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10-27-2006, 04:26 PM
New Mexico Magazine Tours Rio Grande River
World's longest cottonwood forest 200 miles long - 2 blocks wide!
By: Benjamin Lava, Contributing Reporter
Š 2006 SONewMex.com - Reprint permission granted
<table><tr><td valign=top>The November, 2006 issue of New Mexico Magazine takes its storyline right down the heart of New Mexico, the Rio Grande.
The river, the throbbing artery (which gets a little clogged at times) that provides the lifeblood of the state's agricultural industry is not so much the subject of Slim Randles article as are the trees the river supports or "the bosque" as we say in New Mexico.
The valley, which contains well over half of the state's population, has according to Randles, "the longest cottonwood forest in the world, and one of the strangest, too, being 200 miles long, but just two blocks wide."
The magazine stays on its valley course on other stories, too. Editor Emily Drabanski's opening letter talks about Las Cruces earning recognition for its appeal to retirees, topping AARP's 2006 list of "Dream Towns" to retire in.
More important to Las Cruces, Truth or Consequences, and, perhaps, Socorro, are two stories about Spaceport America. One story, by staffer Steve Larese, delves into his trip down to the soon-to-be open Spaceport America near TorC, where commercial space flight is expected by 2008.
Larese interviewed Kay Ormand, general manager of the Sierra Grande Lodge and Spa, who expressed her excitement about the new spaceport just to TorC's southeast.
"It's going to bring people here that would otherwise not come," Ormand was quoted as saying. "And once they're here, they'll discover all the other things to do around here."
Yes. Like enjoying the spa. Some may not remember that TorC was once named Hot Springs.
Among other prominent area folks interviewed was Rowena Baca, owner of the Owl Café, who was generally against the Spaceport, and Tom Waddell, manager of Ted Turner's 360,000 acre Armendaris Ranch southwest of San Antonio, who seemed mildly favorable. "It sure would help TorC," he is quoted as saying. "And the smaller ranches may benefit somehow as far as land value."
A companion story on the spaceport, by San Antonio native and frequent Steppin' Out contributor Ben Moffett, said that "for the second time in more than 400 years, an isolated stretch of southern New Mexico desert called the Jornada del Muerto is the setting for an internationally significant frontier travel adventure."
Moffett said the first was the 1598 journey of Spanish colonizer Juan de Oņate, who led the first European settlers into what is now the interior of the United States.
Moffett believes that "beyond the influx of visitors into the Land of Enchantment to enjoy rocket races and space rides, tourism is likely to take a quantum leap as a result of worldwide news coverage and word-of-mouth testimonials."
Continued Moffett: "Passengers lifting off from the Spaceport, no doubt in window seats, will have a breathtaking piece of New Mexico real estate to...tell friends about. "From space they will be able to see the entire expanse of the Jornada del Muerto, including Trinity Site, where the world's first atomic device was detonated. To the east they will see White Sands, a missile range, national monument, and the world's largest gypsum dune field at 275 square miles."
Also mentioned, although in an unusual way, was Bosque del Apache National Wildlife Refuge, and its longtime volunteer Park Borgeson.
Borgeson, a retired doctor, is featured in the magazine's "Turning the Page" profile, written by Socorro freelance writer Robyn Harrison.
Writes Harrison: "If you've ever met Park Borgeson, then you've heard about the birds at Bosque del Apache. And if he's told you about the birds, then he has probably convined you to join the Friends of the Bosque."
The Friends, a network of volunteers are instrumental in putting on the Festival on what Harrison described as "57,000 acres straddling the Rio Grande, 20 miles south of Socorro. It is the winter home of thousands of snow geese, sandhill cranes and other waterfowl."
The magazine veered to the west with its feature story on El Morro in west central New Mexico, which is celebrating its 100th anniversary as a unit of the National Park System his year. The essay, entitled "Reflections in Stone" by Jerry D. Brown, and illustrated by Ronald Kil, says the petroglyphs there "struck a language that would speak across centuries. Worn and weathered, these message are whispers so soft that we struggle with the words -- the meanings vague and ethereal. Yet within each image is a universal necessity to express, 'I was here, I passed this way'."
Also worth reading is a story by Barbara B. Hagood, called "Not your typical museum," with text about "five funky (museum) finds" across the state.
