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We are done with fall and turkeys, on to cold weather and everyone gathering inside with family, and germs. I have already witnessed the same cold be passed back and forth between a few families this season, it kind of puts a damper in gathering together and visiting when you have to worry that someone’s cough is going to spread throughout the room and back to your homes where you will be stuck caring for sick babies while you yourself are fighting a case of the sniffles.
Fear not, because I have a solution. It’s cold, but there are still some outside activities to enjoy. The first one is bonfires, wrap up in a big sweatshirt and pajama bottoms, stack some wood from the tree that fell down last year and spend some time outdoors in camp chairs, checking out the stars and laughing with your loved ones.
Day trips are still possible, and I was discussing this with one of my new friends who just moved to New Mexico. Some of these we locals may take for granted; we took field trips there as kids or drove through them several times while we were commuting. White Sands National Monument is a given, at 275 square miles of gypsum sand dunes, it is the world’s largest, right here in our backyard. It will still be cold, but my experiences tell me that during the day, with the sun shining on it, you can get away with jeans and a coat.
City of Rocks is a personal favorite, growing up in Deming, it was always something cool to show people from out of town. You may have stopped by and hiked around a bit, but the fun thing is you can also camp there.
Each camping spot has a fire ring you can use for an outdoor campfire or to grill up some dinner. Reservations are required, but there are sites for medium and small RVs, so you won’t be left freezing, sleeping on the ground. Just make sure you bring plenty of propane. During the day, climbing up and down the rocks and through the hiking trails is enough to keep you warm. At night, the Milky Way and an extraordinary number of stars are visible, just let the cosmos be your blanket (but bring blankets too).
Don’t forget local museums. Small towns like Lincoln, Deming, Los Alamos, Alamogordo, Roswell, Kingston and Artesia all have their own unique histories, and you can spend hours indoors looking through their region’s artifacts. Many of these buildings are adobe and handle the cold weather amazingly.
If you go to the Kingston/Hillsboro area on a Saturday, there will likely be a group of “pickers”, musicians, set up around a campfire of their own. The Hillsboro Café is a great stop after your museum and antique store romps, and they always have fresh pie.
In the Southeast corner of the state, you can venture into another natural wonder of New Mexico, Carlsbad Caverns, which will be around the same temperature it normally is once you get inside. Just bring good shoes in case there happens to be ice at the top part of your descent.
Seasonal depression is such an issue at this time of year, we are all stressed from holiday shopping, lacking sunlight, and irritable from the cold weather. It is important to try to still get some living in while you can, even if you would prefer to be wrapped in several quilts, sipping hot coffee and watching your favorite TV show or curled up with a book. Which is also completely fine to do, but if you get the chance to stand under some beautiful stars or catch some rays from the winter sun, it may be a good idea to do so.
It is also a great opportunity to support our local museums and tourist destinations during the slow part of the year when they may be struggling.
