Pests? Natural Disasters? (Albuquerque, Farmington, Alamogordo: moving to, best, areas)

[Cathy4017]

Originally Posted by TribalCat

How about snakes? Do you get rattlers there? Or gila monsters? I've heard they're poisonous if a dog mouths them, but I'm not sure. I'm thinking of around the Santa Fe area.

I'm sure there are rattlers and other snakes here in NM....but you won't find Gila monsters, as they are found only in AZ at the lower elevations.

[mortimer]

egglady took off for the views:

> (off to see if I can see Sierra Blanca from here)

BTW, Sierra Blanca is just a hair under 12,000 ft high (used to be
rated 12,002, I think). It is S of Carrizozo, N of Tularosa and about
10 miles NE of Ruidoso.

I've seen on wikipedia that it is *not* part of the Sacramento
Mountains, but other places say it is.

You can see if from I-25 in places, but I'm not sure if you can
see it from Alamogordo. I don't remember.

[Cathy4017]

Originally Posted by egglady

We have volcanoes here?
(newbie to NM )

Many of the formations in NM that you see now were formed from ancient volcanoes.

I cannot remember the exact spot, but when I was driving from Farmington to Alamogordo, I drove through an area that had black volcanic rock for several miles. It was somewhere between Cuba and Alamo. It was quite fascinating!!

Jane has kindly offered to let me ride along to Timberon this coming Monday.

I am really looking forward to it. As soon as I am not so dead tired (which I still am), I will do more exploring!!

[chilegal]

[quote=Cathy4017;1356790]Many of the formations in NM that you see now were formed from ancient volcanoes.

I cannot remember the exact spot, but when I was driving from Farmington to Alamogordo, I drove through an area that had black volcanic rock for several miles. It was somewhere between Cuba and Alamo. It was quite fascinating!!

Jane has kindly offered to let me ride along to Timberon this coming Monday.

QUOTE]

Cathy that was in Carazozo. Valley of fire. Its got a great trail to go around, and then there is Three Rivers. We will do them this winter when there is less of a chance of rattlers...

Nan is looking forward to seeing us on Monday..HUMMMMMMMMM do we need a pie???
Jane

[chilegal]

Originally Posted by mortimer

egglady took off for the views:

> (off to see if I can see Sierra Blanca from here)

BTW, Sierra Blanca is just a hair under 12,000 ft high (used to be
rated 12,002, I think). It is S of Carrizozo, N of Tularosa and about
10 miles NE of Ruidoso.

I've seen on wikipedia that it is *not* part of the Sacramento
Mountains, but other places say it is.

You can see if from I-25 in places, but I'm not sure if you can
see it from Alamogordo. I don't remember.

Yes you can see if from Alamo, if you have a clear view. Also, it is on the Mescalaro Indian Reservation, that may be why its listed as not part of the Sacrmento's. Even though it looks like it to me.
Jane

[Towanda]

One of my VERY FAVORITE places in New Mexico is El Malpais National Monument, which is the site of ancient volcanoes, lava beds,and lava caves, in west central New Mexico. (I think the closest city is Grants, NM.)

Anyone who has never been there needs to make the trip; it is WELL WORTH it. Some of the most impressive scenery in the state. Seeing La Ventana Natural Arch is worth the trip all by itself.

[Towanda]

Another spectacular site of an old volcano is Valle Grande, the mammoth caldera in the Jemez Mountains. My understanding is that the Jemez Mountains were formed primarily by the eruption of that volcano. It's another must-see volcano site in New Mexico. The size of it will take your breath away.

New Mexico is full of wonderful places, natural beauty and ecological history. what a simply WONDERFUL state!!!!

[LRUA]

Capulin Volcano National Monument in northeast NM is definitely worth checking out ...another impressive volcano is Ladron Peak 9,176' just west of Bernardo,NM ...you can see it from I-25 ....there are Gila Monster's in NM ...however only in the extreme SW ...around Virden/Red Rock area in Hildalgo County.... along the Gila River Valley ...they like hot desert conditions so are mainly in AZ ....other than rattlers ....I would say Hanta Virus and "The Plague" are the only things to worry about ...both are found thru out the West .....but for some reason more prevalent in northern NM and AZ ....

[jecc]

Originally Posted by Zoidberg

We do not have ticks, and any rodents you see will either be cute (squirrels, prairie dogs) or be very small white mice.
...

Natural disasters: Rare. If you live in a forest, forest fires can happen, but aren't likely. Usually a smoker, punk kid, or moron government employee is the cause. Floods are unheard of. Tornadoes, sometimes, esp. in the east, but also rare (1 sighting per year with no damage is typical). Temperatures here are far more predictable than most places.

The thing about NM is that it has some widely varying terrain, from high desert to deep forest. You can live in one part of the state and have little idea what life is like in another.

Here in the high mountains, the mice are not small or cute. They are gray and nasty. There are large rats too. Forest fires are not unlikely during droughts, which are common. Usually fires are started by lightning, not by fools. The lightning itself is a major force to look out for during monsoon season. Floods are not unheard of. They happen. I have been here less than three years and have seen more flooding here than in any other place I've lived. Floods tend to be worst in developed areas where planners fialed to anticipate them.

All that said, I do agree that the temps here are fairly predictable.

Also, I have felt one good jolt of an earthquake, big enough to shake the house. The thunder here has a similar effect.

I would not let any of these things scare you away from NM. I think the drunken drivers are probably a greater danger.

Someone mentioned Sierra Blanca, also called the White Mountains. It's a mountain range. Sierra Blanca Peak is the highest point, at almost 12K feet.

[mortimer]

Zoidberg pointed out:

> I always consider it a treat and a good omen when I see a roadrunner.

Same here. Cool bird. Some people hate them. (stupid people)

> Natural disasters: ... Floods are unheard of.

I'd like to amend that a bit: You don't see massive innundations
like those that are going on in the upper Midwest these last few
weeks (ie. Findlay, OH).

However, if you are living on a piece of property that is concave
rather than convex - BEWARE!

I have seen boulders as big as cars crossing Tramway and Juan
Tabo at the same time. Note that this is in a channel only as
wide as 20-30 ft, but it happens. People were killed. It was in
1988, I think.

It is desireable to live in the foothills, but those channels didn't
come about by accident. Those are drainages and sooner or
later, water will flow through them. It might not happen again
till next year or the next century, but ...

There were also some localized innundations in Martineztown last
year.

If you are from areas E of the Rockies or the W coast be prepared
to be really freaked out by your first desert thunderstorm that
causes spontaneous 'flowage' on your street.