The Rio Grande Racecourse section in the vicinity of Pilar, on a mild winter day. The huge Ponderosa pine seen on the right is the only such pine (and tree of its size) found along the Racecourse.

Rio Grande river, Racecourse section, Pilar, NM

One barely has to get out of the car in order to observe the wildlife along the Rio Grande. I’ll start with the most exciting creature to come to this area in years, the River Otter. Several, I think 9, were introduced to the Rio Grande in the winter of ‘08 and we have wondered how and if they were thriving? Now I know for a fact, three are.

Headed for the safety of the water after spotting me.

Entering the water with the 2nd already there.

Eating a tasty carp.

A few more photographs from the day.

A Bull Elk carcass provides a mid-day snack for a couple of coyotes.

Wintering geese in Pilar.

Great Blue Heron.

One of our resident Bald Eagles.

Orilla Verde evening.

Sunset and the Pilar Cliffs.

These photographs and more at “www.flickr.com/photos/jorunny/

Trailhead sign. Be sure and register.

One can drive across the Taos Junction Bridge and up a rather steep dirt road with several switchbacks to reach the West Rim of the Rio Grande Gorge. There’s a pull-out immediately on the left upon reaching the top. If it has rained or snowed recently, as was the situation today, expect mud, not only where you park but along the hiking trail as well. From this point to Petaca Canyon is 4 miles which was our goal, but the snow mixed with warm temperatures made the going slow and soggy, plus the need to slow down and enjoy the views added time to the hike. We didn’t make it to Petaca. This is the section of river we offer to our guests as the “New Wave No Wave”.

Looking back upstream, Taos Junction Bridge can be seen mid-photo(if you look really close).

A quick count of 50 in this elk herd.

Elk scat, known as "smart pills" to some folks.

Mike B., one of New Wave's veteran river guides.

Petroglyphs.

Coming across fresh bear tracks and scat makes one pay attention!

Joining the Rio Grande at Taos Junction Gaging Station, we view Staurolite Canyon.

Downstream view (into the sun) of the Orilla Verde Recreation Area.

The road from Pilar to the Taos Junction Bridge. Again, into the sun.

Coyote track.

On the West Rim Mesa, native grass and Juniper trees.

Photographs by Britt. More @ http://flickr.com/photos/jorunny/

Thus begins a winter hike for CJ and myself. A few hundred yards upstream of the Taos Junction Bridge lies the confluence of the Rio Grande River and the Rio Pueblo. It is sometimes fished for trout and sometimes kayaked by those possessing superior paddling skills, but we saw no one on this snowy day. The drive along the Race Course section brought us our first Bald Eagle.

A popular perch across from the lone Ponderosa Pine below Quartzite Put-in.

Another in the Orilla Verde Recreation Area.

A short distance above the confluence CJ accidentally spotted this bald while watching (through her new Nikon ATB Monarch (waterproof) 10×42 binoculars), a raven feed on what she claimed to be pieces of a rabbit.

On my belly, in the rocks, attempting an unobstructed image.

Seems the camera "click" was a bit loud.

Snow and ice covers the rocks of the Rio Pueblo and getting in close allows one to admire the various abstract formations created by both wind and water in freezing temperatures.

The Rio Pueblo de Taos joins the Rio Grande.

Ice Arch.

One can drive a short distance up the old road that follows the stream to the top of the Taos Plateau and eventually back to Highway 68, but it’s no longer drivable due to a serious rock fall some years ago and now is a hiking trail only.

The Rio Pueblo.

Snow, ice and water.

Constantly on the lookout for more Bald Eagles or perhaps one of the River Otters that were released into the Rio Grande Gorge last winter, we were graced with a herd of Bighorn Sheep grazing below the south facing cliff of the canyon wall. Evidence of  past inhabitants can also be found.

Bighorn Sheep.

Petroglyph.

Almost to the top of the mesa the Rio Pueblo Canyon takes a more northerly turn and one gets a look at the top of the Taos Plateau. It was nice to see the blue sky.

Up canyon view.

Down canyon view towards the confluence.

Taos Plateau view looking to the north.

CJ poses atop what I guess could be called the summit block.

The blue sky we found on the mesa soon gave way to more clouds and snow flurries with a substantial drop in temperature. On the way down we took only a moment to watch the sheep and reached the truck which had a note from the local BLM Ranger on the windshield. Oops, don’t forget to pay your $3 entrance fee to the Orilla Verde Recreation Area.

With plenty of daylight left we decided a drive was in order. Across the Taos Junction Bridge, up the west Mesa Road, which is now paved, with no speed limit signs (I guess it’s New Mexico’s version of the Autobahn) and to the Rio Grande Gorge Bridge. So indulge me in a few more photos.

Looking east toward Taos.

This photo has been taken a thousand times.

Looking upstream toward Ski Jump Rapid.

Looking downstream toward Three Forks Canyon.

Ok, so now one more Bald Eagle photo taken on the drive out. Along the river, in a lone Ponderosa Pine at the gaging station, sat an immature Bald.

As the sun was setting.

Remember:  All these photos, and more, can be found at “www.flickr.com/photos/jorunny/”.

The beauty of the Rio Grande flows like the water itself, continuously, through all four seasons. It was a snowy day, the temperature mild and the urge for venturing out was paramount. The drive along the river from Velarde, the start of the gorge, to Taos Junction Bridge brought a winter wonderland as well as sightings of Bald Eagles, various water fowl and Western Bluebirds (one of CJ’s favorites). It was snowing most of the day, resulting in low light conditions and blurred snow flakes, making photography a challenge.

