to see wildlife so close to me. It was just another proof that the village of Ruidoso remained as close to the nature as it could despite the rising number of tourists and residents. I would highly recommend Ruidoso as a destination spot for any person looking to get away from the stress of the big city. In my opinion, this village is a perfect haven for relaxation and leisure.