Friday, May 27, 2016

NM -- El Vado Lake State Park, 3-13 May 2016

Map picture
Map picture

10 days at El Vado Lake State Park…

El Vado7-3 May 2016

That’s me fishing El Vado Lake during a spectacular sunset.  Life is great!

Why we came…

To fly-fish the Rio Chama below El Vado Dam and to explore scenic Chama NM.

The campground…

El Vado Lake State Park was nice.  Our camp site was a back-in about 40 feet long and 25 feet wide.  It was unlevel and composed of gravel and patchy grass.  It would be sloppy after heavy rains.  Our site was paired with another as were most of the 17 water and electric sites.  Even with a neighbor, there is still plenty of room, but it would be annoying if your neighbor was inconsiderate.  There was a covered picnic table and fire ring in each site. 

We stayed prior to the official start of the summer season listed as 15 May so most of the facilities were closed.  We enjoyed walking through closed campground loops and on maintained walking trails.  We consistently saw wildlife: deer, geese, osprey, ducks, turkeys, and rabbits.   In fact, 5-15 deer showed up each evening to graze in our back yard!  There was no wi-fi and we barely had a cell phone signal.  We flushed our tanks midway through or stay and again on the way out.  The campground was nearly empty the whole time.  It was one of the most peaceful places we have stayed!  We had an outstanding view right from our a little home. 

El Vado Lake levels vary considerably.  We watched the lake rise about 10 feet during our 10 day stay…that’s a lot of additional surface acres in a short period!  At one point there was 3,000cfs (cubic feet per second) of water flowing into the lake and 300cfs flowing out.  We really enjoyed our stay and would eagerly return!

El Vado9-4 May 2016

Looking northeast from the dam.

El Vado8-4 May 2016

Looking northwest from the dam.

El Vado4-3 May 2016

We had a great spot with an excellent view

Nearby towns…

There are multiple tiny towns like Brazos, Los Ojos, and Tierra Amarilla, within 20 miles of the lake.  They offer very few supplies, groceries, and services. 

Chama NM, elevation 7,850 feet and population 1,199, is 30 miles to the north and is the largest town within 50 miles.  It has one decent grocery store, a quaint laundromat, a couple of gas stations, a few restaurants, and multiple RV parks.  During the summer, tourists visit to ride the historic Cumbres and Toltec Scenic Railroad

The area is an uncrowded outdoors paradise.  There are multiple streams and lakes with good fishing and the hunting is rumored to be good.  Snow sports would be fantastic during winter.  Chama is the kind of place where “everybody knows your name” and locals take time to chitchat wherever they meet.  We really liked it!

Adventures…

Fishing the Rio Chama…

The Chama River below El Vado Lake and Abiquiu Lake in northern New Mexico has steadily gained a reputation for quality trout fishing.  After reading a few magazine articles, and surfing the web, we put the Chama River on our list of places to check out.

The river is small to medium by western standards and flows through some rugged country.  In fact, 31 miles of river has been designated “Wild and Scenic” and flows, mostly inaccessible, through a canyon with cliff walls up to 1,500 feet high.  The best way to explore the Rio Chama is a float trip.  However this is limited:

“To protect the river environment from overuse, and to maintain an opportunity for a high quality experience, boating is limited to a set number of boaters per day.  There is a lottery system to assign launch dates.”

Thankfully, the river is accessible just below the El Vado Lake Dam.  Most of the property is private, but Cooper’s El Vado Ranch allows parking and access for $5.  I started at Cooper’s each time and hiked two or three miles downstream to fish.

Initially the flow was just 75cfs (cubic feet per second), which is very low.  I easily crossed the river multiple times as I worked my way down the scenic canyon.  There were a couple of sections of trail that climbed above the river and along narrow cliff ledges.  The elevated view of the river was great and I really enjoyed watching hundreds of cliff swallows leave their gourd-shaped nests and circle above the river to eat insects.  I also enjoyed seeing geese, ducks, ospreys, ravens, and vultures.

