Day 6 of the ROUNDHOUSE ON THE ROAD Tour

Today began with a trip to the Starbucks in Ruidoso. With my non-fat, no-whip mocha in hand, I started down the road to Capitan. It was a gorgeous drive through the pine-covered mountains.

My first stop in Capitan was Calamity Jane’s Coffee and Eatery for breakfast. It was a quiet morning there, but I took the opportunity to say hello to locals having coffee and to read the local papers. Next stop, the community library where volunteers and board members proudly showed me the new wing. The facility is a tribute to what a committed group of community residents can do: acquire a collection of some 12,000 books, most of which were donated by people in neighboring communities, establish a thrift store to support operations, and provide an 8-week summer reading program for children living in rural areas. My thanks to Tom Mann , Ann Curtis, Pat Sullivan, Barbara Stewart and Larry Miller for their enthusiasm and hospitality.

No time for me to read any of the many volumes as just across the street the bus was waiting and constituents had begun to gather to talk with me. I met Mayor Sammy Hammons and a number of locals. Capitan is the home of Smokey Bear, and tourists come from all around to see the Smokey Bear museum. Constituents had many concerns, including preserving El Capitan mountain range, improving roads, increasing senior center funding and the proposed revisions to the public education funding formula.

After office hours in Capitan, I made the 90 mile trip to Socorro. I had a delicious lunch at the Socorro Springs Brewery and then went off to Socorro City Hall for more office hours. I took a few minutes to address everyone as a group and then answered questions about the Rail Runner, land grant issues, health care, and San Augustin water proposals. I met with a steady stream of Socorro residents as we ended this week’s leg of the Roundhouse on the Road Tour.

Just one more task before going home and putting my feet up - a stop at KOAT 7 to drop off school supplies for their school supply drive and talk about the Make Mine a Million Dollar Business program. Intrigued? Go to www.makemineamillion.org to learn more.
Until the next Roundhouse on the Road Tour…..thanks for checking in. Hasta luego!