Written by Mark T Fiedler - The Mark and Sheila Team February 17th, 2014
Candidates for the office of Rio Rancho Mayor – Mike Williams, Jim Owen, Gregg Hull and Morgan Braden faced off to answer questions posed by the Rio Rancho Observer and the Albuquerque Journal at Cleveland High School on February 13, 2014. Nine candidates for Rio Rancho City Council handled questions for the first hour, including Darlene Collins, Dawnn Robinson and Sandra Atwood for District 2; Tamara Gutierrez and Cheryl Everett for District 3; and Shelby Smith, Paul Howell, Tim Crum and Thomas Buckner for District 5. The Municipal Election will be held March 4, 2014. Early voting is underway now.
If you did not get a chance to attend in person, we hope these videos supply additional decision-making information to all eligible voters in Rio Rancho. Local government has a bigger day-to-day impact on each of us than state or federal governments, yet voter turnout has been historically low in Rio Rancho for local elections. We hope that trend improves this year, and we’re doing our part. Each video is about one hour, so get a snack, get educated about the candidates and VOTE!
Written by Mark T Fiedler - The Mark and Sheila Team February 5th, 2014
4 Bedrooms, 2 Bathrooms, 1858 Sq Ft (approx)
Clean, spacious, energy-efficient and polished… This beautiful Artistic built home in Los Milagros is ready for a new family. The appliances come with it, including a stainless steel refrigerator and a front-loading washer/dryer pair. There’s push button recirculating hot water in the baths and kitchen, and super efficient hydronic forced air heat. If you spend time in your garage, you’ll love the fully finished, painted and trimmed look, with an epoxied floor. The metal roof is highly rated and there’s lots of blown in insulation below it. This is a real find at a super price! (Not a short sale.)
Written by Mark T Fiedler - The Mark and Sheila Team February 4th, 2014
The Vista Linda Campground is one of the few campgrounds in the Santa Fe National Forest that is open year-round. Unlike some campgrounds this National Forest Service run facility is both located and equipped so just about any day you might arrive you’ll be able to enjoy your stay. The 6800 foot altitude will provide slightly cooler summer temps and more moderate winter temps as well. Although snow does fall at this elevation, it usually won’t stay around very long. During our January visit the high temps neared 55 and at night it dipped just below 20 degrees. The drinking water spigots are a non freezing type, and the vault toilets were clean and well ventilated. (An early morning visit would probably be rather invigorating.) This is a small campground, with just 13 tent or RV spaces for overnight use. The internal roads and pads are paved. There are fire pits and grills, but no water or electrical hookups. Some spaces are pull through, but most are back-in type. Some have room for 2 RVs with 2 picnic tables for small groups. Some picnic tables are in the open and some are covered. This campground is walk up only; no reservations can be made.
The Jemez River parallels the campground (in fact it was just 30 feet from our campsite). If you like to fish (and have a fishing license), we are told that it’s a great place to get your trout on. Gas, groceries and restaurants are just a few miles away. Pets are welcome, but keep them leashed and safe. ATV’s or other non street legal vehicles may not be used.
Directions: 5 miles South of Jemez Springs on NM State Highway 4.
Written by Mark T Fiedler - The Mark and Sheila Team December 28th, 2013
3 Bedrooms, 2 Bathrooms, 1648 Sq Ft (approx)
New carpet, fresh paint, no polybutylene pipe and so warm and inviting! The private back yard includes a shed with power, an open deck and lots of pine trees. Refrigerated A/C keeps you cool even on humid days. The kitchen has tons of storage and a new Bosch dishwasher was recently installed. There’s a large workshop in the garage and so much more here!
When you walk into this home, two things will grab your attention: The gleaming honey-colored wood flooring, and the warmth emanating from the freestanding wood stove in the living room. Even a small smoldering log will keep things warm for a long time… To the right is the large, open kitchen with a stainless steel stove, and the formal dining room with a pass through from the kitchen – both with ceramic tile. To the left are the bedrooms and the two baths. The carpet in the bedrooms and lots of the paint is new as of Fall 2013. Outside, there is back yard access with space to store extra vehicles or boats . The patio is covered, overlooking the fully landscaped yard, with pathways, sitting areas, grass, trees and a small
storage shed. Come take a look!
Written by Mark T Fiedler - The Mark and Sheila Team October 19th, 2013
New Mexico RV Campground Videos
As you drive the 21 miles northwest from Mimbres, New Mexico, to the Mesa Campground in the Gila National Forest, you might not be convinced that there’s really going to be a place to park your RV at the end of the well-paved, easy-driving two lane road. A few miles out during the right time of year, on both sides of the road there will be incredible fields of flowers as far as you can see. Next you’ll encounter a small dense forest of redwood trees. At any time, Robin Hood and his men could have pulled us over…. After the forest, you’re there!
The campground is flat and open, with low trees, fields of grass and flowers. Some of the campsites overlook Lake Roberts, but access is up the road a little ways. 12 RV sites have water and electrical hookups. A dozen more tent camping sites exist, some of which can still accommodate an RV if all the sites with hookups are in use. Each campsite has a fire ring and a picnic table. The restroom facilities have flush toilets but no showers. There is a dump station near the entrance. All in all, you couldn’t ask for a nicer RV camping facility than the Mesa Campground, a US Forest Service site.
Written by Mark T Fiedler - The Mark and Sheila Team October 15th, 2013
NM RV Campground Videos
Boasting some of the most unusual rock formations in the state, City of Rocks State Park is kind of like Stonehenge in the middle of a grass prairie. The rocks appear to be regular rounded boulders, but they are actually fused volcanic ash from a nearby caldera.
