Return to the Seventies

No!  I'm not back to wearing bell bottom pants and polyester shirts or letting my hair grow long and getting it permed (if only I had more and the energy too that we had then).  It's supposed to be in the 70s through the holiday weekend and hope the forecast is true and that the night time temps stay above 40 too -- might get an earlier start then and have my limit caught before noon -- time left to enjoy the sunshine and warmth with the twins outside.

They have both taken to crying to get outside these days -- spoiled them too many times, I guess (just not early in the mornings yet).  Hope everyone has a safe and happy holiday wherever you are.

Pool Table Mountain -- Search for antlers

Yesterday, I drove my neighbor Darvin and myself up Pool Table Road and back over the top of the mountain where we parked and hiked around the mountainside in search of Elk antlers -- or some wildlife.  We hiked for some 2-1/2 hours over meadows and into some thick woods on the top of one ridge where Darvin had previously found a shed (last year).  We originally had hoped to get to the bottom of the area by way of another road we passed by earlier but, the gate and the road was still closed.

The scenery and views from various spots on the road and the mountain proved to be really spectacular as usual.  As we hiked and searched for signs (chews and rubs) that might lead us to some sheds, the snow fell occasionally and later some sleet too.  The signs were there but, we had no luck in finding any sheds or big game.  We did however, certainly get our exercise for the day as we ended up in the meadow below where we saw the closed road.  Then, we headed back up the drainage area next to a little creek and through the gulch below some cliffs we had passed by previously while walking the woods above -- pretty strenuous climbing back up to the top when it came time to head back to the Jeep.  As they say, it takes about twice as long to climb back up and we needed a short break for snacks and water after getting above the top level of the cliffs.

 



 

Search Area

After making our way back to the Jeep, we continued east over the top of the mountain on FSR 610 toward Alder road at the other end of the valley (came out not far from our campground).  The roads along the top of the mountain were in pretty good shape but, the road down was really rocky and very narrow with a steep drop into the canyon below.  Not a ride I will ever take again and one that I will caution no one to take with their Jeep or truck -- only a road for ATVs or OHVs.  We fortunately didn't encounter any vehicles coming up the rough road and that is really good because there were very few turnouts (if any) along some 4 or 5 miles of the toughest parts of the road (and that steep drop looming to the right).  That had Darvin pretty scared most of the way down while I was distracted by keeping my attention on the road and avoiding the many rocks along the way (must have hit the bottom of the Jeep at least a dozen times).

So glad to get off that road and passed the golf course on our way back to route 149 where we connected just beyond the bridge over the Rio Grande river (near our campground).  Cooked four more of those lovely, pink meat trout (nearly the color of Salmon) and four Elk burgers.  Finished cooking on the grille just before a good rain hit here.  Nice to enjoy one of those burgers and one of the trout.  Glad too that the rain didn't hit while we were on that road.

 

Gunnison and Crested Butte

Yesterday, I drove over 300 miles on an exploratory trip over three passes to decide on my route for taking the bus to Gunnison for my niece's wedding in Crested Butte.  I invited my neighbor Darvin to join me as he had not seen these areas either and we headed out just before 9:30 -- returned to the campground around 6:30 p.m.  I drove east first to Del Norte and then north and northeast to join up to 285 going north to Saguache where we headed northwest on route 114 over North Pass and crossed the Continental Divide there.  Some 46 miles after crossing the pass we arrived in Gunnison via route 50 (on it for some 5 or 6 miles).  We looked for a Walmart store that seemingly should have been on route 50 or just off of it but, since we didn't see one, I continued on through Gunnison to check out Mesa RV Park just a few miles west of town (right on the banks of the Gunnison River).

When we drove through the town of Gunnison, I noticed route 135 in the middle of town -- the road to Crested Butte where the wedding is scheduled in late June (the 22nd).  Also, noticed the airport just on the other side of the river and just south of the town -- where my daughter will be flying into on the 19th of June.  I drove through the RV park and stopped at the office to reconfirm whether I needed to make a reservation for the time period I am looking for in June and also got directions to the Walmart store (on route 135 it turns out).  So, we headed back to route 135 and then north toward Crested Butte where we found along the way the Walmart store (really dinky) and a better food market just next door (City Market).  Darvin and I both did some shopping and put some things in a cooler and we headed north again on route 135 -- might as well see Crested Butte since we were this close.  First time either of us had been in Crested Butte and it certainly looked like snow country and most of the houses on the south side of the streets still had dirty snow piled in front of them.