And the fishing?  It was fun!  The low water forced most of the trout into the obvious runs and pools and made them more accessible to us fisherpeople.  In spite of sparse mayflies, caddis flies, and grasshoppers, the trout fed entirely below the surface on nymphs.  Size 16 bead head hares ears and pheasant tails dead drifted below a small strike indicator with no weight consistently got bit. 

I caught 10-20 trout each day.  Most were brown trout 12-14 inches long that put up great fights.  I also caught a few “stocker rainbows” and one nice, brightly colored 17 inch long rainbow trout.  The best trout I hooked were five browns that were 16-20 inches long.  They were beautiful fish!

I saw no more than two other fishermen each day and had much of the pretty river to myself.  It was a very enjoyable and peaceful place to fish…until the water flow nearly tripled…

El Vado-6 May 2016-hike

Hike route along the Rio Chama below El Vado Lake

El Vado36-6 May 2016

Rio Chama about three miles downstream of the El Vado Lake Dam

    El Vado23-6 May 2016       El Vado28-6 May 2016

The cliff swallow nests are works of art  /  There was a white cross above this great fishing spot about three miles downstream

El Vado26-6 May 2016b    El Vado25-6 May 2016c

Trout food!  /  This 17 inch long rainbow trout hit a size 16 hares ear nymph, a rough imitation of the real thing

El Vado12-4 May 2016

An average 14 inch long brown trout that put up a great fight

El Vado19-5 May 2016

A beautifully colored 17 inch long brown trout.  I hooked five browns that were 16-20 inches long.

El Vado13-4 May 2016b

Canada geese take flight with quite the ruckus

El Vado20-5 May 2016    El Vado22-5 May 2016

Once these little guys hit the current, they floated by very fast!

A tough hike out…

It’s important to keep an eye on water flow, especially during spring, and especially below dams where river flow is manually manipulated.  I check the flow daily online and ask locals who often have inside information.  Recent Intel indicated that the river should flow steady for at least a week and then get bumped up a bit.

On May 6th, I parked at Cooper’s mid-morning, and headed downstream on a beautiful day and eager to fish.  The river was low (about 75cfs), and like my previous excursions, I walked back and forth across the slick-rocked stream with no problem and no concerns.  I walked steadily for about 75 minutes, and stopped roughly three and a half miles downstream. 

The river took a hard left and a good-sized island split the flow in half.  There was a white cross perched on a rocky point about a hundred feet above the river.  Below the cross was a very fishy looking run.  I made myself comfortable on the island, drank some water, had a snack, and prepped my fishing gear.  Other than various birds, I was completely alone and relished the peaceful scene.

The fishing was great!  I caught at least 10 trout from that fishy run, mostly browns with a couple of rainbows mixed in.  They hit consistently, fought great, and were all colored and patterned differently.  I admired each one as I held them gently in the water and watched them swim off on their own.  After an hour of good fishing, I took another break on the island and decided to fish my way back upstream.

I stopped at the next run and hooked two more, but the action had slowed so I pushed on.  The steep rocky river banks forced me to climb a bit above the river and into the trees.  I couldn’t see the river, but it sounded louder…hmmmm.  Was it my imagination? 

I worked my way to a rocky point about thirty feet above the water and was surprised at the view.  The river flowed bank to bank, and looked like chocolate milk…  Oh crap! 

I stopped for a break and considered my predicament.  While I snacked, a bunch of small debris rode the faster current down the river.  I was a bit shocked when a mostly intact elk carcass floated by… Not good!

I was still about three miles from the truck, but thankfully, I was on the proper side of the river.  The route back wouldn’t be easy.  There were multiple obstacles along the way.  I’d prefer to retrace my route, but that meant at least two river crossings.

My first option was to test the flow.  I picked up a sturdy stick to use as a wading staff and carefully entered the water in a spot that I knew to be shallow.  The current was strong and the chocolate milk colored water made the slick rocks invisible to me. 

