I'm from Santa Fe, an hour up the road and spent a lot of time in ABQ. PM me and I'll answer anything you want to know and I can put you in touch with some local riders. The short answer is that NM is an outdoor playground and you can do pretty much anything without much travel. Rent is pretty cheap in ABQ and crime is fine as long as you stay out of the west side. Sandia Ski Area often doesn't get enough snow but there are places within a couple hours that get enough. I go back pretty frequently and always wish I could stay whenever I go.NineFingers said:
If all it takes is an hour to get to Sante Fe, and the riding is good for boarding and bikes, I'm down! It's a job at the AF base, so my pay would probably go farther in NM than elsewhere. I'm not really looking for a place to make a crap load of cash, I'm looking for an outdoor haven that has lots to do. As long as I can survive and keep moving up on base, and the area offers some great spots to ride, the people are friendly, etc etc, I'm down.Barbaton said:
Well, especially since your profile says you're stuck in Ohio, I'd say it's a no-brainer. Is the job actually for the Air Force on Kirtland or is it for Sandia or Phillips Labs?NineFingers said:
Leapfrogging posts, love it...NineFingers said:
Well I'm here right now, but I just went through a divorce, was living in Tacoma, WA near Seattle. I was spoiled there, lots of NS stuff, whistler, house, etc. Now I'm in the spare bedroom at mom's looking for a job and asking myself why I'm here in OH...I guess for the family support. I grew up a bit here, but alot out west(MT, CA, and WA). So everytime I come to OH I get the depressed blues and start looking for a way back out west again. I've traveled all over the country, and lived in alot of areas but never been to NM. I've heard about the powder days in Durango, and in Taos, but that's a good 3 hours +. Wasn't sure what ABQ entailed, I thought it would be mostly desert? But I found some pics online and it looks promising. I've been applying for jobs with the federal govt. as a civilian in support of military bases, forest service, and other govt agencies. There's a few opportunities there in ABQ at the base for what I did while I was in the Navy so I'm considering them. I miss the sun, washington was depressing, good riding, friendly people for the most part, but depressing. Ohio is cold as sh!t right now...and there's not much to go down, a fair share of xc, but that's not my thing since whistler was introduced...weekendly. Anyhow, just curious if I could be happy in ABQ, it doesn't take much for me, can't buy a house so I'd be renting, and the job would be there, so all that's left on my checklist would be outdoor activities within an hour or so, and hopefully friendlier people than here in OH...Barbaton said:
I was trying to refer to that lovely area just west of the river, but didn't want to include Rio Rancho, etc, but couldn't remember what it's called. Thanks for clearing that up.N8 said:
Barbaton said:I was trying to refer to that lovely area just west of the river, but didn't want to include Rio Rancho, etc, but couldn't remember what it's called. Thanks for clearing that up.
As for real estate, Abq has always seemed quite reasonable to me, even in the NE Heights but I'm used to Santa Fe, San Francisco, and Cambridge MA, where I just looked at a 1700sq. ft condo for $800K. :nuts: I'm jealous of a friend in ABQ who just bought a house (and the land/yard it's on) just south of Central by UNM for $90K...
Echo said:
Californians too! N8, what are we doing discussing the Land of Enchantment pubically. Fools, I say, fools!N8 said:
agreed, the windsor trail rules. 6K vert sounds high though. i know it was a tough climb, but i seem to recall more in the 3K vicinity.Barbaton said:
Well, I was also including the vert from the top of the peak at the TV towers (~12500) to the SF ski area parking lot (~10000) where the Windsor starts. We used to ride 2500ft up the Aspen Vista access road, ride the ski area, then the Windsor to Bishop's Lodge, then sit in the Lodge's hot tub cuz one of my bud's family used to own it.narlus said:
(Second weekend of May.....anyone?)
Sweeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeet!narlus said:
i forgot about the TV tower area, we didn't get up there. we started at the trail section where you do all the stream crossings, and ended at the lookout area (and did that short loop through the grassy aspen glade). then turned around and bombed down stuff we climbed. epic.Barbaton said:Well, I was also including the vert from the top of the peak at the TV towers (~12500) to the SF ski area parking lot (~10000) where the Windsor starts. We used to ride 2500ft up the Aspen Vista access road, ride the ski area, then the Windsor to Bishop's Lodge, then sit in the Lodge's hot tub cuz one of my bud's family used to own it.
So yeah, I added distance for effect and left out the details, but it's pretty close to accurate.
Morryjg said:
looks nice, and SF is only an hour up the road??? I think I could deal with that.N8 said:
W/the exception of smoking bans making it out to the sticks over the last few years, this description sounds like more than half the towns I've been in, anywhere, anytime (can only vouch for the 31 states I've been to).Echo said:
Fathead said:W/the exception of smoking bans making it out to the sticks over the last few years, this description sounds like more than half the towns I've been in, anywhere, anytime (can only vouch for the 31 states I've been to).
Been to Alberquacky, but it's been about 20yrs. Nothing stands out