During the whole trip up from South Fork and to Crested Butte, we didn't see any wildlife even though the countryside looked excellent for some and the little creek running along the winding road down from North Pass looked like it certainly should have attracted some.  After arriving in the historic section of Crested Butte, we both needed some lunch and we found a nice little bar and grill to get a hamburger (and a small draft beer for me).  Darvin had a good stiff cup of coffee.

After a satisfying lunch, I drove through a little more of the older section of town before we headed back down route 135 where I planned to head west on route 50 and connect up to route 149 at Blue Mesa Reservoir for the return through Lake City and Creede.  The reservoir looked to be way lower than I had last seen a few years ago when I was travelling with my pop-up camper but, the way the Gunnison river looked to be flowing, it should fill up some before I come back in mid June.  We'll see if that happens or not.

The scenery on route 149, proved to be quite a bit more appealling to me but, the steepness of Slumgullion Pass convinced me that this would not be the route to take with my diesel pusher.  The view of San Cristobal Lake (to the left) was beautiful and the San Juan Mountains in the distance marked the Continental Divide (western side) and we would have to cross it again as we went over the next pass (Spring Creek Pass).  As we passed the next summit, we had another spectacular view of the Brown Lakes in the valley to the south (picture below).

 

Farther on, per Darvin's direction, we took a short detour of a half mile to view some falls which were really pretty spectacular and well hidden from the road.  The nasty weather and some cold winds had us scurrying back to the Jeep rather quickly to stay ahead of what appeared to rain/snow or sleet.  We did see one healthy rock Marmot while viewing the falls -- first wildlife we had seen during the trip.  Shortly thereafter, Darvin spotted something off the road to our left and I pulled into a Forest Service dirt road where we grabbed our binoculars and watched more than a dozen Mule deer move along a hillside there.

 

Soon we were back on the road and before long, we were on a familiar section we had travelled on Thursday when we went to Regan Lake (where I caught those nice Brookies).  As we continued down the road next to the Rio Grande, we recalled the two herd of Elk we had seen on Thursday morning but, didn't spot them in the same area.  However, a little farther on, we (really Darvin again) spotted what appeared to be the same two small herds of Elk on the far side of the meadows so I pulled over to the side of the road and we grabbed our binoculars again.  This time, there appeared to be a moose also moving through the willows just beyond the Elk and soon some bigger Elk (possibly some Bull Elk) came out on the hillside above the other animals.  May need to get a stronger, spotting telescope for the distant viewing of these two herds and their companions.

 

 Won't need that for the next group of animals that we saw -- just past the cliffs known to have Bighorn Sheep, there were about a dozen of the rams right down beside the fence on the opposite side of the road.  Pretty amazing to see them that close.

 

So, after unpacking the Jeep and laying down for a few minutes, I got a pot of rice cooked up (with peppers, onions, tomatoes) and enjoyed a late dinner (one of those tasty Brookies).  I did share it with Tiger and Molly, of course.



Best Brookies -- My First

Well, how to begin such a great day out there in these beautiful surroundings and the day that unfolded is a little hard to describe.  Darvin and I set out a little earlier than we originally planned (around 9:30) so, we left around 9:15, I think and in no real hurry to head into the area beyond Road Canyon and the ultimate goal of Regan Lake 6 miles on 4 wheeler roads beyond.  A total of some 1-1/2 hours of driving west from the campground.

Shortly before our turnoff of route 149, Darvin spotted some activity out in the valley to our left and we pulled off the road to get our binoculars out and look out at two herds of some 20 or more  Elk in each herd -- seemingly spooked by something (maybe a mountain lion in the brush near the river).  After some 10 or 15 minutes of watching their movements, we headed on to our turnoff to Road Canyon Reservoir and then our subsequent branch off to Regan Lake.