The five include the Antique Typewriter Museum in Albuquerque at 4805 Menaul Blvd., NE (www.antiquephonograph.com (http://www.antiquephonograph.com/)), the American International Rattlesnake Museum, also in Albuquerque at 202 San Felipe St., NW, Ste. A, (www.rattlesnakes.com (http://www.rattlesnakes.com/)), Tinkertown, in Sandia Park, (www.tinkertown.com (http://www.tinkertown.com/)), an assemblage of carved and painted miniature vignettes; the Little House Museum, Amistad, some 75 miles from Tucumcari (no website listed), a unique, historic house museum.
Last, and also the least (in size) is, the Box Car Museum in Magdalena, 108 N. Main St., (no website listed). Hagood's story paints a pretty picture of Magdalena and its 6500 elevation. "The Box Car Museum, a display space of only 10-by-20 feet, is surely New Mexico's smallest, but... a lovingly presented slice of Southwestern hsitory, intimate in both size and content."
"It is not the artifacts that make this museum so curious, it is the place," continues Hagood. "If there was ever a testament to the resourceful nature of the people of the Southwest, this is it. From hand-knitted booties to a hand-carved bean masher to recycling a rail car into a public space, Magdalena's museum is indicative of New Mexico's character."</td><td width=175 valign=top><font="Arial Narrow" size=2><center><a href=http://sonewmex.com/images/bosquesunset.jpg><img src=http://sonewmex.com/images/bosquesunset_tn.jpg border=2 alt="Click for larger image."><br>Rio Grande Sunset</a><br><br><a href=http://sonewmex.com/images/BosqueDelApache.jpg><img src=http://sonewmex.com/images/BosqueDelApache_tn.jpg border=2 "alt="Click for larger image."><br>Bosque Del Apache</a><br><br><a href=http://sonewmex.com/images/Socorro_Plaza.jpg><img src=http://sonewmex.com/images/Socorro_Plaza_tn.gif border=2 alt="Click for larger image."><br>Socorro Plaza</a><br><br><a href=http://sonewmex.com/images/Magdalenalogo.jpg><img src=http://sonewmex.com/images/Magdalenalogo_tn.jpg border=2 alt="Click for larger image."><br></a>Historic Magdalena<br><br><a href=http://sonewmex.com/images/<owlbar.jpg><img src=http://sonewmex.com/images/owlbar_tn.jpg border=2 alt="Click for larger image."><br>Owl Bar - San Antonio</a><br><br></center></font></td></tr></table>
World's longest cottonwood forest 200 miles long - 2 blocks wide!
By: Benjamin Lava, Contributing Reporter
Š 2006 SONewMex.com - Reprint permission granted
<table><tr><td valign=top>The November, 2006 issue of New Mexico Magazine takes its storyline right down the heart of New Mexico, the Rio Grande.
The river, the throbbing artery (which gets a little clogged at times) that provides the lifeblood of the state's agricultural industry is not so much the subject of Slim Randles article as are the trees the river supports or "the bosque" as we say in New Mexico.
The valley, which contains well over half of the state's population, has according to Randles, "the longest cottonwood forest in the world, and one of the strangest, too, being 200 miles long, but just two blocks wide."
The magazine stays on its valley course on other stories, too. Editor Emily Drabanski's opening letter talks about Las Cruces earning recognition for its appeal to retirees, topping AARP's 2006 list of "Dream Towns" to retire in.
More important to Las Cruces, Truth or Consequences, and, perhaps, Socorro, are two stories about Spaceport America. One story, by staffer Steve Larese, delves into his trip down to the soon-to-be open Spaceport America near TorC, where commercial space flight is expected by 2008.
Larese interviewed Kay Ormand, general manager of the Sierra Grande Lodge and Spa, who expressed her excitement about the new spaceport just to TorC's southeast.
"It's going to bring people here that would otherwise not come," Ormand was quoted as saying. "And once they're here, they'll discover all the other things to do around here."
Yes. Like enjoying the spa. Some may not remember that TorC was once named Hot Springs.
Among other prominent area folks interviewed was Rowena Baca, owner of the Owl Café, who was generally against the Spaceport, and Tom Waddell, manager of Ted Turner's 360,000 acre Armendaris Ranch southwest of San Antonio, who seemed mildly favorable. "It sure would help TorC," he is quoted as saying. "And the smaller ranches may benefit somehow as far as land value."
A companion story on the spaceport, by San Antonio native and frequent Steppin' Out contributor Ben Moffett, said that "for the second time in more than 400 years, an isolated stretch of southern New Mexico desert called the Jornada del Muerto is the setting for an internationally significant frontier travel adventure."
