CO -- Conejos River, 10 Sep–1 Oct 2012

 

Three weeks enjoying the Rocky Mountain fall finale in the Conejos River region in southern Colorado…

The campground was about 10 miles west of the little town of Antonito on the southwestern edge of the San Luis Valley.  We had full hook-ups, good laundry facilities, and good wi-fi…yippee!  There was decent space between sites and the Conejos River was a short walk away.  Other than a brief period that an RV club invaded, the campground was more empty than full.  There were a couple of aspens outside our windows that provided the soothing sound of rustling leaves.  It was peaceful and we were very comfortable.

   

  - Fishing the Conejos

The Conejos River is a pretty stream with a healthy population of picky rainbow and brown trout.  There is a lot of public water that provides fishermen whatever kind of conditions they prefer.  If you like fast moving pocket water with big boulders, the Conejos has it.  If you like runs and riffles, the Conejos has it.  If you like river bends with deep holes, the Conejos has it.  If you like a small stream meandering through a meadow, the Conejos has it.  There are good numbers of fish, some of them big, along much of its length.  But do yourself a favor and visit a local fly-fishing shop to get the most recent report and buy some of the hot flies.  Otherwise, you’ll fish some beautiful water and likely have limited success.

The Conejos near the campground is a medium sized river averaging about 30-50 feet across.  There are no special regulations on that stretch.  My best outing led to five or six browns all 9-12 inches.  Otherwise I’d only get one or two and even got skunked a few times.  The largest fish I caught on this section was a 13 inch rainbow.  The productive flies were bright red San Juan worms, size 16 and 18 gold ribbed hares ears and pheasant tail nymphs, size 20 red or grey midge pupas, and size 10 olive and black leeches.

Our favorite section was just five miles upstream of the campground.  It is artificial flies and lures only and two trout over 16 inches can be kept.  Access was via step-overs of barbed wire fence and the drop to the river was a little tricky.  There were three or four runs that were really pleasant to fish, but the trout rarely cooperated.  Arleen caught a healthy 16 inch rainbow and I caught one an inch shorter.  We also caught a couple of 8-12 inch browns.  On a separate trip to this section, Arleen caught a 10 inch rainbow and I got skunked!  She’s getting pretty good at this fly-fishing thing.

We also fished the meadow section way up towards Platoro, which is also restricted to flies and lures with a two fish over 16 inches limit .  The river is smaller, maybe 15-30 feet across.  The trout are cautious in the clear water and difficult to fool.  Arleen caught a small brown and I caught three that were 8-13 inches long.  I saw trout in the 16-18 inch range but they ignored my flies. 

Though our success was limited, we really enjoyed fishing the Conejos.  The beautiful fall colors made it hard to concentrate on fishing!

   

The meadow section of the Conejos River valley

   

  A small brown trout from the meadow section                               A pretty 16 inch rainbow

- Trujillo Meadows

The medium sized reservoir was 25 miles from the campground near Cumbres Pass.  Fishing reports varied but it sounded promising.  We went to Trujillo Meadows a few times and were never disappointed.  It was a pleasant lake that was nice to kayak too.  Each time we caught mostly rainbows 8-16 inches long.

Arleen, “Troll fishing.  It is hard to believe that just four short months ago, I would not troll fish with my fly rod.  Now, I really enjoy it.  It is very relaxing to slowly back stroke and enjoy the birds, wildlife, and scenic wonders.   It can be a bit complicated to control the boat and fish at the same time.  Normally, I hold the rod between my knees.  I had become so relaxed the first afternoon on the lake, that I had let go of the rod. .  A big strong brown grabbed the lake leech and headed to the bottom of the lake.  My rod shot up and I grabbed it with just the tip with my toes right before it flew out of the kayak!  Maybe, I learned my lesson.”  

Twice we fished into the darkness and targeted big brown trout.  Results…Though I got a couple of hits on my three inch long streamer fished deep, I failed to hook them.  Arleen did quite well using the reliable size 10 olive and black lake leech.  She caught our biggest fish from the lake, a 16 inch rainbow trout.  The lake is roughly 10,000 feet high and the temperature dropped rapidly as the sun set.  It was 35F the second night we got off the water.  We watched an osprey circle the lake and make a determined dive.  Then it shook the water off its wings as it flew within 20 feet of me.  We saw otters, ducks, and listened to coyotes howl at the moon.  Bats came out and flew crazy patterns just inches above the water on the hunt for insects.  As the sun set, the sky turned red and reflected peacefully off the rippled lake.  Then the big bright moon slowly rose and climbed above the lake.  It was serene watching Arleen quietly drift in the shimmering moon light.

   

   

      

- Lake Fork of the Conejos and Big Lake

We wanted to catch one of our favorite fish: Colorado’s native Rio Grande Cutthroat Trout.  The Lake Fork of the Conejos is a cutthroat trout sanctuary that hosts catch and release fishing. 

