Taos, NM area - August 2004

At last I am heading to Utah. I decided to make the trip to the four corners area (New Mexico, Utah, Colorado and Arizona) with my plans pretty well set in jello. I took the fly fishing paraphernalia just in case and am sure glad that I did. I stopped near Shamrock, Tx the first night after a 497 mile drive and then turned north on August 19, 2004 at Tucumcari, NM, but not before buying a small pizza and a piece of fried chicken. It is time to go to the forest. I soon found myself at 8600 feet in the Carson National Forest in the Sangre de Cristo (Blood of Christ) Mountains. I enjoyed the lush greens of the forest but it wasn't long before I confirmed that afternoon thunderstorms would probably be an everyday reality. I stopped at La Junta Canyon and got a nice little camping spot alongside the creek before a gentle rain set in about 4:30 (now mountain time). There was a small stream running alongside the campground but I had not obtained a fishing license yet.





On Friday I drove the 25 miles or so to Taos and went in search of the tourist places. By early afternoon I found bumper to bumper traffic. The architecture was enjoyable and there was ample opportunity for shopping. I then took the 86 mile enchanted circle scenic route in the mountains north of Taos which was quite a lovely drive and more to my liking. The enchanted circle is advertised quite well and it led me to small communities that I might not have known about otherwise: Angel Fire, Eagle Nest, Red River, and Questa.









Campground shopping for the night led me to the Taos Ski Valley on the north side of Taos where I located a beautiful free spot alongside Rio Hondo in the Lower Hondo NFS campground. Places like this make me appreciate traveling in something small. And here I was back in the forest which always makes me happy! I was parked right alongside the river and could sleep listening to the water rushing over the rocks.


On Friday I settled in at Junebug Campground alongside the Red River. Each afternoon there were expected showers but they didn't usually last too long. Junebug campground is just a few miles outside of the town of Red River. It was the perfect spot to begin my five days of New Mexico fly fishing. I spent Saturday listening to music and sampling chili at the Chili Cookoff. Hot Chili Days and Cool Mountain Nights was the theme. Indeed!




Red River was inhabited by Ute, Jicarilla, Apaches, game trappers and prospectors in the 19th century. By 1905 there were 3,000 inhabitants when gold, silver and copper were mined until the supply dwindled. Today Molybdenum mining is in operation. The town is surrounded by Carson National Forest and is 8,750 feet in elevation. There is now a population of less than 500 but an average daily tourist population of 4,000 enjoying biking, camping, skiing, fishing, four wheeling, hiking, and magnificent scenery.




August 22 was a 44 degree night and blueberry buckwheat pancakes for breakfast never tasted so good. I read that one should eat 70% of the diet in carbohydrates to offset the altitude. No problem! I caught one little brook trout and two rainbows not far from my camping spot. After I left the area I looked over to see the mountains where I had so much fun.


On Monday I was off on a day trip to the Wild Rivers Recreation Area, a beautiful drive that followed along the rim of the Rio Grande Gorge to La Junta Point where the Red River converges with the Rio Grande The Rio Grande has sliced an 800 foot deep gorge through the high plains of northern New Mexico. The semi-arid area is home to pinon and juniper forests but in view of the Sangro de Christo Mountains. There was a nice little visitor's center and suitable BLM campgrounds. I then went south towards Taos to the Fish Hatchery where there is a very excellent section of the Red River River with access to wade and fish. I didn't catch any fish but the experience was excellent just the same.

I stopped at the Rio Grande Gorge Bridge the next morning before continuing west on 64. A desert landscape lay between the east and west mountain ranges of the Carson National Forest.





In one area the desert was dotted with solar homes that were the most creative things I have seen so I turned on Earthship Road and looked at a few. It is unexpected finds like this that can make trips so interesting. This settlement was just out in the middle of nowhere west of Taos.