The road to Regan Lake seemed to be in slightly better shape than my trip there last year -- more rain from recent weather patterns moving through perhaps.  As we headed up the road we stopped once to inspect some skeletal remains near the creek running through the valley and as we climbed back up to the Jeep, Darvin's keen eyes spotted a group of 5 Elk moving above us on the other side of the road.  We checked them out for a few minutes and then moved on (I think they were checking us out too).

After 4-wheeling the approximate 5 miles to the lake, we drove to the far end and Darvin grabbed his gear and a walkie-talkie as he headed farther into the drainage area above the lake to check for signs of Elk and possible antlers.  I headed for the next parking area back down the shores of the lake and where two neighbors from the campground were already fishing (saw them leave more nearly to 2hours earlier).

I checked with them and one of them had caught a few fish and the other guy had no luck at all.  I decided to fish a little to their right and got out my backup rod with a float and fly on it -- made half dozen casts and then tied on a Panther Martin.  The two guys left while I tied on the lure -- too crowded for them (3 people fishing the same lake, I guess).

After they left, I fished the same area and managed to catch 3 Brook Trout -- thought they might be brown trout or one Kokanee Salmon but, Darvin clarified that they were actually Brook Trout.  He had returned from some 2 hours of hiking -- right on time, I might add.

Then, we drove back to the end of the lake and a small branch road to the east near the end of the lake where I hoped to fish around a point I had seen last year but, had not fished (though I would have liked to).  After a short hike over a small rise to the other side of the point, I climbed down to the edge of the lake below after sharp drop down -- there I thought there should be a good drop off and a good hole to fish.  My first cast got me another nice 13 inch Brook trout and two casts later, I hooked this 17-inch Brook trout that just made me want to yell in absolute delight (after I landed him).

 

I went back to the Jeep and showed Darvin my catch which amazed him as he thought it was the biggest Brook Trout he had ever seen.  I fished a little off a couple big boulders near the beach close to the Jeep and lost one lure there.  Then, I put the two recent catches in the cooler and tied on a third and different Panther Martin lure and headed back to the other side of the point to see if the trout would be hitting that lure too.  Sure enough, I had another 13 inch Brook trout to toss in the cooler after just three casts.  Could have stayed and probably caught my limit of 10 but, decided to head back.

We did a quick stop by Road Canyon Reservoir to see what it looked like at this time of year and since the wind was whipping white caps on the water, we just turned around and headed back toward South Fork.  On the way back from Road Canyon, something caught my attention out of the corner of my eye and I stopped to see some 5 big horn sheep at the edge of the creek to our right -- just below the dirt road.

What a full day of seeing wildlife and catching such beautiful fish.  The absolute best -- so far.

First Trip over the Pass -- This Year

Sinced I had some banking to do at the nearest Wells Fargo Bank, I headed over Wolf Creek Pass to Pagosa Springs -- always an inspiring drive and lots of snow at the top this trip.  Also, I can never resist stopping on the other side for that beautiful, scenic view of the San Juan valley below.  This year, the valley appeared especially greener than last year and I noticed too that the Aspens on the other side of the pass were already sprouting their leaves.

 On my way back over the pass, I decided to stop at Pass Lake and try to catch the one that got away on Saturday.  I did catch that one or his sister (the fattest fish so far this year) and another small one that I released -- quit after my hands got too cold (maybe an hour).  Then I headed back to Big Meadows to fish off the boulders near the spillway and caught the rest of my daily limit (also released more than a half dozen others).  I gave a couple of the fish to my neighbor in the cabin behind me.

Today, my neighbor (Darvin) and I will head past Creede to Road Canyon Reservoir where I hope to learn some of his techniques for Shed Hunting for Elk antlers.  Maybe fish a little too.

 

 

First Freezer Pak -- Four Rainbows

 Yesterday did not go as well as Sunday at Big Meadows and could probably be classified as a day I got "Skunked" even though I did catch one little fingerling or "Baybie Brownie" while fishing the pool below the cliffs at Masonic Park on the Rio Grande.  First, I tried the section of the Rio Grande above the Masonic Park in Collier State Park for awhile but, got no strikes -- only found a bag full of trash on my way out and headed for the cliffs and the pool below.  After that, I headed to Beaver Creek Reservoir for a second attempt there to catch something but, only got one hit at the dam and no hits at all near the picnic area.  Oh well! That's fishing.