The hike climbs steeply right away as it circumnavigates private property.  Once you drop back down to the creek, it’s a fairly easy hike all the way to Big Lake, just over three miles from the trailhead.  At the two mile point, the little creek meanders through a meadow that’s delightful to fish.  Each small pool and undercut bank harbored fish.  Most were just 3-6 inches long, but there were usually one or two “monsters” that were 10-13 inches.  We got numerous hits on our grasshopper flies, but had a hard time hooking them.  That’s alright…it was a lot of fun seeing those pretty trout whack the fly.  (Check out the video below.)

After fishing the creek for about two hours, we headed up to Big Lake.  The surrounding mountain sides were shimmering a golden yellow.  When the wind calmed and the lake’s ripples disappeared, the reflection resulted in an even more incredible scene.  And the fishing?…FUN!  Trout were rising sporadically all over the lake.  It looked like I could get to them along the north bank.  After a few half-hearted hits on a couple of different flies, I switched to a floating beetle fly…jackpot!  I caught six very pretty cutthroat trout, 11 to 16 1/2 inches long, and I had at least ten more hits that I missed.  This hike and this fishing experience was one of our favorites!

   

Beautiful fall day at Big Lake…see me? 

Rio Grande cutthroat trout nailing Arleen’s grasshopper fly on the Lake Fork in the upper Conejos valley.

- Mushroom hunting

We got to the Conejos thinking that the shrooming season might be over.  Morning temperatures were in the mid to upper 30s and rain had been sparse.  Then, on 11 and 12 September, we got about .80 inches of rain…we might have another shot!

On 17 September, we made our first trip to Trujillo Meadows Reservoir.  As Arleen walked the trail along the lake, she spotted four nice king boletes!  Maybe mushroom season wasn’t over.  We caught a couple of nice trout and walked in the woods hunting for little treasures…we didn’t find any more.  On the drive back, we also hiked around La Manga Pass for an hour and found no more shrooms.

A few days later, we went back to Trujillo Meadows, got scared off by a thunderstorm, and didn’t see any mushrooms.  We stopped near the pass again and waited in the truck as the ground whitened with snow pellets and slushy snowflakes…our first snow of the year!   The shower ended after 30 minutes and we walked around in the woods for an hour or so.  We found five or six sad little chantrelles that looked like they had been frost nipped.  We picked them anyways and Arleen grilled them that night with steaks…yum yum!

We went one last time to the Spruce Hole area.  During our four mile hunt, we only saw a few mushrooms (that we wouldn’t eat) and quite a few black, slimy remains of frost bitten shrooms.  Sadly, we declared the season over, but we’ll keep our eyes open for surprises. 

- Great Sand Dunes National Park

We experienced the amazing sand dunes on Oregon’s Coast and wanted to see more in Colorado.  Colorado’s dunes are the highest in North America reaching height’s of 750 feet.  And with the 13,000-14,000 foot, yellow splotched, Sangre de Cristo Mountains as a back drop, they are spectacular and dramatic. 

First we soaked in a bunch of knowledge at the Visitor’s Center and stamped our National Parks Passport.  Then it was time to play in the sand!  We did a three mile loop hike up and along some of the higher dunes.  We got a great workout and will never forget the views!

 

   

 

- National Parks Annual Pass

Our first annual National Parks Pass expired 31 August.  In nearly 13 months, we visited national parks and monuments 40 times!   With an average daily entrance fee of $15, we would have paid $600 without the annual pass.  However, we paid $80 for the pass and saved ourselves $520!

Needless to say, we bought another annual pass.  Next summer we may end up in Utah where we will certainly get our money’s worth again!

- Campground hike

Shortly after setting up camp, I spied a low plateau just northwest of the campground that could be a good hike.  So one afternoon when we wanted a little exercise, we gave it a shot.  The steady pitch consisted of small loose rock, groups of small prickly cactus, and thick patches of pinion and juniper which made the climb tricky.  Of course it progressively got steeper and more challenging as we neared the top, but we made it!  The view of the Conejos River valley was beautiful especially with the yellow leafed cottonwoods and aspens lining the river.  We headed down towards a Forest Service campground and looped back by the river.  I found a nice set of deer antlers and had to pose for a few pictures!

   

- Evening hike on the Duck Lake trail

Though it was the second half of September and fall was in full swing, trout fishing on bright sunny days was still slow.  So we decided to hike to Rock Lake one evening.

We started the three mile hike at 4:00pm and planned to fish until 7:00pm or so and then head back in the nearly dark.  We were prepared with head lamps, but were a bit concerned about critters.  There was nobody parked at the trailhead so we were on our own.

The hike was going smoothly and we kept a good pace.  The fall colors were spectacular in the late afternoon sun.  Two miles in, we crested a short, but steep rise and begin traversing a small meadow.  There were about 15 cows spread across the meadow, some of them within a few feet of the trail.  We proceeded slowly, giving the cows a little extra space when we could.  They stopped eating and stared at us, but went back to their business as we passed.  Then we popped out of a few trees and spotted the big bull.  It didn’t take him long to spot us.  There was no way to go around him, and we discussed our options as he stared us down.  Arleen, who is from Roundup, Montana, insisted we could herd him away.  But since my run in with the “rogue deer” in Lake City, I’ve been leery about big critters so I was no fan of challenging this bull.  Plus, it would be fairly dark on the way back and I really didn’t want to deal with him then.  So I wimped out and we turned around!