I proceeded very slowly, probing with the stick before every step.  About half way across, the thigh deep water was flowing too fast for me to continue.  Plus, it occurred to me that with one slip I’d end up somewhere downstream and it would take awhile for somebody to help me! 

Crossing the river was no longer an option.  Now I really knew that I was in for a tough hike back!

I walked along the river bank as much as possible, but was soon forced to navigate around a rocky cliff.  Once I headed up, I decided to scramble a couple of hundred feet to the top to get my bearings.  I had a great view of the river far below and the route ahead.  Oh boy…the route ahead was quite challenging! 

I half slid down a deer trail and followed it right back up to the next bench.  Then the deer trail abruptly “T’d” at the edge of an impressive side canyon.  I walked out to the point and looked for safe routes down, but they all sucked.  I retraced my steps and walked along the top of the steep side canyon and spotted a couple of possible routes.  After dropping into the canyon a couple of times and getting stopped by dangerous ledges, I finally found a half way safe route into the canyon.

The side canyon was pretty.  An overhanging rock wall ringed most of the canyon, the kind you expect to find ancient cliff dwellings under.  Below the cliff wall was a bunch of vegetation like scrub oak, pinion, juniper, ponderosa pines, cactus, and various types of flowers.  I enjoyed walking down the dry creek bed, but my mission was to get out of there.

As I walked, I scanned the opposite canyon wall for an escape.  My first attempt failed when it got too dangerous near the top.  Then I spotted another deer trail.  It was pretty steep with loose rock, but it worked!  I got to the top, walked around the point, and saw the truck.  It was just a fairly easy half mile away.  Thank goodness, because I was out of water and thirsty.

Within 15 minutes, I was back at the truck.  It took me about three hours to go three miles.  I was in fishing waders and drenched in sweat from the waist down and quite dehydrated.  I guzzled a liter of Gatorade and a liter of water that are kept in the truck for emergencies.  I was back and all was well.

I never felt like I was in danger, and I felt strong until I got dehydrated at the end.  I was also able to stay in contact with Arleen.  I sent her a text message with my location roughly every thirty minutes. 

Until the river flow increased, I was having a great day.  Oh well.  I got some good exercise and had a hell of an adventure!

El Vado39-10 May 2016    El Vado40-10 May 2016

Rio Chama flow above El Vado Lake  /  Rio Chama flow below El Vado Lake.  Note the flow on 6 May.

Exploring Chama and Cumbres Pass…

It was a funky weather day so we headed into town to do laundry, get mail, buy supplies, and explore a bit.  We picked up our mail and appreciated how friendly everyone was.  Then we walked down to the train station and learned a bit about the railroad.  The very small town center was pleasant and had a few tourist shops and a couple of restaurants.  The laundromat was even quaint!  After washing our dirty clothes, we headed back to the center of town and filled our bellies with some good Mexican food.  It was barely one o’clock so we decided to drive north into the mountains.

We both remember Trujillo Meadows fondly from four years ago. The lake sits at ten thousand feet near Cumbres Pass and we had a successful time fishing for rainbow and brown trout. That had been in the fall season and we wondered if spring fishing would be even better!

As we drove north on Highway 17, the road immediately pitched up and we were enveloped in snow showers… It was May 7th! We slowed for the switchbacks, and began to see patches of snow. The trees changed from Ponderosa to our beloved Spruce, and the ground was more covered in snow then not. Our chance of seeing Trujillo Meadows faded.

We topped the pass, and could see feet of snow blocking the train’s way to the north.  Just a half mile beyond that, more feet of snow covered the road to the lake. The mountain lake was likely locked in ice. We didn’t see the pretty lake, but were glad to be back in the mountains!  The drive over Cumbres and La Manga Passes is one of our favorites.

El Vado1-3 May 2016

Chama is a little quirky

El Vado32-7 May 2016

The Cumbres and Toltec Scenic Railroad attracts a bunch of tourists during summer

El Vado33-7 May 2016    El Vado35-7 May 2016

Chama’s importance to the railroad  /  Cumbres Pass: “Altitude 10,022 feet, Railroad built 1880, Toll highway built 1881, Improved highway opened 1923”.  The pass is very scenic and spectacular for fall colors.