The State Park is located 30 miles from Deming, NM and 33 miles from Silver City off US Highway 180 – a straight, flat 2 lane highway.
The RV Campground has 10 pull through or back in spaces with electric and water hookups. All spaces have a shelter over a picnic table, with a nearby public restroom and showers.
There are 42 more developed campsites, with most appropriate for tent camping, but some are adequate for parking an RV without hookups. You can make reservations for the camping and RV spaces, but be aware that as of this writing the reservation system only reserves 2 of the 10 RV spaces. The rest are first come first served. According to the staff, they are most often not full.
Written by Mark T Fiedler - The Mark and Sheila Team October 11th, 2013
The Pumpkin Patch run to benefit the Galloping Grace Youth Ranch in Rio Rancho is like no other. You can buy a decent pumpkin at any grocery store, but when you step inside this wonderland of pumpkins you get a couple hours of child and family friendly entertainment to boot! In fact they call it a Harvest Festival! There are games, farm animals, tractor races, a corn pit (No, we had never seen one before either…), hay bale art, the mud pie cafe (one of our favorites) and so much more! If you haven’t already bought your pumpkins, or even if you have, visit this great event right behind the Santa Ana Star Center. They will be open daily through Halloween from 9am – 6:30 pm, weather permitting.
Written by Mark T Fiedler - The Mark and Sheila Team October 11th, 2013
Oktoberfest (or Oktoberfestival) has been a long-standing tradition in Rio Rancho. For the last three years it has been picked up and revitalized by a new organizer, who has been able to generate more volunteer participation, more vendor participation, and who has attracted a world class Petanque competition to the event. Teams from 20 countries came to Rio Rancho to compete and to spend money locally at hotels and restaurants. The “Miss Oktoberfest” competition welcomed a half dozen young Fräuleins in hand made costumes to the beer garden as well.
Written by Mark T Fiedler - The Mark and Sheila Team September 28th, 2013
With 360 degree views and 2 natural building pads, this 21 acre lot is sure to amaze! Located just 4.5 miles outside of Silver City, if you built your home here, you could commune with nature, yet be close to city services. Highway 180 adjoins the base of the property, with a good road to the top. Electricity is located at the edge of the property and city water is available as well (consult listing broker for details). Owner financing avail, and might be willing to split into 2 lots.
The owner of this great 2 story Northern Meadows home wanted to make it REALLY special, so they added a huge 27x15ft covered patio, with a covered Trex-floored balcony above that! There’s a spiral staircase between them, plus a gazebo in the garden to complete this super entertainment and relaxation space. Then there’s the rest of the house – with lots of storage, 1 bath downstairs and 2 up, a huge master suite with french doors that open onto the balcony, a spacious bath and walk-in closet.
Written by Mark T Fiedler - The Mark and Sheila Team August 7th, 2013
The Alameda Open Space parking lot is a great starting point to use the Paseo del Bosque Trail is one of Albuquerque’s premier bike, rollerblade, equestrian and walking trails. The trail is wide, well paved and provides views of the Rio Grande River, local wildlife, and the back of adjoining homes, some of which have horses, camels and llamas. We have been riding there for years, and recently shared the experience with our Granddaughter, Kaya. However, this ride was cut short . Due to recent heavy rains, there was mud at the ends of the underpass tunnel at Paseo del Norte. As I was coming out of the tunnel, I hit a pile of mud, which caused me to lose control. I landed on the retaining wall just outside.
The HD Hero camera mounted on the handlebars captured the whole thing, and was undamaged. I, however, was not so lucky. I did not break any bones, but my right arm and leg got pretty ripped up. I hit my head on a brick, but the helmet saved me from a head injury. I was able to ride back out, which was better than walking over a mile to the car. I’m sure that we’ll be back riding the bosque trail soon… I’ll just be a little more careful at the tunnels.
Written by Mark T Fiedler - The Mark and Sheila Team August 6th, 2013
This Spring an adult female coyote made a den under our shed in a rural part of Rio Rancho. Between the shed and the culverts under our driveways, we counted 8-9 pups living around our home. At 4 weeks old, the pups were cute as could be, and could run like heck between hiding places. It had been a very dry Spring, and the mom chewed up our irrigation distribution lines in the front and back yards, trying to find water. We repaired all the lines, and buried those that we could to shield them from further chewing.
A couple months later, we have noticed several of the pups, now 3 months old, frequenting the area. One morning one of them was hunting for food just outside our back yard wall. It certainly saw us watching it, but it was unconcerned, coming within 20 ft of our position several times. It stayed in the area for quite a while, allowing us to get quite a bit of footage. It’s all hand held, so it’s a little shaky in places. For more information on living with coyotes, go to Facebook.com and search Coexist with Coyotes in Corrales. Enjoy the film!
Written by Mark T Fiedler - The Mark and Sheila Team July 22nd, 2013
Each year the City of Rio Rancho goes all out to produce a 1st class fireworks show for the 4th of July. The location has changed from year to year as housing development has spread… You wouldn’t want them to launch high explosives right over your home, would you? Anyway, this year the prime public viewing location was at Rio Rancho High School – both on the field and from the stands. In addition to the folks brave enough to sit on metal stadium bleachers as a thunderstorm threatened, there were hundreds more in the hills surrounding the facility watching from their parked cars and trucks, or from home balconies and rooftops for miles. The lightning flashes were sometimes just as spectacular as the fireworks, and happened to be pretty much in the same direction of view from the stadium. We’ve preserved about 3/4 of the entire show here, so it’ll be just like you were there… Enjoy!
