Excursions: Ruidoso

Last fall, around the same time that I went hiking around Cloudcroft, I also took a daytrip to Ruidoso. Located about an hour and a half from Roswell, Ruidoso is a popular resort town in southeastern New Mexico, known for its skiing, and in Ruidoso Downs, its horse racing (there's also the Hubbard Museum of the American West, which you should definitely check out if you're in the area, lots of carriages and other artifacts). In addition to its sporting scene, Ruidoso boasts plenty of little shops and other boutiques, as well as restaurants and other eateries.

As with Cloudcroft, however, I can't really tell you much about any of this, because my primary interest is in the hiking. When I go to Ruidoso it's to be outside in the forests.There are plenty of trails to be found throughout the area.

Here are a few shots of my day:

And of course, there was plenty of time for sketching:

With such great views of the mountains, I had to do at least one sketch of them.

I liked the textured bark on this tree.

This one is a little more vernacular-looking than most of what I do, but I was more interesting in getting the contrast between the black silhouettes of the trees and the effervescent colors of the grasses beneath them than I was in depicting a naturalistic scene.

Like most of my sketches, I don't know if I'll ever do anything with them, but the experience of drawing outdoors, of appreciating the scenery around you and paying homage to it with humble sketching, is a rejuvenating experience for me. It reminds me that we do live in a beautiful world; we just need to get out in it.