Summertime is when many students choose to take a well-deserved break from courses and relax. For those who have not been able to see all New Mexico has to offer, though, the 2015 Summer Getaway Adventures is an opportunity for students to discover the Land of Enchantment.
Jim Todd, recreational services director at UNM’s Johnson Center, said the Getaway Adventures program is a great way for students to engage in outdoor activities. The schedule varies from year to year, but this year’s excursion includes rock climbing, fiestas, cultural feasts and art festivals, he said.
Laura Montoya, coordinator for Getaway Adventures, said that in the 26 years she has worked at Johnson Center, the program has grown to the point that it is always busy.
The program is funded, in part, by student fees. Montoya said this helps keep costs down for students, because the majority of activities are offered at a discounted rate for UNM students.
Montoya said she thinks her program is unique compared to other outdoor recreational programs because of the diverse makeup of New Mexico’s population, as well as the terrain of New Mexico itself. Between visiting international students and various conferences, there is demand for tours of New Mexico’s art and culture, she said.
“New Mexico is an art Mecca,” Montoya said.
Cristina Miller, a senior nutrition and dietetics major, has been an active participant in Getaway Adventures since August 2012. She said she usually tries to do a few trips per semester as well as during the summer. This summer, she attended yesterday’s Santa Fe International Folk Art Festival.
Miller said that though she enjoys many of the trips, her favorite is one that is offered during the spring semester. It involves ice skating in Los Alamos Canyon and then stopping in Jemez Springs on the way back for a hot soak.
“It’s one of my favorites because it involves two things that you can’t do in the city,” she said. “I grew up in Wisconsin, where ice skating was a big part of outdoor recreation. I really like ice skating, and it’s the only chance I get here.”
Miller said the program offers participants an opportunity to meet others that share a common interest. She said she always sees a diverse group that includes students, employees, international students and even people from outside of Albuquerque.
Miller said one of the benefits of the Getaway Adventures program is the transportation to the activities the program provides.
“I don’t have a car here, so it helps me see the parts of New Mexico that I wouldn’t see if I just lived my life on campus,” Miller said.
Get content from The Daily Lobo delivered to your inbox
The upcoming 2015 Summer Getaway Adventure for the month of July includes attending Fiestas de Taos, a wildflower hike in the Pecos wilderness, and visiting markets in Santa Fe.
For more information about this and other events in the program, visit recsvcs.unm.edu/getaway/getaway.
Robert Maler is a freelance reporter for the Daily Lobo. He can be reached at culture@dailylobo.com or on Twitter @DailyLobo.