Though we got some good exercise by hiking over four miles and climbing a thousand feet, Rock Lake in the evening dusk remains a mystery.

   

- Big Lake round two

We really enjoyed this hike and fishing so we made another trip.  Fall colors were at the peak.  In fact, there were stands of aspens high up the mountains that had already shed their leaves.  There were no other vehicles at the trailhead and we didn’t see anybody else the entire day.  Winds fluctuated between nearly calm to gusting around 30mph.  Each time the sun disappeared behind clouds, it was chilly. 

We arrived at the lake and watched closely for trout feeding activity while we snacked…no risers.  I headed to a point on the north bank and fished deep with a lake leech and gold ribbed hares ear…bam…a small cutthroat nailed the leech!  A couple of casts later, it happened again.  About thirty minutes and two or three trout later, I noticed a couple of risers…excellent!  I switched to a floating beetle and continued to have success.  Because of the winds, Arleen used her spin rod.  She started with a small spoon and had a few follows, but no good hits.  Then she switched to a size 2 Panther Martin spinner and caught five pretty cutthroats.  She probably had 10 other hits and fish briefly hooked.  She had a good time!

Arleen’s ‘Ghost Fish’:  One of the most exciting things about spin fishing in a pristine mountain lake is the ability to watch fish follow your lure.  The cutthroat’s back are the same dark color as the lake bottom making them nearly invisible.  A trout startled me when it attacked my lure inches from shore and turned, showing its brilliant silver and red side.  It was a ghost that materialized out of nowhere! 

The whole time we fished, a couple families of Canadian geese entertained us.  They were quite active and boisterous.  One obnoxious gander harassed the others.  As they invaded his space, he honked like crazy and chased them away over and over.  Some of the younger geese kept beating their wings on the water, making a big ruckus, and kicking up a bunch of spray each time.  Then we spotted a lone eagle soaring a couple hundred feet above the lake.  He made one impressive dive for a trout meal and came up empty.  At one point, I told the obnoxious gander to leave the other geese alone or I’d sic my pet eagle on him!

It was yet another special day.  Between the spectacular fall colors, the pretty cutthroat trout, the entertaining geese, the soaring eagle, and having it all to ourselves, this day will stay in our memories forever!

   

   

                Family of Canadian geese                                            Bald eagle soaring above the lake

- High-T Snacks

As we travel, we like to try locally made products.  We support and cheer for small businesses and believe that they should keep every hard-earned penny they make.  Recently we discovered such a company in Alamosa and want to share the experience.

The sneaky folks at the Kentucky Belle Market in Creede gave us samples of Hawaiian Crispy Wafers.  We really liked all of the yummy flavors and the satisfying crunch of each bite.  And compared to other snacks, they are fairly healthy: 35 calories and .5g of fat in two wafers.  So we bought a couple of stacks and they only lasted a few days!  While we were in Creede, we made a few more trips to the market to get more Hawaiian Crispy Wafers. 

After we left Creede and finished our last tasty wafers, we almost went into withdrawal.  We looked for them in the three grocery stores in Alamosa, the town where they are made, and struck out.  Finally, we went to the address indicated by Google and found the small warehouse where the wafers are produced and shipped.  Tammy, owner of the company, was there and came out to greet to us.  Tammy shared her family’s story about growing up in Hawaii and ending up in Alamosa.  Her grandfather started making the wafers over 50 years ago.  In addition to seven or eight stores in Colorado that sell her wafers, she travels to various farmer’s markets too.  She doesn’t have a web page, but will gladly ship if coordinated by email or phone.  We bought a large supply, and felt like hugging Tammy on the way out the door.   

NOTE…We do not get kick backs, nor do we want or expect any.  We like the yummy wafers.  We like Tammy and we’d like to see her business prosper!

   

Click the pictures for better detail

The days are getting shorter and cooler.  Our motivation has slipped and we’ve enjoyed some lazy days.

Next we head back to Elevenmile State Park for a week.  It will be our first repeat visit.  We will find out if fall fishing is as good as early summer fishing at one of our favorite lakes:  Spinney.  And we might have a shot at huge brown trout as they begin to move out of Spinney and Elevenmile Reservoirs to spawn in the South Platte River.

 

Upper Conejos River valley…some of the prettiest fall vistas anywhere!

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CO -- Creede, 6 Aug–10 Sep 2012

 

Five weeks playing in the Upper Rio Grande Valley…Our stay in Creede marked the culmination of an incredible summer in Colorado!