 

I could have tried somewhere else up the pass but, I already had leftovers for a few nights so, I decided to just write it off and come back for some late lunch (soup and a hot dog).  The waters of the Rio Grande looked to be a little lower than last year at this time but, they looked less muddy at the same time.  Last night, I couldn't see the actual sunset as the clouds and rain came from the south and then from the north and finally from the west.  Good night for watching a movie -- A Walk in the Clouds (one of my most favorite).

 

Today, I decided to head back to Big Meadows to see if the good luck there might continue.  I headed there a little earlier than other days as I expected the predicted afternoon thunderstorms could arrive earlier and maybe I would want to head up to Shaw Lake instead before starting at Big Meadows. With the threat of rain appearing to be materializing sooner, I decided to stop at Big Meadows and head out to that boulder field on the south side of the lake.  I continued on past the boulder field to the point beyond the snow drifts that dropped to the water's edge.  Luckily there were a couple trees that provided some shelter when the rain/sleet/snow started to hit.  I had already caught two small trout and continued to fish as best I could thankful I hadn't stopped at the unprotected boulder field I had fished on Sunday.  I missed a couple good hits and lost a couple fish before deciding I needed to head back to the Jeep to dry out and ponder what to do over the next hour or two.

 

After reaching the Jeep and putting the two trout in the cooler, I thoroughly enjoyed getting warmer and dryer while deciding what to do next.  The dam was immediately in front of me and slightly to my right with the spillway and the bridge over it visible just a short distance away (much closer than the boulder field I had exited a few minutes earlier).  I decided to head for the bridge and the this side of the spillway where I had fished last year -- and had some good hits.

 

Since the rain had subsided, I stopped a couple times on the way to the bridge and tried a few casts to see how the wind was blowing and if the boulders at the bridge might be the best spot for this weather.  No one else had taken either side of the bridge so, I took the near side and began casting left and right with a couple hits here and there.  Soon a couple more anglers took up positions on the other side of the spillway and I noticed them catching and releasing a few fish.  They appeared to be using floats and flies.  After I saw them catch a few, I then caught a couple and released them both too.  A little later a better sized fish took my lure and then dove into the rocks where it got me tangled and broke off.  Shortly thereafter, I caught a keeper of about 12 inches and put him on my stringer.  Soon, I had another of about the same size and put him on the stringer too.

 

Knowing I had my limit of four, I watched the rain approaching again and decided to head for my Jeep again -- filled my hand net again with half a dozen bottles and other trash on the way.

 

I then headed up the road another 2.5 miles to Shaw Lake to get a look at it -- intrigued with the possibility that it might have some Snake Cutthroats waiting to be caught.  The washboard road didn't seem to be as bad as those roads to Chaco Canyon in New Mexico.  I parked near the boat launch area and tried fishing some from the floating dock there with no success at all.  Then, I carefully maneuvered the spillway to the dam and fished a little there catching one little fingerling cutthroat which I released.  I made my way across the dam to the other side and attempted some more casts until the wind began to whip up some white caps -- time to leave.

 

Cleaned the fish and put them in the freezer.

Fishing Anxiety Gone -- Restful Night

Now that the first four trout of the season have been caught (and cooked on the grille), it seems I can take a couple days to find the next catch and start filling the freezer (in case there are visitors).  It felt pretty pleasant outside while I cleaned and then fired up the grille -- maybe in the mid 60s with hardly a breeze.  I had met one of my two other campers shortly before getting to work on the grille and after talking to him (Darvin), I have a new perspective on the surrounding mountains and what is in them.  Elk to be specific.  Turns out this is a trophy area for "Shed Hunting" and Darvin showed me some of the antlers he has managed to gather during his time stayng in the cabin behind me (since March).

Turns out too that Darvin is afflicted with the same disease two of my cousins have -- MS (though, he is not quite as bad as cousin Paul -- perhaps closer to what Keith is going through).  So, he has to rest a couple days between his hunting sessions or hikes through the woods and when he is out he sometimes has to rest for an hour or more during his outing.  Some of the antlers he showed me were huge and apparently the sets will fetch him $400 to $500 for each.  Not a bad piece of change for picking up some 12 to 25 pounds of antlers.  I will try to join him on one of is trips into the woods and learn more about the specific signs and areas to search (other than the south or southwest sides of the mountains) -- maybe see some cows in the process and get a few pics.

