Angel Fire, Cimarron, Eagle Nest, Las Vegas, Santa Fe, Taos, Taos Ski Valley, Red River | by John Biscello

By birth and by temperament, I am a New Yorker. My intrinsic wiring is keyed to the electric pulse and syncopation of city-life. Or so it had been.
I moved to Taos eight years ago and whenever someone asked me, What brought you to Taos? I’d typically answer, A whim. Which was true. I had never been to northern New Mexico and knew very little about its history and character. In this way, I was one of those New-York-centric urbanites, who sometimes neglected to look beyond the scope of a city that fancies itself a kingdom.
In my early-going in the southern Rockies, I felt a bit like Joel Fleishman, the New York doctor played by Rob Morrow on the 1990s television show, Northern Exposure, who winds up “stranded” in the rustic and offbeat town of Cicely, Alaska. I didn’t feel so much like a fish out of water as I did a fish in a puddle, if both the fish and the puddle had been envisioned and drawn by Dr. Seuss. This puddle was no ordinary puddle: when properly explored, it revealed depths and colors and shades and mysteries that would be missed if you only hung around the surface. And that’s the thing about northern New Mexico: the revelations, both big and small, are endless and as rich as the vision you bring to them. They may come to you in the form of the stately and magnificent, such as the reigning Sangre de Cristo mountain range; other times they are subtle and modest, like that broken-down, rust-acned pickup truck visible in a field or front yard. Or the famed light that’s served as spiritual glue for countless artists and photographers, tufts of tangerine-fleeced clouds looking scrumptious enough to eat, piñon-scented billows of chimney-blown smoke: the southern Rockies are a veritable palate for the senses.
Hemingway once wrote: “It happened gradually then suddenly,” which I think perfectly epitomizes not only my own inward switching of gears, but also the time-out-of-mind tempo of northern New Mexico’s “Cicely.”

Go Tell It On The Mountain
“Then the sun was low and shining already below the branches of the cottonwood trees and turning the mountain into a big, crumpled rose. It is a lovely hour to walk about in the snow lanes, listening a little, for the bitterness of the night comes down fast. The air grows quiet. If there has been any wind it ceases and the snow squeaks under one’s feet and the telegraph wires sing a low song. It is sweet, but it is bitter, too.” — Winter in Taos, Mabel Dodge Luhan.
When snow comes to the southern Rockies, there can be that muffled quiet, which possesses a serene and uncanny quality. On the flipside, the first snows around Taos generate great clamor and excitement, as “powder-junkies” from near and far gear up for The Mountain. Ski season at Taos Ski Valley opens November 26th, with both skiers and snowboarders welcome to leave their downhill imprints. Paying homage to Bacchus, The 23rd Annual Taos Winter Wine Festival will feature 40 different winemakers from Oregon and California—along with leading importers from Italy and France—January 25-February 2. When dining out, two restaurants have become my stand-out favorites: The Love Apple and Gutiz. The Love Apple, an old restored church, is steeped in an elegant yet cozy candlelit ambience, and the menu, featuring mostly local and regional fare, is consistently exceptional. Gutiz, a breakfast/lunch/dinner place, serves up eclectic Latin-French cuisine.
As the only the only living Native American community designated both a World Heritage Site by UNESCO and a National Historic Landmark, Taos Pueblo hosts their festive, religious celebrations—The Procession of the Virgin, and the Deer or Matachines Dance—on December 24 or 25, respectively. And for a great neighborhood feel, stroll Ledoux Street in Taos on December 12, when farolitos and luminarias line the street, and homes and businesses offer music and refreshments.

Aging Gracefully
Upon one of my recent visits to Santa Fe, I talked to a guy who had moved there from Washington, D.C. 25 years earlier, and he told me, with proud certainty: “This is the best little city in America.”
It also ranks as one of the oldest, as “The City Different” is celebrating its 400th anniversary (1610-2010). Always the distinguished matriarch, Santa Fe’s recent makeovers have brought new vim and vigor to the old-timer. The Santa Fe Railyard, which allows people to commute to Albuquerque on New Mexico’s new Railrunner train, opened 50 acres of parks, paths, shops and galleries, turning the area into a trendy hot-spot. The Plaza and many of the city’s hotels have been or are in the midst of being renovated. And the Santa Fe Community Convention Center includes the Santa Fe Community Gallery, which not only features the work of Santa Fe artists, but also serves as a source for tickets to shows and tourist information.
Yet, the more things change, the more they stay the same… and in the case of winter tradition in Santa Fe, that’s a good thing. Enjoy a little holiday-inspired train travel on the “Santa Fe Southern Railroad” (December 21 to the 31), or visit the Plaza on Christmas Eve, when 1,000 farolitos and Christmas lights illuminate the setting. An annual holiday favorite, “A Merry New Mexico Christmas,” is performed by the Santa Fe Desert Chorale at the Cristo Rey Church (December 22). And the New Year will be ushered in with a storm of collective movement, as there will be dances at many of the pueblo villages surrounding the Santa Fe area.

Fire In The Sky
Named after its awe-inspiring sunsets, which emblazon the mountain peaks red and gold, Angel Fire will be taking the slope-friendly-fun past sundown this winter. Their 43rd ski season opens on December 12, with their newest installments—night skiing and snowboarding—being offered on weekends and during special holiday times (starting on December 19). Angel Fire’s two freestyle parks were voted “Best Terrain Park In a North American Ski Resort” in 2008 by OntheSnow.com, and if you want to catch the “express” down the mountain, check out The Polar Coaster, the biggest tubing park in the Southern Rockies. Other notable events include: The Torchlight Parade and Fireworks (Christmas Eve and New Year’s Eve), and The Ice Fishing Tournament (January 16).

Whose Mine Is It Anyway?
Jim Morrison of The Doors once sang, “The West is the best… get here and we’ll do the rest.” That could be the tagline for Red River, whose history as a gold-fever mining town, paired with the spirit of a saddle-strung maverick, remains vital today. Saloons with swinging doors, wooden plank sidewalks, horseback riding, and hoedowns are just some of Red River’s western-flavored offerings. Then there’s Red River’s ringing-in of the new with some vintage fun at the Old-Fashioned New Year’s Eve Party, which will feature a cake walk, pizza walk, hula-hooping and more.

Oh, The Places You’ll Go!
That depends on you.
There will be choices.
And you’ll have to decide
where to go, what to do.

The picturesque village of Eagle Nest is home to Eagle Nest Lake, which offers some of the finest fishing for rainbow trout and Kokanee salmon in the Southwest. In Las Vegas, home to 1,000 buildings on the historic national register, there will be a Holiday Tour of classic Victorian houses (December 12). How about Cimarron, the old mining and ranching community—who’s had its fair share of legendary visitors, such as Kit Carson, Blackjack Ketchum, Clay Allison and Will James—and boasts Cimarron Canyon State Park, where ancient rock formations, the Palisades, and Valle Vidal constitute all-natural treasures. Or maybe the path you choose will lead you into the “heart of the Sangre de Cristo Mountains,” Questa, where you can drop into the historic St. Anthony’s Church (built in 1841) and check out the interior adorned with traditional santos and retablos (“saints” and “tablets”).
So….

With feet in your shoes
And vision in your eyes
Oh, the places you’ll go,
Oh, the mountains you’ll climb!

– John Biscello

This article appeared on page 13 of the 2009 print edition of SkiCountry.