The drive from Lake City to Creede is only 60 miles.  Highway 149 climbs steeply out of Lake City and snakes over 11,361 foot high Slumgullion Pass.  For the next seven miles the road undulates up and down to 10,901 foot high Spring Creek Pass and the Continental Divide.  The area between the passes looked great for mushroom hunting (a.k.a. shrooming).  We were in no hurry so we parked in a large pull-out and headed into the woods.  Success!  We found four young king boletes and confirmed the shroom season was kicking into gear.  We were blown away by the rest of the scenic drive and our first glimpse of the upper Rio Grande Valley and Creede.  In spite of our mushroom stop, we still pulled into the campground around 2:00pm and were comfortably set up and relaxing by 3:00pm.  We love short travel days!

In spite of a three and a half hour drive from Pueblo, my parents beat us to the campground.  They were set up and relaxing before we even got there!

   

     View of Red Mountain near the top of Slumgullion Pass                             Four tasty king boletes!

The campground is wedged between the steep rock cliffs of Wagon Wheel Gap.  It was mesmerizing looking up at the those cliffs and it never got old.  A herd of 10-15 rocky mountain sheep, led by an impressive ram, traversed back and forth along the bottom half of the steep hill.  They would disappear for a week or two and suddenly show up near campground for a day or two, often grazing close by.  Sometimes they would go a little ways up the hill and bed down for the day and nearly disappear against the terrain.  Each time we saw the sheep, it made our day!

The campground also boasts horse rides.  The roughly 10 horses spent most of their day grazing in the pasture outside our front window.  Over time, they started to feel like our horses.  Arleen named a couple of them and fed them an occasional carrot treat.  Each afternoon it was really cool to see the horses charge into the pasture where they knew fresh hay waited.

The Rio Grande River was just across the street.  There was a nice run I really enjoyed fishing.  Most evenings I’d spend an hour or so “standing in the river and waiving my stick”.  Usually I had the pretty section of river all to myself…it was very peaceful.  And usually I was successful!  The fishing was never hot, but a typical outing led to a smallish 8-12 inch brown trout and a nice 16-20 inch rainbow trout.  It was a rare situation where I got to know one small section of a river very well.  Towards the end of our 5-week stay, I had almost recognized and named a few trout!

The campground itself was well maintained and very peaceful.  We had full hook-ups, no cell phone signal, and though they advertised wi-fi, it was pathetic.  The campground also rents cabins, runs a decent restaurant, ice cream shop, and gift shop.  At times it seemed the campground was an after thought, but we were comfortable.  We really enjoyed strolling over to get ice cream some evenings.  We’d stay there again, but for a shorter time.  Going five weeks with no cell phone and extremely limited internet in our house, was a bit too much for us.

   

       

   

Sunrise at Wagon Wheel Gap and the mighty Rio Grande River

Evening thunderstorm (I took this picture from the top of the trailer on 13 August. It’s one of my favorites.)

- Town of Creede

Creede was a mining boom town founded in 1889 when a rich vein of silver was discovered.  The following summer nearly 300 people per day moved to the area and the population quickly ballooned to over 10,000.  By 1892 over $1,000,000 worth of silver was shipped out of Creede each month.  Actions by Congress killed the silver boom the following year and Creede’s population plummeted to less than 900 by the end of 1893.  During the three short years of Creede’s heyday, the town was known as one of the richest and wildest silver towns in the west.  For great views and a real submersion in Creede’s mining history, drive the 17 mile “Bachelor Historic Tour”. 

Now, during the summer, Creede is a bustling tourist town with tons of character.  The Repertory Theatre has a reputation for putting on great shows.  We went to the ticket office and asked for details about the funniest play.  They promised that “Is He Dead” would make us laugh until we cried…they  were right!  It was hilarious! 

   

- Fishing the mighty Rio Grande

-- First day of fishing the upper Rio Grande

We had never been to the upper Rio Grande, let alone fish it.  For dedicated fly-fishermen, it should be on the “must fish” list.  With the thought that we’d be on the Rio Grande for five weeks, we hired a guide to drastically shorten our learning curve.  Plus, Arleen could get some valuable tutoring from someone other than me! 

So early on day two, we met Cole, our young and knowledgeable guide.  He led us to a sweet stretch of the Rio Grande just west of Creede.  We parked within 20 feet of the river and I noticed the two great looking runs right away.  Talk about potential…I knew that there were a bunch of trout swimming in those runs and that some of them might be huge!  I doubt that we would have found that great stretch of river on our own.

Our trusty guide set us up with the reliable flies, showed me where to fish, and shadowed Arleen to the prime spot.  It was the first week of August, sunny and warm, with low water…not good conditions for trout fishing.  It was slow, but I caught three brown trout, 10-13 inches long, about average for the upper Rio Grande.  Arleen started slow but finished strong!  She also ended up with three browns.  One was about 10 inches long and the other two were 16 inches!  One of the bigguns smacked her grasshopper fly on the surface…very exciting!  Arleen out fished me and I was proud of her.  Her fly-fishing skills jumped a notch and we were armed with a local’s knowledge of the upper Rio Grande.  Though the guided adventure was costly, it ended up being invaluable. 

