Round Rio Rancho

The weather for the recent 5th Annual Sundae is Funday event at Loma Colorado Park in Rio Rancho, NM was pretty darn perfect, encouraging what may have been the best turnout for this event ever! Not only was the attendance over the top, but the number and variety of booths and vendors was also a record. There were booths from local businesses, churches, political campaigns, animal adoption agencies, plumbing firms, government agencies and more.

In keeping with the play-on-words event title, there were a number of ice cream related events, including a 50 ft ice cream sundae, and the Mayor Swisstack Sundae, where Rio Rancho Mayor Tom Swisstack allowed children to turn him into a human banana split. (As I observed the carnage, the terms “nuts” and “gone bananas” came to mind.)  The man is braver than I…

There was a display of classic and collectible cars, various children’s games and activities and a wide variety of family friendly fun. In keeping with the original concept of an affordable family event, food and drinks were free or very reasonably priced.

The day was co-sponsored by the Rio Rancho Kiwanis Club, the City of Vision Civitan Club, the local Elks Lodge and the Rio Rancho Parks, Recreation and Community Services Department. Proceeds are earmarked to benefit  local Boy Scout Troops, the Rio Rancho Boys and Girls Club, and the Sandoval County Juvenile Justice Program and scholarships for children to participate in fee required recreation events. Co-Chairmen Dave Heil and Tony Popper plus Connie Peterson did a lot of the heavy lifting to make the event a success.

There are over 400 miles (and counting) of biking trails in the Metro Albuquerque / Rio Rancho area. Before exploring them, be sure to visit High Desert Bicycles in Rio Rancho.

Almost 50% of our national military force is comprised of members of the National Guard and Reserve. Most of them also have jobs outside of the military.

Did you know that there is a federal law requiring that all employers, regardless of size, must do the following 6 things –

1. Allow employees to participate in Military Service;
2. Provide prompt reinstatement back into their former job following military service;
3. Continue accumulation of seniority, including pension plan benefits during service;
4. Reinstate health insurance on return;
5. Train or retrain job skills, including accomodation for the disabled;
6. Protect against discrimination based upon Guard or Reserve status.

To educate employers about USERRA (Uniformed Services Employment and Reemployment Rights Act), a DOD agency called ESGR (Employer Support of Guard and Reserve – Don’t you just love all the military acronyms?), regularly invites employers to participate in a “Boss Lift”.

This past week myself and a couple dozen other employers from the Albuquerque / Rio Rancho NM area were invited to the New Mexico National Guard Headquarters and Training Center in Santa Fe. We received some hands-on experience, training, and exposure to a number of military training scenarios. We got up close and personal with a Blackhawk Helicopter; several Military Humvees with weapons in place; explored a FOB (Forward Operating Base) set up to acclimate outbound soldiers with their living environments in the field; experienced the inside of a Humvee Roll-Over Trainer; and a VCOT (Virtual Convoy Operations Trainer). The group probably split as to the most interesting activity of the day, between rappelling down a 50 ft vertical tower, and firing laser-equiped weapons on the Virtual Firing Range.

Frankly, I was extremely impressed with the quality and technology of the equipment the New Mexico facility utilizes to train our local citizen-soldiers. I had no idea that their “classrooms” had progressed to this degree….

Getting back to the reason for our visit on base: What I took away from the day is that we can all do our part and more, for our friends, family members and employees in the Reserve and National Guard. If you have an opening to fill, consider hiring a Reservist or a Guardsman if possible. If they get called to duty, make sure they know that their job is one less thing they’ll need to worry about when they get back from protecting all of us while deployed. I’d also like to thank Lt. Colonel Shuert, Major General Kenny Montoya, and Gary Kaiser from ESGR for their time and the hospitality they showed our group.

The City of Rio Rancho is big on parades – including a Christmas Season Parade and a 4th of July Parade, but none of them approach the significance of the annual Memorial Day Parade. With the country slowly withdrawing from one war, and expanding another one, we all had good reason to take some to celebrate the contributions made by our men and women in uniform.

Following the parade there was a ceremony at the Rio Rancho Veteran’s Memorial.

With a high percentage of the active military contingent from New Mexico coming from the state’s National Guard and Reserve forces, we all need to support these organizations, their members and families. We’ll have more about the Guard and Reserves in an upcoming post.

3 BR  3 BA    Approx 2415 Sq Ft    3 Car Garage

You’ll find this Gorgeous Crest-Built home to be a cut above, with its Soaring Living Room, including an Architecturally Unique Wall of Windows. Enjoy the Warm Wood Laminate Flooring, Custom Paint, Solid Surface Kitchen Counters and Newer Stainless Steel Appliances. The 3 Car Garage is Heated and Cooled, with Insulated Doors (great for a workshop). Out back are Large, Mature Trees shading the Lush Green Lawn. Got wheeled toys? Then you will enjoy the Gated Back Yard Access.

For more info and photos, go to MarkandSheilaTeam.com .

One Saturday, I stopped in at the Idalia Road Marketplace in Rio Rancho to pick up some fresh fruit and vegetables. There were these two guys playing guitar and supplying some really great shopping background music. They were DJ Armijo and William Montgomery. I had my camera in the car, so I asked the guys to play their coolest piece. This is the result…

If you like their stuff, and would like to hire them to perform for you, you can reach them at 505 321 7057.

Fenton Lake State Park is located at 7900 feet elevation in the Jemez Mountains, about 65 miles Northwest of Rio Rancho,  and about 10 miles off NM Route 4. The park consists of 700 acres of Ponderosa Pine forest and high mountain meadow land, plus about 35 acres of lake. The fishing’s good, and the lake’s stocked regularly with rainbow and brown trout. Supposedly, the fishing’s even better during the winter, (through 2 feet of ice) but I doubt I’ll ever verify that… Small boats are allowed on the lake, but only paddle-powered ones.

There’s a great campground in the park, with 40 developed sites – some with hookups, a playground, a group shelter and restrooms.

Although Cochiti Lake is a shorter distance from Rio Rancho (and a much larger lake), if you want more of a mountain-with-pine-trees environment in which to do some fishing and paddling, Fenton Lake’s the closest.

Watch as the foliage changes with elevation…It’s pretty interesting… Keep your eye out for the hummingbird too!