Moffett said the first was the 1598 journey of Spanish colonizer Juan de Oņate, who led the first European settlers into what is now the interior of the United States.
Moffett believes that "beyond the influx of visitors into the Land of Enchantment to enjoy rocket races and space rides, tourism is likely to take a quantum leap as a result of worldwide news coverage and word-of-mouth testimonials."
Continued Moffett: "Passengers lifting off from the Spaceport, no doubt in window seats, will have a breathtaking piece of New Mexico real estate to...tell friends about. "From space they will be able to see the entire expanse of the Jornada del Muerto, including Trinity Site, where the world's first atomic device was detonated. To the east they will see White Sands, a missile range, national monument, and the world's largest gypsum dune field at 275 square miles."
Also mentioned, although in an unusual way, was Bosque del Apache National Wildlife Refuge, and its longtime volunteer Park Borgeson.
Borgeson, a retired doctor, is featured in the magazine's "Turning the Page" profile, written by Socorro freelance writer Robyn Harrison.
Writes Harrison: "If you've ever met Park Borgeson, then you've heard about the birds at Bosque del Apache. And if he's told you about the birds, then he has probably convined you to join the Friends of the Bosque."
The Friends, a network of volunteers are instrumental in putting on the Festival on what Harrison described as "57,000 acres straddling the Rio Grande, 20 miles south of Socorro. It is the winter home of thousands of snow geese, sandhill cranes and other waterfowl."
The magazine veered to the west with its feature story on El Morro in west central New Mexico, which is celebrating its 100th anniversary as a unit of the National Park System his year. The essay, entitled "Reflections in Stone" by Jerry D. Brown, and illustrated by Ronald Kil, says the petroglyphs there "struck a language that would speak across centuries. Worn and weathered, these message are whispers so soft that we struggle with the words -- the meanings vague and ethereal. Yet within each image is a universal necessity to express, 'I was here, I passed this way'."
Also worth reading is a story by Barbara B. Hagood, called "Not your typical museum," with text about "five funky (museum) finds" across the state.
The five include the Antique Typewriter Museum in Albuquerque at 4805 Menaul Blvd., NE (www.antiquephonograph.com (http://www.antiquephonograph.com/)), the American International Rattlesnake Museum, also in Albuquerque at 202 San Felipe St., NW, Ste. A, (www.rattlesnakes.com (http://www.rattlesnakes.com/)), Tinkertown, in Sandia Park, (www.tinkertown.com (http://www.tinkertown.com/)), an assemblage of carved and painted miniature vignettes; the Little House Museum, Amistad, some 75 miles from Tucumcari (no website listed), a unique, historic house museum.
Last, and also the least (in size) is, the Box Car Museum in Magdalena, 108 N. Main St., (no website listed). Hagood's story paints a pretty picture of Magdalena and its 6500 elevation. "The Box Car Museum, a display space of only 10-by-20 feet, is surely New Mexico's smallest, but... a lovingly presented slice of Southwestern hsitory, intimate in both size and content."
"It is not the artifacts that make this museum so curious, it is the place," continues Hagood. "If there was ever a testament to the resourceful nature of the people of the Southwest, this is it. From hand-knitted booties to a hand-carved bean masher to recycling a rail car into a public space, Magdalena's museum is indicative of New Mexico's character."</td><td width=175 valign=top><font="Arial Narrow" size=2><center><a href=http://sonewmex.com/images/bosquesunset.jpg><img src=http://sonewmex.com/images/bosquesunset_tn.jpg border=2 alt="Click for larger image."><br>Rio Grande Sunset</a><br><br><a href=http://sonewmex.com/images/BosqueDelApache.jpg><img src=http://sonewmex.com/images/BosqueDelApache_tn.jpg border=2 "alt="Click for larger image."><br>Bosque Del Apache</a><br><br><a href=http://sonewmex.com/images/Socorro_Plaza.jpg><img src=http://sonewmex.com/images/Socorro_Plaza_tn.gif border=2 alt="Click for larger image."><br>Socorro Plaza</a><br><br><a href=http://sonewmex.com/images/Magdalenalogo.jpg><img src=http://sonewmex.com/images/Magdalenalogo_tn.jpg border=2 alt="Click for larger image."><br></a>Historic Magdalena<br><br><a href=http://sonewmex.com/images/<owlbar.jpg><img src=http://sonewmex.com/images/owlbar_tn.jpg border=2 alt="Click for larger image."><br>Owl Bar - San Antonio</a><br><br></center></font></td></tr></table>