   

Arleen being educated by Cole on the Rio Grande

  

16 inch brown trout that nailed Arleen’s hopper!

-- Fishing the Rio Grande near the campground

        

          20 inch rainbow trout!                       Fat 16 inch rainbow trout                Dad with a 16 inch brown trout

-- Fishing with Dad on the Rio Grande

   

               Arleen and Dad fishing the Rio Grande                              A typical 13 inch Rio Grande brown trout

- Drive up to North Clear Creek Falls and Bristol Head

We wanted to do some hiking around Bristol Head, but my back hurt, so we settled for a nice drive.

Bristol Head is an impressive mountain.  The southern part is a dramatic rock wall a couple of thousand feet high, reminiscent of Half Dome in Yosemite NP.  The northern part is nearly a flat plateau with miles of rolling meadow (or “park” to Coloradoans).  The peak tops over 12,700 feet and is a prominent land mark in the upper Rio Grande Valley. 

On the way up, we stopped and admired North Clear Creek Falls.  Placid North Clear Creek flows peacefully through a high-county meadow and then abruptly drops a couple of hundred feet into a box canyon.  It was very pretty. 

Then we headed up the narrow dirt road to Bristol Head.  We popped up to the meadow around 11,500 feet and were treated to a great view.  We noticed meadow mushrooms and puff balls right away.  Each time, Arleen jumped out, picked the shrooms, and tossed them in our basket.  The road got progressively worse, and on the final pitch, just a mile or two from the top, we decided we shouldn’t continue.  Besides, the sky was turning dark and thunder boomed in the distance.  That’s all right.  We had a glorious day and came back with a few pounds of mushrooms!

We intended to go back to Bristol Head for more exploring and never did.  There was plenty of others things to see and do around Creede!

Note…We didn’t care for the taste of the puff ball mushrooms.  After that first harvest on Bristol Head, we didn’t pick any more.

   

                     North Clear Creek Falls                            The Rio Grande Pyramid and Upper Rio Grande Valley

A few pounds of puffball shrooms…we didn’t care for the taste

- Shaw Lake near Wolf Creek Pass and Pass Creek mushroom hunt

Dad and Wanda wanted to explore the area between South Fork and Wolf Creek Pass so we followed them to Shaw Lake.  There were a few folks fishing and nearly everyone had a couple of nice trout on their stringers.  It was slow for us but I managed to get a nice cutthroat.  Arleen and I hiked all the way around the small lake and hunted for mushrooms.  We found a couple of nice king boletes!  I also saw a small, coiled snake sunning on a log…it was quite photogenic!  Thunder rumbled, but stayed distant.  It’s so cool to hear it echo up the mountain valleys.

We  heard rumors of good shrooming in the Pass Creek area so we detoured on the way back.  We nearly made it to the top of Demijohn Peak and walked along an old forest road.  It looked promising, but we didn’t find anything that we would eat.  About a mile and half into our hunt, thunder cracked nearby and it started to sprinkle.  We immediately turned around and quickly headed back.  Though the lightning and thunder never got closer, the rain came down in sheets shortly before we made it to the truck.  We got skunked and soaked, but we had a good adventure!

   

Dad, Wanda, and Arleen fishing Shaw Lake

   

                        16 inch cutthroat trout!

- Road Canyon Reservoir

Multiple fishing reports claimed Road Canyon Reservoir was the place to be.  We ended up going four times!  Initially the fishing was good, but progressively got tougher.  There are big fish swimming in Road Canyon.  We heard stories of up to 24 inch rainbows and over-sized brook trout.  A group of three fisherman showed us their bag of 12 trout.  None of the fish were under 15 inches long.  They had three rainbows that were around 20 inches each and fat.  They also had a few 15-16 inch brook trout.  I’ll bet that bag of 12 fish weighed about 30 pounds!  I was sad to see those pretty fish leave the lake. 

We didn’t catch any of the monsters, but we got some good trout.  Dad caught a healthy 16 inch brook trout and we all caught rainbows that were similar size.  The hot fly was a size 10 olive and black lake leech.  Nearly all of the big fish that others caught were fooled with bait.  We kept a few nice trout for a wonderful dinner.

       

   

    Dad and Wanda fishing Road Canyon Reservoir                   Team work to tackle a fly-fishing tangle

       

   A nice rainbow trout                  An impressive brook trout                         Cows in Wanda’s fishing hole!

