Carson NF, New Mexico - July 2005

In July I met Marion, my fishing pal from Texas, in New Mexico for a little fly fishing excursion. I spent the first night at the Holiday Inn in Elk City, OK. It was quite hot there on July 10 but we would soon solve the heat problem. I met Marion at Rocky Point Campground on Santa Rosa Lake to travel to the Taos area. We had decided to try Rio Pueblo, a small stream near Taos, located in the Carson National Forest. We got fishing licenses at Wal-Mart in Las Vegas. Our first stop along the river was at Aqua Piedra campground on highway 518. This was a lovely spot with some nice walks alongside the river for fishing but it was a steep hike (or short drive) down to the river's edge and plenty of folks fishing there. There was a nice breeze among the firs and aspens. The campground had no amenities but the generator started just like it should. The 8517 elevation made a dramatic difference in the temperature.

We checked out the nearby areas and found Comales Campground, about 5 miles down the road, more to our liking. There were a couple of spots to the side so we claimed that half of the campground. Just a short walk down the hill and we were on the river which was also in a special trout water section. This meant that there was a possession limit of two trout but that did not seem to matter to the locals that were scooping them up in nets during the weekend.

We left the Rio Pueblo River on July 17 and went east to fish other streams. We spent two nights at Junebug Campground near Red River and then went over to the Cimmaron River. There were plenty of pullouts alongside the road and we did fish from several. We decided we liked the Rio Pueblo campground better than the crowded state parks we found in that area and went right back to our same spot in Comales Campground. We took a most scenic route in the mountains down 434 through the Moro Valley. Thank goodness for small campers. It was as if we were coming home when we arrived back at Comales.

The Cimmaron River

The days were warm and the nights most pleasant due to a little elevation in the mountains.

Marion even spent a little time painting the wildflowers while I explored new fishing spots further upstream. We took a few trips into Taos to take advantage of cell phone service and a Mexican restaurant. We enjoyed cooking, painting, fishing, and relaxing until July 24 when we packed the fly rods and headed south and east.

Marion on Rio Pueblo

The next stop was the Pioneer Campground, a county park in Wellington, Texas. I was surprised the rates had increased to $10 but still not bad for electricity in the July heat of the Texas panhandle. And the next day it was only a memory. Life is good.