Moving back to NM

dieselenthusiast · **Posted:** Wed May 19, 2010 10:00 am

BVCRD wrote:

Looks like you're down around Ramah. Where you going to teach? Bread Springs....BIA?

We’re going to build our home right off Timberlake Road (Forest Road 157). For now, we’ll most likely stay in teacher housing unless if we take a job in Gallup. I’m not sure which school we’ll end up at. We have job opportunities in Ramah, Zuni, and several schools throughout Gallup McKinley County. I’m still debating if I want administration or go back to teaching.

BVCRD · **Posted:** Wed May 19, 2010 10:03 am

dieselenthusiast wrote:

BVCRD wrote:

Looks like you're down around Ramah. Where you going to teach? Bread Springs....BIA?

We’re going to build our home right off Timberlake Road (Forest Road 157). For now, we’ll most likely stay in teacher housing unless if we take a job in Gallup. I’m not sure which school we’ll end up at. We have job opportunities in Ramah, Zuni, and several schools throughout Gallup McKinley County. I’m still debating if I want administration or go back to teaching.

My wife worked for GM for about 2 months before she went BIA. More money. Less hassle. I hear window rock is a hole. Gang Bangers. Stay away from there. Can you say what turned you off about MT? We have our own reasons. We're pulling out of here after 1 more year. Colo legislation is sucking badly. Back to AK for us.

kskj · **Posted:** Wed May 19, 2010 10:15 am

Congratulations Rhett.

dieselenthusiast · **Posted:** Wed May 19, 2010 11:15 am

BVCRD wrote:

My wife worked for GM for about 2 months before she went BIA. More money. Less hassle. I hear window rock is a hole. Gang Bangers. Stay away from there. Can you say what turned you off about MT? We have our own reasons. We're pulling out of here after 1 more year. Colo legislation is sucking badly. Back to AK for us.

I thought about going to Zuni, they are BIA. Montana is a beautiful place, but I think New Mexico is just as beautiful. The weather can be pretty harsh in the winter months here in Montana, whereas New Mexico (even at 7,000 feet) isn’t too bad. Overall, we really like the location in New Mexico. Mountain property is also getting more expensive. We own 10 acres of gorgeous mountain property that I couldn’t touch in Montana for under $200,000. Plus, our backyard is a National Forest. It’s nothing to see Elk on our New Mexico Property. Plus, our subdivision has a lake full of rainbow trout, lots of bear, bobcat, mule deer, turkey, coyotes, and other critters. Oh, and we have our own beehives too. Some of the best honey I’ve ever harvested has come from New Mexico. We also have our own water rights in New Mexico and the water is pristine. Our last well pumped 22 gallons per minute and tested on the soft side. We thought about Alaska just to bank money for a few years, but I’m ready to settle down.

BVCRD · **Posted:** Wed May 19, 2010 11:29 am

I understand your reasoning completely. The worst winter I ever went through, including Alaska was in Montana. 40 below, 4 feet of snow in 2 days, white outs. There are some things I miss about NM. I always looked forward to the monsoons in the summer. Having been raised in Kansas, I miss lightning sometimes. We were at 7200 feet in Crownpoint. The crispness of the air in the morning, smell of sagebrush, some of the best Navajo tacos I ever had. Any snow we ever got in NM was melted off by 10am. I'd go back there to retire.

dieselenthusiast · **Posted:** Wed May 19, 2010 11:38 am

yellocoyote wrote:

kskj wrote:

Congratulations Rhett.

x2

How long before the move?

That’s a hard question to answer. We’ll be making our first trip to New Mexico the first week of June. I’ll be towing a trailer and Sarah will drive one of the Jeeps. Then we’ll go back to Montana for a few weeks so Sarah can teach summer school and I’ll finish my contract. We have a lot of stuff to move, so who knows how long it will take to get everything moved. :banghead:

Either way, it will take three trips. :shock:

BVCRD · **Posted:** Wed May 19, 2010 11:44 am

We got the biggest uhual truck and a car hauler trailer when we moved from NM to MT. Wife followed me in the 1984 Jeep Grand Wagoneer that we had at the time. I remember that when we moved from bush Alaska to down here, we had to mail everything. Cost us like $900 in postage with 40 some boxes. Had stamps stuck all over the boxes. Some of the stamps were never cancelled ....lol.

dieselenthusiast · **Posted:** Wed May 19, 2010 11:51 am

BVCRD wrote:

I understand your reasoning completely. The worst winter I ever went through, including Alaska was in Montana. 40 below, 4 feet of snow in 2 days, white outs. There are some things I miss about NM. I always looked forward to the monsoons in the summer. Having been raised in Kansas, I miss lightning sometimes. We were at 7200 feet in Crownpoint. The crispness of the air in the morning, smell of sagebrush, some of the best Navajo tacos I ever had. Any snow we ever got in NM was melted off by 10am. I'd go back there to retire.

Yeah, you should really think about retiring here. If you like the Ramah Valley, then I would consider Timberlake Ranch Subdivision. The Ranch is divided into 5 acre lots. Most of the lots have Ponderosa Pines, Pinion, White Junipers, Red (Cedar) Junipers, some Scrub Oak, some Douglas Fir, and some Alligator Juniper. Because we are located in the Zuni Mountains, we do see some good snow; however, like you said, most of the snow is gone within a few hours (or just a few days). We had snow on the ground here in Montana this year for 79 days in a row and I just about went crazy. Like I said, my backyard is the Cibola National Forest. Lots of BLM land, BIA land, National Forest land, National Park land, and National Monument land within 15 miles. If you like being remote, then this is the place.