- Goose Creek

Goose Creek actually meets the Rio Grande just upstream of our campground.  Unfortunately, a good chunk of the lower Goose Creek valley is owned for a select few’s personal enjoyment.  To access the public water, we drove 15-20 miles to the west of Creede, and then snaked our way along a narrow forest road to the top of a mountain at close to 11,000 feet.  Then we hiked down a pretty meadow along Roaring Fork Creek and dropped even further into the Goose Creek valley.  After three miles of hiking and descending about 2,000 feet, we finally saw our shimmering creek and continued another mile upstream.  I swapped my hiking boots for neoprene booties and fished my way up the shrub choked little stream.  Between the slick river rocks and vegetation, it was tough.  However, it paid off!  I used a floating grasshopper fly.  If I didn’t spook the fish and made a decent cast, a trout would pounce on my fly.  I got one or two shots in each likely hole and then moved on.  I only managed to land 4 or 5 trout.  I had three times as many opportunities!  Not a great success ratio, but seeing those fish attack my hopper on the little creek was exciting enough.  And here’s the thing…I never saw a trout under 12 inches!  The ones I caught were 12-14 inches long, and I’m sure that I hooked a couple that were 15-16 inches.  That’s very impressive for such a small creek.  Oh and another thing…I almost got the trout grand slam.  I caught brown, rainbow, and brook trout.  I did not catch a cutthroat though I think I hooked a couple.

Arleen’s snake story:  “On the hike out of Goose Creek, I was right behind Shawn where the trail had become a rut carved out by livestock.  All of the sudden the ground, just where he had stepped, moved and then slithered!  I screamed and jumped up out of the trail.  It was a TWO foot SNAKE!  Shawn stepped over it…How did he not see it?!?  When the snake saw him, it tried to slither out of the rutted trail.  After a couple of attempts, the snake finally cleared the path.  Phew, it took me a few minutes to find my breath and continue up the trail.”

   

   

          Arleen fishing tiny Roaring Fork Creek                                         Goose Creek valley

       

                  Brown trout                                        Brook trout                                      Rainbow trout 

- Squaw Creek

We hoped to hike three or four miles up Squaw Creek and fish it through a meandering high country meadow.  We never quite found a meadow, but we found beautiful scenery and decent fishing.  Just like Goose Creek, the footing in the little stream was very tricky and the vegetation made it difficult to fish.  We stuck with floating grasshopper flies.  If we didn’t spook the fish and made a good cast, they’d hit.  We caught brown and brook trout 6-13 inches long.  Each one seemed way too colorful for their small mountain stream surroundings.    We also saw a moose…it was a great day! 

   

   

          A waterfall in the Squaw Creek valley                                     Squaw Creek and a moose

   

                  Arleen fishing Squaw Creek                                                   A colorful brown trout

- Ruby Lakes

Most of the remote timberline lakes near Creede were too far for us to do in a day.  However, Big and Little Ruby Lakes were a doable eight mile round trip hike.  The trail was well maintained but heavily used by ATVs.  Thankfully we came across only two ATVs and two other hikers the entire day.  It was very peaceful.

The couple of days prior to this hike, we noticed a few small patches of leaves on a few aspens turning yellow.  It was just enough to make us question if it was really happening.  Then on our way up to Ruby Lakes, we saw our first unquestionable sign that fall was near.  A whole grove of aspens perched above the trail were turning gold.  It was only 26 August!  Come on summer…stay with us!

We hiked right on by Little Ruby Lake in favor of the bigger lake with supposedly bigger fish.  We rose over the final hill and saw a cabin sitting by the peaceful mountain lake.  We poked around in the fairly large cabin and thought that it would make a fine shelter.  However, a recent note warned of a large black bear that liked to invade the cabin each night.  We went down and sat by the lake, enjoyed a snack, and noticed storm clouds brewing.  A few fish were rising, but well out of casting range, towards the center of the good-sized lake.  We only fished an hour before the darkening sky and increasing thunder scared us off the mountain!  I was one for one…I caught a very colorful 16 inch cutthroat trout.  Based on research and word from others, we expected brook trout.  The cutthroat was a nice surprise!  On the way down, just a mile from the lake, we got pelted with hail.  Thankfully, the lightning and thunder were minimal and it didn’t rain too hard.  Some of the trail was muddy, but otherwise, it was a nice hike down.

 

     

   

           Changing aspens on 26 August?!?                                   The cabin on Big Ruby Lake.  See me?

   

       The Rio Grande Valley and building thunderstorms                         A pretty 16 inch cutthroat trout

- Continental Reservoir

We made our first trek to Continental Reservoir while we were in Lake City.  We knew the large lake, with limited access, had all kinds of potential.

We went back three more times while we were in Creede.  And we were right.  The two mile long lake, with minimal fishing pressure, had a bunch of good trout swimming in it!

One day I paddled all the way to the opposite end.  It was shallow with sediment so I worked my way back.  We landed about 15 trout that day and had at least that many more hooked.  The rainbow and cutthroat were all 11-15 inches long and hit either a size 10 olive and black lake leech or a size 16 gold-ribbed hare’s ear.  We kept four nice trout for dinner.  Clouds were building and the winds increasing so we headed back.  It was a tough paddle against the wind…we were whipped!  Thunder got louder as we loaded the truck.  While I cleaned the fish, the winds roared, the rain started, and thunder boomed…our timing was perfect!

