Our Places
Rodeo, New Mexico, is a sanctuary from everything that western culture
holds high in esteem. There are no supermarkets, shopping
centers, clothing stores, theaters, nightclubs, golf courses,
coffee shops, car dealers, music halls, hospitals, police.
There is a one-room business that is a combination restaurant,
gas station and canned goods store - an excellent place by
the way. There is an RV park, with three permanent RVs, that
doubles as a pizza parlor. There is a gun shop and a bar.
That's it.
We chose Rodeo because it is the greatest place on earth for aerotrekking. Nestled in a broad valley between the
granite spires of the Ciricahuas and the dry, rugged rocks of the
Peloncillos Mountains, it is a vast, near infinite plain looking
Northwest 200 miles to the Mogollon Rim, and looking
Southeast 100 miles to the Mexican border. Within a 15 minute flight in any direction are entrances to vast
canyons, cliff faces that are flyable for dozens of miles,
rock outcroppings that are miles long. The emptiness is vast, save for only isolated
ranches that crop up once or twice in each hundred square mile area.
The views are fantastic in every direction. From the middle of the valley looking West, the vast range of the
Chiricahuas stretches North and South as far as the eye can see, and to the East, the
Peloncillos Mountains exert their rugged presence all the way to Mexico. Bail-out options are plentiful, with 95% of the terrain between the mountains being
flat and un-impeded.
When we get bored with the Rodeo Valley we
hop over the Peloncillos and cruise the verdant green
Animas Valley to the East. The Animas Valley stretches 100 miles South, rising up to a luscious, broad plateau, 400 square miles in area, and 6,000 feet above sea level, with sheer cliffs dropping off to Mexico on three sides. The Animas Valley is dotted here and there with
volcanic outcroppings and
tree lined streams. there are also virtually unused roads that we use for emergency or convenience
landings. We even do
group convenience landings sometimes.
Beyond the Animas Valley to the East lay the Hatchet Mountains and the
Great Playas.
When we’re bored with the entire area, we fly to one of our other facilities and change our
environment totally. Whatever we do, and wherever we do it, we do it as much as possible, up to
late in the evening.
Our Rodeo airstrip is 7,200 feet long, oriented North-South. The
crosswind is 2,500 feet. Everyone asks us why our runways
are five times longer than we need. Frankly, we don't have
a clue. We suspect that Rich, who was assigned the runway
job, was feeling insecure about his ability to land a plane
on the day that he made that decision. The suspicion is bolstered
by the fact that the runways are 100 feet wide. But there
it is. Maybe the extra footage will come in handy some day.
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We have four Morton Building, 55
by 55 hangars with bi-fold doors, in two, side by side pairs. Again, people ask
us why we have four hangars when all of our planes
fit easily into one. About this, we do have a clue.
Helen decided we should build and operate a high-end
coffee shop and classic, art-movie theater at the
airstrip. |
Since there are no potential
customers within 100 miles, our clientele will have to fly
in from somewhere else (who is going to drive 100 miles for
a cup of coffee and a movie?). A hangar might be useful for
those that don't leave.
Our second headquarters is in La Cholla, Arizona. We go there
when we have a desire to eat at a restaurant, watch television,
use the phone, see a dentist, buy shoes, toothpaste or similar
mundane things. Our other facilities are at Kansas Settlement, AZ, Demming, NM, Truth or Consequences, NM, Pleasant Valley, AZ, Rimrock, AZ and The Plains of San Augustine, NM.
(All photos courtesy of Jim and Ann Ford)
