What's it like to fly a SGS 1-26 'out west' (say Moriarty New Mexico)?

I've had great fun flying an SGS 1-26 in New England. What's a 1-26 like in the stronger conditions that are more typical 'out west' (say Moriarty New Mexico). I'd especially like to hear from anyone who has flown the 1-26 both east and west USA.

I've kept the 1-26 up for nice long flights close to the airport in very light lift on days when the "high performance guys" don't even bother to assemble. On a decent day, it goes right up to cloud base and stays there for mild cross-country. If you have to land out, you can do it in the available postage-stamp-sized sloping fields.

The weak point is of course 'penetration' as the sink increases rapidly with airspeed. All and all it's a great fun ship (for what it is).

How does a SGS 1-26 do in stronger conditions with higher cloud bases that I would expect to find in 'Soaring Nirvana' 'out west'?