Our next trip to Continental was shortly after Labor Day.  We stopped at the top of the hill and admired the pretty aspens and serene lake.  We had it all to ourselves!  We paddled straight to the previous trip’s hot spot.  Sure enough…we caught fish left and right!  We landed 30-40 trout and had many more opportunities.  Arleen got a few brook trout, otherwise they were rainbows and cutthroat.  They averaged 11-15 inches long and were strong fighters.  On multiple occasions, we simultaneously hooked fish.  It was so much fun.  We paddled back with a welcomed tail wind and didn’t see a soul.  We were amazed to have the big lake, great fishing, and golden aspens to ourselves…it was special.

   

   

    A tranquil fall scene at Continental Reservoir                   Fighting a trout in the shadow of golden aspens

   

- Inspiration Point

Known as “Perspiration Point” to locals, the trail starts at 8,900 feet in Creede and climbs to 11,200 feet in three and a half miles.  Everything we read touted the amazing view so we had to check it out. 

A little less than a mile and 600 feet up, we walked out to the first overlook.  We were on top of the rock cliffs above Creede.  The view to the south of the Rio Grande valley and Creede was spectacular as was the view north up the dramatic Willow Creek valleys.  If you’re in Creede and want to do a less than two mile hike with a great view, do this hike!

It was hard to believe that it could get better, but it did.  We climbed another two miles and 1,600 feet and the view got better with each switchback.  The trail crossed multiple rock slides which resulted in slow, careful progress.  The last quarter mile was nearly flat and led out to the edge of a thousand foot high rock cliff.  We sat on the point, admired the view, posed for some pictures, and had a snack.  The sky turned black across the valley and suddenly the ground shook with a crack of thunder!  We immediately packed everything up and got off the exposed point.  Thankfully, the storm stayed stationary and never got any closer, but it did provide a few tense moments while we were at the top.  We rushed down the mountain and somehow stayed dry.  It was a great hike and we were truly inspired!

   

   

Posing at the first overlook above Creede

   

An amazing view from “Inspiration Point”

- Copper Mountain

Our Lake City friends, Bob and Jan, recommended this hike.  They told us roughly how to get there and where to hike, but the details were a bit fuzzy.  A trail in the right area was depicted on one out of three of my maps.  Another email from Bob and correlating my three maps filled in enough blanks to make us go for it.

We expected a roughly four mile hike with about 1,000 feet of steady climbing.  However, the forest road ended nearly two miles shorter than expected which added another 800 feet of climbing.  It was still a nice hike and never got that steep.  Once we climbed out of the meadowed valley, and got up on the ridge, the view was amazing.  There were fairly long level stretches with dramatic views in each direction.  The picture below of Arleen walking along the ridge captures the scene fairly well…it was incredible.  We made the final short climb to the top where we found a cairn and glass jar with notes, pencils, and a few pictures.  It was very cool reading about other people’s experiences and we felt a connection with everyone that stood in that spot.  The pictures were of a man and his one year old son at the top.  The family made Copper Mountain an annual trek a few years in a row and made journal entries each time.  I know the mountain top was special to them like it was to us.  The 360 degree view of the upper Rio Grande valley and surrounding San Juan mountains will be with us forever!  Thanks Bob and Jan for leading us to that great place.

  

   

                Arleen walking the ridge line                                     The family at the top of Copper Mountain

- Visitors for Labor Day weekend…

Labor Day weekend approached and we were excited to have visitors!  First Gary and Jordan showed up.  They made the four hour drive from Colorado Springs and set up the Hockett camp at Marshall Park Campground just west of Creede.  The Rio Grande was right outside their tent door!  They fished briefly each evening and morning and always caught a small brown trout or two.  Arleen and I visited that first day, played a few games, fished a little, and had a good time making memories.  Then we headed into town for a great meal at the Firehouse restaurant.  It was a nice day.

Mary and Kendal showed up the following afternoon after making the nearly five hour drive from Elizabeth, Colorado.  They stayed at the Blue Lodge, just a mile east of us.  While Mary and Kendal were in route, Gary, Jordan, Arleen, and I fished Road Canyon Reservoir.  We caught a few but fishing was slow.  We parted ways early and planned to meet later than afternoon for a BBQ.  That evening the whole gang showed up and feasted on Arleen’s buffalo burgers…yum yum!  I just happened to have the camera in my hand when Jordan picked up the non-alcohol beer and asked what it was.   The funny moment was captured forever, but Jordan’s parents probably don’t find it as funny as I do!

The following day, Mary and Arleen rented a jeep and headed up to the Wheeler Geologic Area.  Mary’s degree is in geology, and her very first paper was written on this natural wonder.  For those that don’t know, Colorado’s San Juan and Elk mountains are quite volcanic.  In fact, the La Garita eruption is one of the biggest known to man ( http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/La_Garita_Caldera ).

