This week my family and I have been visiting my wife’s father and stepmother in Rio Rancho, NM, for Christmas. So I went far beyond the boundaries of the Columbus Metro area to visit the Loma Colorado Public Library, one of two branches of the Rio Rancho Public Libraries. Sitting on a hillside, the library's large, glass walls offer a magnificent view of the Rio Grande Valley and beyond to Sandia Mountains a total of about 25 miles to the east. Unfortunately, as you can see in the photos below, it was snowing lightly when I visited the day after Christmas, so the view was obscured by the weather.
Rio Rancho lies on the mesas on the west side of the Rio Grande River northwest of Albuquerque. It owes its existence to a development by the AMREP Corp., which from the early 1960-s through 1975 sold tens of thousands of lots in “Rio Rancho Estates,” many if not most of them to people sight unseen by mail — $795 for a half-acre and $1495 for an acre. One sales brochures proclaimed it to be the “Healthiest Spot in the U.S.A. - Where The Sun Shines 360 Days A Year!” Ads for these high desert properties deliberately highlighted the green and blue of nearby mountain areas, showing forests, lakes, and streams, and claiming that water was readily available by drilling wells and the soil was suitable for inexpensive septic tank systems on the half-acre lots. While the ads and brochures stretched the truth considerably, there were indeed spectacular views of of the Sandias from the mesas. (The two photos below were taken Dec. 23rd from the town of Corrales in the valley. If you enlarge the shot to the left and look closely, you will see a sandhill crane and a coyote.)
When I first arrived in New Mexico in 1976 for a post-doctoral position at the Los Alamos National Lab, only a small portion of Rio Rancho had been developed, and vast majority of its more than 100,000 acres was empty desert crisscrossed by a grid of primitive dirt roads. The town of Rio Rancho was incorporated in 1981 with a population of about 10,000. Since then it has grown rapidly to more than 100,000 people today, which makes it the second largest city in New Mexico after Albuquerque. Its libraries have grown as well, from a single room in the town hall to two branches, including this stunning building built about 12 years ago.
Just inside the library entrance is a Customer Service desk to the left and to the right a small auditorium with art displayed along its walls. A bright teen center called The Twilight Zone is further along on the right.
A few more steps and I was in an impressive, well-lighted room with large expanses of glass along three sides. To the left (east) I could see computers and tables along the center with shelves of non-fiction books on one side and fiction on the other. To the right (west) are more computers with shelves of books for youth on the left and a children’s area surrounded by book shelves to the right. In between there is a rounded room for media. H saving only just opened, the library was not especially busy on this day after Christmas.
I would usually head for the children’s area first, but I just had to rush to that east-facing wall of windows despite the lack of any view. The table in southeast corner looked like an ideal place to sit and read once I’d finished exploring. I would just have to imagine that mountain view straight ahead to the east. Looking south I could see part of the hillside to the west, and I watched a couple of hawks soaring this cold December day.
I found more east-facing windows on the non-fiction side of the library stacks along with a number of study rooms that could be reserved. From there I headed back towards the tables and book shelves at the center of that end of the main room.
Then it was onward to the children’s area at the west end of the room, where there were lots of children’s books surrounding a wonderful story time center, and I could see a shaded patio just outside. The third picture below was taken looking back along the full length of the library toward the east end.
Done with exploring, I headed back to my chosen reading spot, passing several open study areas along the way.
The first two photos below show me settled in to read from my Kindle. The third photo shows my view back into the library.
[My wife's stepmother took the two photos below a few weeks later to show the view on a clear day from where I was sitting to read, and I added them to this post on 3/30/19. — Skip]
I only read for about a half an hour, because the whole family came along on this visit, and we needed to head out to lunch soon. Nonetheless, everyone — my son, my wife, and her father and stepmother — had found good ways to spend their time in the library.
Not being a Rio Rancho resident, I wasn’t able to check out a book. But on the way out I was waylaid by the Friends of the Library store just to the left of the exit door. So I did end up buying a book from my Amazon want list.
From the library, we headed to the Old Town area of Albuquerque for lunch at the Blake’s Lotaburger, Every time I get to New Mexico I just have to get a green chile cheese burger from Blake’s. This small southwest chain makes the best green chile cheeseburgers using Hatch green chile (as attested by National Geographic).
I watched the cook fry up burgers, knowing that two of those beauties on that grill would be slathered with green chiles and be mine. A green chile cheeseburger, fries, and a soda — absolutely wonderful!
There truly is only one Blake’s Lotaburger! While I didn’t get the Biscochito Milkshake, my son did, and he said it was very good. All in all everyone had a good time —at the library and at Blake’s. I can hardly wait to get back someday.
Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year to all from New Mexico!