Since Darvin is resting again today, I will scout the streams and see if there is anything biting -- the Rio Grande first, I think -- at that hole beyond the cliff.

Back to Fishing and Catching

Today started at about 4 degrees warmer than yesterday (around 38 degrees) but, I didn't get an earlier start as my toes were still needing a little longer to warm up -- no need to get out any sooner and get them cold again.  So, it was about the same time as yesterday (around 10:00 a.m.) before I got into the Jeep and headed up the approaches of Wolf Creek Pass and made the turn to Big Meadows (just before the tunnel).  As the pavement quickly ended and the dirt road began, I could see snow drifts still at the edge of the road and deeper into the woods.  The road seemed to be in better shape than last summer perhaps because of the moisture and some road maintenance that coincided with the moisture.

The stream from the lake always has my attention as I drive up this road and today was no different as I imagined there to be some nice Brook trout somewhere in the numerous attractive pools along the way to the lake.  I first circled into the main area where the restrooms and boat launch are to get a full view of the lake and see if anything was happening -- noticed one guy on the handicapp pier bringing one fish in.  I was encouraged to see that and I headed over to the other side of the lake near the campground (which is still under construction) and parked next to two pickup trucks that must have arrived a few minutes before me (some of the people were just emerging from their vehicles (seemingly after getting additional layers on or off).

 

I headed off quickly after gathering my gear and a bottle of cold Gatorade to stay ahead of this rather large group of some 6 or 8 people -- all of whom seemed to have their fishing gear in their neat little zippered green bags.  My sights were set on the boulder field on the south side of the lake and I only hoped they weren't heading there too -- fortunately they weren't.  The trails were much wetter than last year and the little streams running into the lake were a couple times bigger than what they were previously -- therefore, I managed to soak my right foot with one mistep.  The trail through the woods still had snow drifts a couple feet deep and I tried to use some of the existing footprints where possible or stepped onto some of the nearby boulders or grass -- at times I just stepped on the top of the snow and hoped it would hold (it did most of the time).

After reaching the boulder field, I decided to stop there because the snow drifts farther on ran all the way down to the water's edge and appeared to be deeper -- no use getting colder and wetter feet before starting to fish.  The breeze was coming from the right and the sun was shining as I started casting into the familiar waters and soaked in the beauty of this place.  Within the first hour of fishing, I caught my limit and kept the first four -- released another four of about the same size over the next hour.  I headed back to the Jeep as some rain drops began to fall and was on the road back to the RV park by 1:00 p.m. -- eager to clean these first four trout of the season and get them ready for the grille.

Just finished eating the first trout of the season and its meat was a pinkish color and soo tasty.  Ask Tiger and I'm sure he will agree.  Now time to enjoy another sunset and think about which place to fish tomorrow.

Caught that Sunset

I didn't catch that first trout yet though and I had a hard time catching my breath on a couple of those climbs back up from the shores of Pass Lake and Beaver Creek Reservoir.  Yesterday started with hardly a cloud in the sky and the temp at sunrise was around 34 degrees with frost on the Jeep and the picnic tables throughout the campground.  It was a little after 10:00 before I had emptied the stuff out of the Jeep, gathered a cooler from under the bus and those two little micro-mini-spincasters.

 

I headed up route 160 toward Wolf Creek Pass and took the turnoff to Beaver Creek Reservoir to see if things had changed there since last year.  The water level looked to be some 2 or 3 feet up from the end of last season and the "mud island" at the east end had disappeared from view.  The sandy/mud bank on the farside which I had last fished with the round rock on the point had also disappeared from sight.  Since it was still too darned chilly to wade the stream to the other side for the best fishing, I decided to fish below the cliffs just west of the picnic area -- partly shielded from the wind.  As I cast numerous times without a single strike, I noticed that two Canadian Geese had taken up residence near the top of the cliffs and were taking turns chasing off some pesky Ravens that were seemingly trying to get the eggs from the nest (I'm guessing there were eggs).  The presence of the geese was duly noted too by the abundance of their poop on the rocks at my feet.