Mary had never seen the area in person, but needless to say, a visit was very high on her wish list.  Arleen and Mary read horror stories about the 4-wheel drive road leading to the geologic area.  However, their expectations proved to be overblown and they handled the tricky route easily.  They were in awe of the rock formations and had a great time.  To top off their great day, they found two nice king boletes on the way down.  Mary was thrilled and may have caught the mushroom hunting bug!

While the ladies enjoyed their adventure, Gary, Jordan, and I headed up to little Love Lake for some fishing.  The stocked lake had been producing well prior to the Labor Day weekend, but things slowed considerably.  I thought it would be a good place for Jordan to catch a few trout, but it didn’t work out.  On the way back we stopped at a nice stretch of the Rio Grande River and Gary caught a couple of small brown trout.  We had planned a short afternoon hike, but Jordan and I ran out of steam so we relaxed for awhile instead. 

The whole gang met that evening for a great dinner and shared stories about their day.

We all met again for breakfast the next morning and said goodbye to Gary and Jordan.  During breakfast we decided to follow Mary and Kendal to Lake City.  We stopped at a few sites along the way.  Our family geologist, Mary, was excited to see the Slumgullion Earth Flow.  We pulled over near the pass and spent an hour hunting for mushrooms.  Arleen and I were seeing king boletes all over the place!  Mary’s eyes took a little time to adjust, but she found, identified, and picked her first king bolete!  In one place, Arleen spotted four nice mushrooms.  Mary saw two of them fairly quickly and took a minute or two to spot the third, but the fourth eluded her.  Then I walked up and spotted all four immediately!  Poor Mary was flustered, but finally saw the fourth mushroom.  It takes some experience to spot well camouflaged mushrooms.  Like us, Mary may now be a mushroom hunting addict.  With some practice, she’ll start spotting shrooms in no time!  Finally we dropped into Lake City, had a nice lunch, and parted ways.  It was a great Labor Day weekend and a great way to end the summer.

   

Playing at the Hockett camp

       

Family BBQ

   

Approaching Wheeler Geologic Area

   

   

   

Mary, Kendal, and Arleen dwarfed by Bristol Head                 Pointing at the Slumgullion earth flow

- Shoulder Season

The following week, the campgrounds emptied, things slowed considerably in town, and fishermen disappeared.  The glorious “shoulder season” arrived!!  The weather is still great and the wilderness feels more like wilderness.  Campgrounds are quieter and spaces are plenty.  The periods just before Memorial Day and just after after Labor Day are the shoulder seasons…our favorite time of year! 

- Mushroom hunting

Since we first learned to identify a few kinds of mushrooms at Fort Stevens State Park in Oregon last fall, we have been mushroom hunting addicts!  (However, we must make one thing clear:  We leave all mind altering shrooms alone!)  Our obsession started with chantrelles, then king boletes, then hedgehogs, and finally lobsters as we worked our way down the Oregon Coast.  Often mushrooms are not easy to find.  We can walk many miles and come up empty.  When we do spot one, it’s like finding a little treasure.  We get a thrill each time!  Mushroom hunting is physical and healthy.  Plus it’s a great way to spend a day.  There are few things more satisfying than finding a few pounds of shrooms, cleaning them up, and eating them in Arleen’s tasty meals!

While making plans to spend the summer in Colorado, we did a bunch of research on finding Colorado mushrooms.  To our amazement, we could find the same mushrooms that we enjoyed in Oregon!  However, the crops in Colorado would sprout in July and August in the high country above 10,000 feet.  In July in Lake City, we were a little discouraged when we only found a couple.  But as we got into August, we saw more and more.  Initially it was puff balls, meadow mushrooms, and aspen boletes.  Success peaked the second half of August and into September.  We found many hawk wings and prized king boletes!  We finally started seeing chantrelles, our favorites, in September.  Some hunts were a bust and others were great.  A few times we came back with five or six pounds of fresh shrooms!  What did we do with them all?  Arleen would cook about half in various dishes within a few days.  The rest were chopped thinly and dried in the oven for about 24 hours with just the pilot light on.  Now we have three cereal boxes full of tasty dried king boletes and hawk wings that we will enjoy well into winter! 

Shrooming is one of our favorite hobbies.  You can bet that we will research and make plans to shroom every year wherever we are!

   

           A successful hunt!                                                             A nice king bolete

       

  King bolete found near a creek                Dad doing the sniff test              Mary sampling a huge king bolete!

   

                      Colorado chantrelles!                                                          A typical hunt route

- Falls colors

We first noticed unmistakable changing aspens on 26 August.  By the time we left Creede on 10 September, the aspens were nearly at their peak.  It was beautiful!

   

   

 

Between hikes for a view, hikes to fish, and shrooming, we hiked 150 miles in August!

 

WHERE WE GOT OUR MAIL

Creede, Colorado

Next we head to the Conejos River near Antonito, Colorado.  We’ll be there three weeks and will witness the glorious Rocky Mountain Fall finale!  We might even experience the first snow of the winter.  Summers in the Rockies are beautiful…too bad they have to end!

 

 

Labor Day Balloon Festival in Creede, CO

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