BVCRD · **Posted:** Wed May 19, 2010 12:12 pm

We looked at some land near El Morro once. Mostly pinon pine. Elk everywhere. I saw a jack rabbit that at first, I thought was a baby deer. Monsters.

jnaut · **Posted:** Wed May 19, 2010 2:45 pm

Diesel,

Where exactly is that in NM. I was born and riased in southern NM (Las Cruces) and really never made it to the northern part of the state much. That looks beautiful.

edit: read downthread. Google mapped that. That's a part of the state I don't think I've ever been to. Been to Alb, Santa Fe and Taos. Never been in that western section. That looks awesome.

BVCRD · **Posted:** Wed May 19, 2010 2:50 pm

He can tell you, but that is in the northwestern part, almost west central. It is pretty country, and I haven't found any prettier in NM except for maybe down around Reserve, or north of Grants.

dieselenthusiast · **Posted:** Wed May 19, 2010 3:52 pm

jnaut wrote:

Diesel,

Where exactly is that in NM. I was born and riased in southern NM (Las Cruces) and really never made it to the northern part of the state much. That looks beautiful.

edit: read downthread. Google mapped that. That's a part of the state I don't think I've ever been to. Been to Alb, Santa Fe and Taos. Never been in that western section. That looks awesome.

It's easily one of the most beautiful places that I've seen in the Western United States with the most affordable prices. You can buy 5 acres for $50,000 dollars with calendar views. New York Magazine lists the Ramah area as being one of their top world destinations. Also Frommer’s (a world travel magazine) listed the Ramah area as one of ten most up and coming destinations in the world.

BVCRD · **Posted:** Wed May 19, 2010 4:18 pm

dieselenthusiast wrote:

jnaut wrote:

Diesel,

Where exactly is that in NM. I was born and riased in southern NM (Las Cruces) and really never made it to the northern part of the state much. That looks beautiful.

edit: read downthread. Google mapped that. That's a part of the state I don't think I've ever been to. Been to Alb, Santa Fe and Taos. Never been in that western section. That looks awesome.

It's easily one of the most beautiful places that I've seen in the Western United States with the most affordable prices. You can buy 5 acres for $50,000 dollars with calendar views. New York Magazine lists the Ramah area as being one of their top world destinations. Also Frommer’s (a world travel magazine) listed the Ramah area as one of ten most up and coming destinations in the world.

That area around El Morro was $3000 an acre I think. Not really in the mountains, but there are some extinct volcanoes in the area. Look more like foothills around here.

kskj · **Posted:** Wed May 19, 2010 9:07 pm

Those volcanoes are cool I hiked around that area last fall when I worked out there for a few weeks. There are some nice forest roads too but the company van did not make it very far before i turned around. :lol:

dieselenthusiast · **Posted:** Wed May 19, 2010 11:12 pm

kskj wrote:

Those volcanoes are cool I hiked around that area last fall when I worked out there for a few weeks. There are some nice forest roads too but the company van did not make it very far before i turned around. :lol:

We’ll have to plan a week where people can come out and hit some of those trails. Back in 2003, I bought several topographical maps and highlighted the trails I’ve been on. There are several that I haven’t touched. There are some trails/roads that we can make an expedition out of. New Mexico is very similar to UT and NV in the sense that you can go hundreds of miles on dirt roads/trails that are rarely traveled.

Anyway, here's the link to the volcano’s.

http://www.nps.gov/elma/index.htm

BVCRD · **Posted:** Thu May 20, 2010 8:31 am

I think I told you this before, but one of the best roads I have been on is the one going from McGaffy Lake west down to Bread Springs. I think the only way to drive it is downhill. You have to drop off of shelfs and the steepness makes it almost impossible to go uphill. It's almost like a controlled fall. Then there is the one headed northeast of Red Rocks rodeo grounds outside of Gallup. I spent most of the time in the ditch after a brief downpour. The red clay was slicker than snot. I was in 4x4 but still could stay going straight. The ditch was smooth, and probably was the best option.

MtnLuvr · **Posted:** Mon May 31, 2010 8:26 pm

Awesome photos and great recommendation for the area. Very interesting.....especially since I occassionally browse for mountain properties...................................now my mind is a wanderin'...............................

MtnLuvr · **Posted:** Mon May 31, 2010 8:36 pm

diesel, any concerns about the pine bark beetles hitting your Zuni mountains / Cibola National Forest area?

BVCRD · **Posted:** Mon May 31, 2010 9:17 pm

Spruce and doug fir have been hit hard, but not so much pines.

kskj · **Posted:** Mon May 31, 2010 9:32 pm

MtnLuvr wrote:

Awesome photos and great recommendation for the area. Very interesting.....especially since I occassionally browse for mountain properties...................................now my mind is a wanderin'...............................

Next year on the way (it's a little out of the way)to Moab we will be stopping in New Mexico to see Rhett. Maybe you can join us. It is a lot less crowded than the front range.

Moving back to NM

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