Round Rio Rancho

Another successful Rio Rancho Christmas Parade (officially the Winterfest Parade) has come and gone… The weather was great – not too cold and very little wind. Thousands of children and adults lined Southern Blvd. to watch bands, floats, and miscellaneous decorated vehicles go by. It was tough to decide who made more noise – the parade participants or the onlookers lining the streets. “Merry Christmas!” was the phrase of the night.

Bringing up the rear of the parade was a Rio Rancho Fire Department ladder truck, with Santa and Mrs. Claus waiving to the crowds from the top of the truck 

5 Bedrooms, 3 Baths, Approximately 2976 Sq Ft, 3 Car Garage

One of the cool things about New Mexico is the number of great destinations within a couple hours drive of the Albuquerque / Rio Rancho area. We joined a local hiking group this past weekend for an excursion to the Bosque del Apache National Wildlife Refuge. The Refuge is located on 30,000 acres just 113 miles south of Rio Rancho, just south of Socorro. It is the site of the annual Festival of the Cranes, usually held in late November.

Many years ago, the Rio Grande River meandered more, and would create shallow marshes and wetlands in this area. Migrating waterfowl would visit this area after leaving their northern digs when it got cold. Over the years, the Rio Grande became more of a specific channel, and the birds lost their habitat. When the Bosque Del Apache Wildlife Refuge was established, they redirected part of the Rio Grande’s flow into acres of lowland to re-create the marshes preferred by the birds. Much of the rest of the land is now devoted to raising crops, some of which is left in the field as food for the birds.

During the day, the Sandhill Crains are in the pastures, eating, strutting and calling. At dusk however, they leave the pastures and head to the shallow ponds where they will be safer from predators in the dark. Some years, the cranes number up to 15,000 and blanket the sky. When we visited, the crane count was only about 2500. The weather had been pretty warm, so the real migration had not yet peaked. About 30 minutes after dark, when there was too little light to film, the snow geese flock swooped into the pond to join the cranes. The arrival ratcheted up the bird noise by a factor of ten. As of today, the snow goose population is around 8500. There are dozens of bird species present, (including Great Blue Herons, Bald Eagles and American White Pelicans) easy walking trails, bird observation blinds, and great facilities overall. I recommend this as a great day trip for the whole family any time of year.

3 Bedrooms, Office, 3 Baths, Approximately 1850 Sq Ft, 2 Car Garage
A full remodel has already been completed! Included were New Stainless Steel Appliances, New Countertops, Sinks and Plumbing Fixtures, Brushed Nickel Light Fixtures, New Carpet and Tile, New Decorator Stair Banister and more! You will enjoy the Private Office adjoining the master bedroom. The back yard is set up for entertaining, with a Huge Covered Deck. Easy care landscaping front and back. Great west side location near Paseo del Norte, for an easy commute to work or play.

How could shark’s teeth be just lying around on the ground just a few miles west of Rio Rancho, NM? Well it seems that many, many years ago this area was covered by ocean. If you know where to look, and what you are looking for, it’s relatively easy to find ancient shark’s teeth, the remnants of shellfish and petrified wood on or near the surface.

Last week, members of the League of Exceptional Gentlemen and their families went on a hunt for “Teeth and Bones” in the Rio Puerco Valley. The Rio Puerco Valley is primarily known for the nearly 50 volcanic necks in the area and for its rugged beauty.

In areas where hills have been pushed up from the plains, we easily found ancient clam shells, and the remains of other, larger shellfish. Wherever there were clam shells, chances were good that you would also find shark’s teeth – sometimes small, pointed or serrated teeth, sometime larger teeth, and sometimes more blunt molar-like grinding teeth for crushing shells. Often the teeth were encased in stone.  Also lying on the surface were various types of volcanic rock and lots of gypsum crystals. The crystals looked like pieces of flat 1/4 inch thick, clear glass. The sand dunes of White Sands, NM are made of gypsum crystals. In the space of a couple hours, the group located at least a dozen shark teeth and many more artifacts.

Much time is spent on analyzing and trying to predict the housing market. Below are some  home sales statistics for the Rio Rancho, NM housing market compiled by Al-tos Research, a California firm that specializes in housing research for cities all across the U.S. As you see, the median sale price in the Rio Rancho, NM market has been dropping pretty consistently over the last 12 months. Their proprietary Market Activity Index, which combines inventory levels, absorbtion rates, changes in median sale prices and other factors gives a snapshot as to whether the market indicates a “buyer’s market” or a “sellers market’. A number near 30 on their scale, would indicate a market in balance. A lower number, as is currently displayed indicates a definite buyer’s market right now.

The Days on Market chart can actually be deceiving, as it only tracks the time that homes which have sold are staying on the market. Hundreds of homes which never sell at all, are not factored into this statistic. The Price per Square Foot chart is useful, as it mirrors the overall price movement in the market. As you can see in the last chart, the inventory of Rio Rancho, NM homes has moved up since January. Of course, this change influences all of the other graphs, as a higher inventory most often causes downward pressure on prices, and increases the buyer’s market condition.


Al-tos Research offers their statistical services to home buyers and sellers nationwide.

This adorable brown and gray Shorthair Chihuahua is available for adoption at the Rio Rancho Animal Control Shelter on Northern Blvd. He is about 5 years old, very affectionate, and likes to be held, once he gets to know you. His ID number is C10-001204. If you have room in your home for this little cutie, call the shelter at 505 891-5075 to confirm his availability, If he’s already found a new home, they have lots of other wonderful pets there ready for adoption.

The Rio Rancho Animal Control Shelter is located at 3441 Northern Blvd, Rio Rancho, NM 87124. They are open Monday through Saturday from 9-5. They close from 12-1 for lunch.

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.

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!

4 BR  4 BA   Approx 3700 Sq Ft   3 Car Garage   Built 2007

This is probably the nicest home currently for sale in Rio Rancho! Everything in this home says luxury and quality. You’ll love the gleaming cherry wood floor in the unique octagonal living room; the way the chocolate chip granite contrasts with the dark knotty wood; The high end Jenn Aire appliances; the soaring family room with the granite fireplace surround; and the walls of windows with the best Sandia Mtn view in town. The huge Master Bedroom Suite is downstairs. You’ll love it!

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

(This property is no longer on the market.)

Located about half way between Jemez Springs and Battleship Rock, Soda Dam is an unusual geologic structure located alongside Route 4 in the Jemez Mountains. The dam was formed over thousands of years by depositing of minerals – primarily calcium carbonate, in minute layers to eventually build this magnificent structure. The dam partially blocks the Jemez River, sometimes creating a pool upstream. The materials were deposited on the dam by groundwater which seeped into the natural fault located nearby, was heated by volcanic rock deep in the earth, and which carried the dissolved minerals and gases back to the surface.

A number of active springs within the dam structure continue to carve small caves and streak the surface with color from various trace minerals.