El Vado34-7 May 2016

Still quite a bit of snow near Cumbres Pass along the Colorado/New Mexico state line

Next…

We have spent a week in Red River NM and are currently near South Fork CO.  Our next stops are:  Johnson Village CO, Westcliffe CO, and Crested Butte CO.

Parting shots…

El Vado15-5 May 2016    El Vado6-3 May 2016

The yellow lab and basset hound greet everyone at Cooper’s El Vado Ranch.  I parked here to access the river.  /  Deer visited us each evening in the campground.

El Vado38-10 May 2016

Lightning over El Vado Lake NM

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Friday, May 20, 2016

NM -- Navajo Lake State Park & San Juan River, 23 Apr - 3 May 2016

Map picture
Map picture

10 days at Navajo Lake State Park NM…

San Juan1-24 Apr 2016

Navajo Lake and the San Juan Mountains

San Juan37-3 May 2016

It’s a pretty lake

Why we came…

To fly-fish one of America’s best trout waters:  the San Juan River.

The campground…

Navajo Lake State Park is beautiful, but the facilities need some help.  The campground was likely laid out back in the 70s when RVs were much smaller.  Most of the sites are a tight fit for today’s big rigs.  The campground roads, sites, and utilities are in rough shape. The whole place needs renovation to be brought into the 21st century. 

We had one of the few full hook-up sites.  We barely fit in the somewhat unlevel gravel pad.  We could see a sliver of the lake from our front window.  We were grateful for the mature pinion and juniper trees around us.  They proved to be great wind blockers!  There is no wi-fi, but we had a reliable 4G Verizon data signal.   We like the convenience to the pretty lake and famous San Juan River below the dam.  We also like walking through the closed primitive campground loops.  The walks are peaceful, have great views, and we usually spot critters.

San Juan28-1 May 2016

It snowed!

Farmington NM, elevation 5,395 feet and population 45,877, 40 miles to the southwest is the closest large town.  It has plenty of places to shop, provides most services, and has a variety of restaurants.

Bloomfield NM, elevation 5,456 feet and population 8,112, has most of what we’d need, but we prefer Aztec NM, elevation 5,646  feet and population 6,763.  Aztec is a deserted and pretty drive 25 miles west of the campground.  It has a decent Safeway grocery store, a pleasant downtown, a selection of restaurants, and will have a brand new laundromat very soon. 

Adventures…

Fishing the San Juan River…

San Juan3-24 Apr 2016

The San Juan River below Navajo Dam

People come from all over the country to fly-fish the San Juan River.  The stream is regularly featured in magazine articles and TV shows.  Google it and you’ll find enough reading to keep you busy for months.  The popularity is well deserved!

Below the Navajo Dam, the San Juan River flows clear and cold.  In fact, the temperature stays consistently in the 40s all year long.  This creates perfect conditions to produce billions of aquatic insects.  Most of the insects are very very small, but there are so many of them that the trout feed nearly constantly.  The food factory ensures the trout grow fast and live long.  Add “catch and release” fishing regulations and you have a special river.  The trout, mostly rainbows in the upper section with some browns mixed in lower, average 15-18 inches long with quite a few over 20 inches.  There are a few other rivers that produce a similar quantity and quality of trout, but most fly-fishers would rate the San Juan as one of the three best.

I learned how to fly fish on the San Juan River.  It’s a tough place to learn!  The fish get caught multiple times and get smarter and more leery each time.  Technique, tackle, and presentation have to be spot on to fool them.  It would be wise for inexperienced fly-fishers or those new to the San Juan to splurge for a fishing guide.  This accelerates the fly-fishers learning curve and will lead to a more enjoyable experience.  It can be very frustrating seeing those big trout ignoring your fly repeatedly, but it’s also very rewarding when you hook your first one!