 

I decided to head back and possibly on to Pass Lake but, made one more stop at the dam and climbed down to the nearest corner where I had last caught a Kokanee Salmon.  I had the same result there and after some 15 or 20 minutes without a single hit, I climbed back up to the warmth of the Jeep and headed back down the beautiful canyon -- warmer days are ahead and better fishing too (I hope).

 

At Pass Lake, I pulled off the road and stopped just at the top of the little trail down to the far end of the lake where I had caught lots of trout last year.  As I climbed down, I noticed the snow drifts among the trees and on the drive there I also had noticed more snow than last year on the peaks of the pass.  I noticed when I crossed into Colorado on Friday that all the peaks around the area seemed to have much more snow than last year.

I tied on a different lure before leaving the Jeep and hoped for better results here at the little rocky dam where I saw little Aden catch his first trout ever.  What a thrill it was for him and a good memory too of him using my little, purple hand net to catch some of the little minnows in the shallows -- later he put them in the little pond at the campground.  After fishing for awhile and not getting any hits, I again switched to another Panther Martin -- my favorite with the black body and yellow spots.

 

All in all, it was a little better fishing at Pass Lake and I nearly had a keeper rainbow that looked to be over 12 inches but, he got off almost as quickly as he got on just some 6 feet from my feet.  Earlier, I saw another one chase the lure to almost the same spot and not too long after that, one of those little "stockers" of about 9 inches had given my lure a little hit and I nearly hooked him -- wouldn't have kept him though.  Nice to be out there though and will give it another try today (probably at Big Meadows) if the winds aren't too stiff.  Already cooked a pot of rice yesterday, ready to go with that first trout -- with tomatoes, green peppers and onions, of course.  I think Tiger is ready too.

Searching for that First Sunset

I'm Back!  And so are the twins!  We crossed the Colorado state line at 12:15 and got settled in here at South Fork by around 3:00 p.m. -- including a trip to the local liquor store to get that first 6-pack of Colorado Native and a stop at the Rainbow Grocery to get that fishing license for this season.  When we passed through Del Norte, we hit a rain/sleet storm and I thought for sure that it looked like I would be unhooking the Jeep and backing the RV into my spot next to the cabins in the rain.  Fortunately, there was a break in the clouds and I only had to deal with a few sprinkles.

 

After enjoying a leftover hamburger and hot dog with some chips and milk, I settled into the passenger's leather seat to enjoy one of those amber lagers and watched the mule deer come wandering through the campground like last year.  The breezes and rain started again and periodically the sun came and went as the day wound down -- had been hoping to see a beautiful sunset at the end of the day but, the best I could get was some color and little bit of sunlight from the canyon toward Creede.

Awoke to much chillier temps than we had in Albuquerque but, the forecast is calling for improving temps into the 70s early next week.  Not too many clouds this morning so will get things out of the Jeep and dig out those little mini-spincasters and tie on a lure -- make a trip up to pass lake and sneak a peak at Beaver Creek Reservoir on the way.

Picked up a Little Green Monster

No!  It's not one of those little green lizards or geckos that the twins have been chasing and stalking around the campground -- and I added the word "Monster" so that it sounds a little tougher than a Dirt Devil or such similar device.  It's one of those mini-Bissell spot cleaners and I put it to good use this morning after picking it up at the nearest Walmart.  I figured that since I'm in this dry, desert climate, I might as well put the moderate temps and dry air to use before heading into southwest Colorado this Friday -- get all the hypothetical "Honeydos" out of the way.

Now, I will be ready to hit the streams and lakes as soon as I park the RV and get that new fishing license (Rainbow Grocery in South Fork will be the first stop for that).  I have now also restocked most everything we should need for the first couple of weeks -- minus the main courses (trout) and that Colorado Native amber lager which I liked so much last year.  I will still need to hit that store near Del Norte to get some of those wonderful Elk medallions to cook on the grille but, I do have some frozen Elk ground meat for a burger or two so fishing will be tops on the list come Friday or this weekend.  Already have a backup bottle of Sambucca too.

Only one more of the $5 buffets to enjoy here tomorrow afternoon and I should have more than enough calories to carry me through the Friday morning drive through Albuquerque, Santa Fe and then Alamosa.  Home at last -- it will seem.