I am fortunate to have fished this special river quite a bit.  In spite of my experience, I always stop at one or two of the nearby fly shops to get the latest reports and buy a few of the hot flies.  In fact, we do this nearly everywhere we fish.

The report this time:  water flowing at around 380cfs (cubic feet per second) which is a bit low; decent fishing in the morning and slow in the afternoon; fish feeding on itty bitty size 24-26 flies mostly below the surface.  My tiny fly supply was low so I bought about 15 of the flies they recommended.  I was armed with up-to-date info and the hot flies and ready to fish.

The river can be a bit crowded in the morning.  The most popular time to fish seems to be from roughly 8am to 2pm.  In spite of the report of better fishing in the morning, I waited until about 2pm and hoped to have a few fishing holes to myself.

On the first day, I parked at the Texas Hole and headed upstream to fish the Upper Flats.  As hoped, I had a few spots to myself and felt alone on the popular river.  It was very peaceful.  I confirmed the report that it was slow in the afternoon, but I managed to hook two or three trout in each hole before moving on.  I slipped into “the zone” where a hundred percent focus makes the rest of the world and negative thoughts fade away.  It was a very enjoyable day. 

San Juan9-26 Apr 2016

Fighting a San Juan River trout

San Juan8-26 Apr 2016   San Juan10-26 Apr 2016

This little guy is not what the San Juan River is known for!  /  That one’s better, but smaller than average

San Juan14-26 Apr 2016

They are strong fish!

The next day I felt like poop all morning and wasn’t motivated to fish.  Around lunchtime I was a bit better and got into a fishing conversation with my neighbor, Jordan.  He was new to fly-fishing and new to the San Juan River.  As we talked, I got more motivated to fish and wanted to help Jordan catch some San Juan River trout.

The weather was cloudy with spotty rain showers and winds gusting to 35mph.  It wasn’t going to be pleasant but we headed out.  I showed Jordan a few spots on the Upper Flats and explained how to fish each hole.  I reminded him repeatedly to make sure that his fly drifts naturally with the flow:  “If the fly drags, you won’t catch these trout!”. 

Eventually, Jordan hooked and landed a trout, an unexpected 15 inch brown!  It was rewarding to me to see him succeed and grin ear to ear as he admired his catch.  I asked him later on, “did you catch the fly-fishing bug?”.  He responded with a twinkle in his eye, “Oh yes!”.

San Juan5-25 Apr 2016    San Juan7-25 Apr 2016

Our campground neighbor, Jordan, fights and lands his first San Juan River trout!

The next few times I fished, I headed out mid morning and explored the water downstream of the Texas Hole.  This area gets less fishing pressure, but much of the pressure comes from guides and their clients floating by in drift boats.  The guides tend to stick to the main channels so it’s easy to avoid them on the shallow Lower Flats and side channels.

I really enjoyed fishing the side channels.  I had them to myself and consistently caught trout.  The fish fought well and, unlike the fish above the Texas Hole, they didn’t have scars from previous battles with fly-fishers.  They fed like they were unharassed and I had a ball.  Each time I caught 10-20 trout in three or four hours of fishing.  All but two were average.  The exceptions were a rainbow trout that was almost 20 inches long and a brown trout that was 22 inches long and hefty.  I estimated the brown trout to be about seven pounds…my biggest yet and the trout of a lifetime for many!  It took me about 20 minutes to land the brute on my three pound rated line.  I gently revived and admired it and was glad to see it swim, unhurt back to its lair. 

Unfortunately, Arleen’s sore back prevented her from fishing except for a few hours one day.  Though I missed her, I proved again why the San Juan River is so special!

San Juan26-30 Apr 2016    San Juan25-30 Apr 2016

A colorful 16 inch long rainbow trout  /  This 19.5 incher barely fit in the net!

San Juan29-2 May 2016

A 22 inch long brown trout…my largest brown trout ever!  It hit a miniscule size 24 fly fished in thigh deep water.  I was using 3 pound test line and could not pull the heavy trout upstream.  I estimated the impressive fish to be roughly seven pounds!

Goose, Goose, Duck: A story of two goose families and a duck couple…

San Juan17-29 Apr 2016

This family of Canadian Geese swam towards a little island in the middle of the river.  We’ll call them the Gretzkys.

San Juan19-29 Apr 2016

They made it safely to the island.  Isn’t the baby Gretzky cute?!?

San Juan22-29 Apr 2016

Uh oh!  Another Canadian Goose couple, the McKenzies, approach rapidly.  The McKenzies are not happy.  They have a nest on the little island and want the Gretzkys to leave their home.  The McKenzies advance towards the island with necks held low and angrily squawk the whole time. 

San Juan21-29 Apr 2016

All four adult geese are now squawking constantly at each other.  Daddy Gretzky faces the McKenzies, makes himself look big, and warns them to stay away from his youngsters.  The McKenzies continue to tell the family to vacate their nest.

San Juan20-29 Apr 2016

“You’re too close!”  Daddy Gretzky chases the McKenzies away.  The splashing and angry squawking are exciting.  The mayhem repeats three or four times during the next 30 minutes.  Though the fishing was good, the goose show is better!

San Juan23-29 Apr 2016

Hmmm.  A duck couple approaches the island.  How will the geese react?!?

San Juan24-29 Apr 2016

Surprisingly, the ducks are welcomed on the island.  The Gretzky family eventually swims away from the island, still squawking.  The McKenzies immediately landed on the island to check their nest, squawking loudly, of course.  When the Gretzkys are far enough away, and the nest is confirmed safe, the squawking stopped, and harmony returned.

Just thirty minutes after the goose and duck story ends, I see an osprey circling above me.  It spots its lunch, tucks its wings, and dives straight into the water within 50 feet of me!  After an impressive splash and a couple shakes of its wings, it clumsily takes off with a good-sized trout wiggling in its talons. 

In just an hour I witnessed two incredible wildlife events!  We are very fortunate to see stuff like this fairly often. 

Aztec Ruins National Monument

First of all, Aztec New Mexico has nothing to do with the Mexican Aztec Indians.  It was an Anglo explorer that named the place Aztec.  However, it was ancestral Pueblo people that actually lived here almost 1,000 years ago and lived here for several generations.  They chose a wise spot next to the Animas River but had to haul lumber from many miles away.         

We enjoyed wandering in and around the ruins, and tried to imagine living here.  The 500 room community was probably a distant suburb of the older Chaco Canyon.  It included several kivas, including a super-sized Great Kiva and a three walled kiva.  The ruins have survived in good shape.  The Great Kiva was reconstructed in the 1930s allowing you to fully immerse yourself and imagine participating in community ceremonies.  Like other ancestral communities throughout the southwest, Aztec was mysteriously abandoned in the late 1200s.

If you are in the quaint town of Aztec, take a morning or afternoon to visit the Monument.  It will be well worth your time.

San Juan32-2 May 2016   San Juan43-2 May 2016b    San Juan42-2 May 2016

The Ancestral Puebloans had communities all over the Four Corners region.  /  A passage way through multiple rooms  /  A little of the history of the Aztec Ruins

San Juan40-2 May 2016    San Juan41-2 May 2016

A diorama of the Ancestral Puebloan community  /  A diagram depicting the uses of the rooms

San Juan34-2 May 2016

The ruins are impressive

San Juan33-2 May 2016

One of the other 3 or 4 kivas. 

San Juan35-2 May 2016

Arleen inside the Great Kiva

Next…

We spent 10 days at El Vado Lake State Park south of scenic Chama NM and seven days exploring the Taos NM area.  We are currently camped near Red River NM.  Our next stops are:  South Fork CO, Johnson Village CO, and one of our favorite places…Westcliffe CO.  We love summer in the Rockies!

Parting shots…

San Juan31-2 May 2016

A desert scene painted on a building at Aztec Ruins National Monument

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