Cinco de Mayo in Albuquerque

I headed into Old Town Albuquerque before noon today and walked around a few of the shops and listened to the singers and musicians in the plaza.  After working up a hunger I stopped in a little restaurant across the street from the San Felipe Church and enjoyed a Chimichanga and glass of iced tea while sitting on their patio -- had a frozen margarita later when I got back to the RV park.

I will be heading out of here this coming Friday, the 10th, and decided to head directly to South Fork instead of stopping for another week somewhere in between here and there.  I'm ready to start catching some trout and get to hiking around the beautiful streams and lakes there.  It's too dry and windy down here and I know I could never stand to be here permanently for that reason and the haunting memories of that beautiful young woman I met here over 50 years ago.  Did see more than a few beautiful women here but, they certainly had no interest in me like that one had 50 years ago.

Yesterday afternoon, I sat out on the patio here with the twins and watched the contrails blow over head -- tried to guess where they were coming from or going to as they skipped by Albuquerque (like I will on any further trips through New Mexico).  Guess I am not Enchanted with the land of Enchantment (anymore).

El Malpais - New Mexico's Badlands

Yesterday, I decided to head west from here and visit the "Badlands" of New Mexico -- only 60 miles on I-40 and some short drives south on 117.  First, I went to the NW New Mexico Visitor Center at Gallup just one more exit west of the one for El Malpais.  Like all the Visitor Centers I have been to here in New Mexico, it was worth the stop to see the exhibits there -- and I also found out about that butte I had seen on the way back from Chaco Canyon (it is called Cabezon Peak).

After a quick stop at the Walmart at Gallup to restock my Coors Light supply and a couple more weeks of catfood, I headed back to exit 89 and then to the BLM Ranger Station just a short drive down from I-40.  This was a smaller Visitor Center but, again worth the stop to see the exhibits there and gather a little more local knowledge of the places to stop and hike.  Then, I drove down the paved highway to the first dirt road and pullout to Sandstone Bluffs Overlook where I hiked a little along the bluffs and took in the views (while holding tightly onto my hat as the winds were sometimes intense).

 

The views of the valley and the lava covered floor were spectacular with the sandstone in the foreground making a stark contrast.  Some of the darker areas were, I think, lava that hadn't sprouted any significant growth on top -- a problem early settlers and depression era homesteaders had to deal with (and lost most often). Sometimes, the odd shapes of the sandstone were comical and great for framing the views as I hiked around -- one formation almost looked like a giant squirrel standing in the distance and another looked like a "sock puppet" (to me).

 

 

After this short hike, I headed for La Ventans National Arch a few miles farther south and on the way I passed the trailhead for the Zuni-Acoma Trail (some significant sandstone formations marked the entrance).  Since I came alone, the 10 mile roundtrip hike across the lava fields did not have my interest and no one else had parked at the trailhead either.

When I arrived at the parking area for the arch, there was a small truck-camper and a motorcycle parked there but, I met no one on the short trail up and back.  Maybe they had climbed farther up or off to one side of the arch.  The pictures I took hardly showed the arch and I climbed beyond the trail barricades hoping to get closer and get that more defined shot -- didn't happen as it turned out and the picture I took an the way out seemed to be the best I had.  Truck and motorcycle were gone when I got back to the parking lot.

A couple more miles down the road, I pulled into the picnic area for The Narrows and took the trail up onto the cliffs but, most of the trail was like loose beach sand and with the winds beginning to increase again, I decided to only go about half the distance to the point or distant cliff.  There were more miles of paved roads to the south but, no additional overlooks or pullouts -- just 20 plus miles of 4-wheeler roads running out into the lava fields and to the chain of craters on the other side of the valley (already had enough 4-wheel roads during the past week).

 

Time to get back to the RV and batten down any loose items -- I could see what looked like dust clouds blowing in from the northwest and the beer needed to get chilled too.  Tiger and Molly needed some time out between the heavy gusts.  Next trip will be Cabezon Peak.

 

Note too that this area of volcanic activity occurred some 115,000 years ago and the ranger at the station told me too of a huge caldera to the north of I-40 that is some 50 miles across (you can see it from the roads in the park as you head back to I-40 then you seem to lose sight of it).  That's bigger than the one in Yellowstone but, certainly not as pretty as Lake Yellowstone to see.