The first Bald Eagles encountered at the beginning of the gorge were being harassed by a pesky raven.

This is a favorite perch. Perhaps for the view. Perhaps for the fishing.

Finally becoming fed up with their winged cousin..............

they're off to find a perch without a raven or perhaps me.

Reflections on the water in Pilar.

A view from the road near Petaca Canyon.

Downstream view in the Orilla Verde Recreation Area.

A beaver dam in one of the side channels with Common Goldeneye Ducks on the move.

Looking downstream from the Gaging Station.

Female Goldeneye Ducks headed downstream.

A gaggle of perhaps 25 geese were feeding on the moss that grows on the rocks.

The Three Trumpe'teers.

A quick shake to remove the cold water.

The geese now headed upstream to another feeding area. Taos Junction Bridge is in the background.

Upstream view from Taos Junction Bridge.

A momentary clearing of the the sky reflecting off the water at Taos Junction Bridge.

Downstream view from Taos Junction Bridge.

Winter work on the Race Course County Line take-out began with the first Autumn snow of 2008 and continues at an expedient Federal Government pace (ha ha!). Anyway, my escalating anticipation to use the new and improved take-out rises with each drop in temperature and every snow flake that falls. Just a few photos.

Beware the Red Tide!!

No, I’m  not talking about the menace of world communism (or the way it may once have been talked about). I’m talking about an algal bloom in the ocean, that imparts a red color to the water. Known technically as a HAB, short for “harmful algal bloom”, it is a concentration of a particular phytoplankton that has toxic properties, to fish and humans both.

Now that's a scary looking fish! This bottom-dwelling stargazer was killed by the red tide and washed-up on the S. Padre Island jetty

It kills fish of all sizes, and can cause considerable distress to people who are downwind of red tide in the surf. The surf creates a red tide-laden aerosol, which, when breathed, will cause coughing and sneezing. It also can cause one’s eyes to burn. In a word, it’s unpleasant.

Well, of course, we had no idea that a red tide had moved in to the area when we were planning our trip to S. Padre Island. We have spent many weeks and months down there in the past, in the Fall of the year. Our return north has always been timed for the opening of the ski area, and the beginning of our winter occupation – teaching skiing. This year we left for Padre at the end of October, presuming that we would return to teach skiing over the Thanksgiving holiday. But the opening of Taos Ski Valley this year was to very limited snow coverage, and very limited business thereby, so we delayed our return until Dec. 2, and caught the edge of the winter blast that dumped 2 or more inches of snow in Houston on Dec. 4.

This bat ray was another red tide victim

We go to the “tip of Texas”, as they call it, to prolong our Fall vacation with pleasant weather and to fish . The Rio Grande runs into the Gulf of Mexico just eight miles south of S. Padre Island. We like the idea of sticking close to our “own” Rio Grande, whether in New Mexico or Texas. And, down there, the climate is semi-tropical. We camp at the Isla Blanca County RV Park, which is located at the very southern tip of the island, and abuts the Brazos Santiago Pass, the ship pass into the Gulf from the Intracoastal Waterway and the Brownsville ship basin and the northern of the two jetties that protect the pass. From our site it was a 5 minute walk to the jetty and the same to the bay and boat launch. It couldn’t be more convenient.

Our jon boat, our New Wave van, our vintage Argosy trailer and Kathy

Our usual fishing venues include the jetty, the bay and the beach. The beach was out this time, because of the red tide, but the jetty still had fish around, as did the bay, otherwise known as lower Laguna Madre. The jetty had an abundance of mangrove (or grey) snappers we had never before seen. Kathy especially enjoyed fishing for the mangroves and got very good at it, using lures.

The far end of the approximately half-mile long jetty gets a pounding

Kathy caught this chunky mangrove snapper on a top water plug, seen here

Near the base of the jetty, our friend Bill uses a mask to protect himself from the ill effects of the red tide

A bluefish lays on a block of beautiful pink granite. The jetty was constructed with such blocks. This bluefish was caught on a black and white Clouser Minnow fly.

We were also treated to a run of bluefish that stuck around for quite a while. The bluefish is a schooling predator that is easy to catch. Other fish often caught off the jetty, such as tarpon, king mackeral, jack crevalle and spanish mackeral were in short supply or absent, presumably because of the red tide. Kathy saw dead bull redfish and jack crevalle, both in excess of 36″ long, washed up on the beach. But, I didn’t have the heart to go and photograph them.

Colorful hawser, washed up on to the jetty

Another colorful object washed up on to the jetty, this is a gill net which had probably been used illegally

A lot of fishermen who litter (and there's a lot of them) seem to prefer Miller Lite

Waves wash up on to the base of the jetty

Sunset at the jetty

We spent a lot of time fishing from our boat, which we originally purchased used some years ago at S. Padre. It was parked along the main drag with a “for sale” sign on it. It’s a short, narrow and tippy boat that doesn’t handle chop very well. Hence, we use it mainly in calm weather. But we sure do love the freedom it gives us. The park boat launch is a quarter-mile from our site – nice! In the bay we catch mainly redfish and spotted sea trout (aka specks). We generally use light spinning gear and artificials, but always also have fly rods along. The big breakthrough for us this year was catching fish on top water plugs. We had not persevered with top waters in years past, but I decided I would do so this time, and we were met with success on one occasion especially. We also persevered this time with plastics, and enjoyed success there too. Formerly, we usually stuck with gold Silver Minnow spoons, being convinced that nothing else could do so good a job!

All the splashes are ladyfish, chasing small baitfish. They, like bluefish, are schooling predators that are easy to catch. Kathy is fighting a fish on her 10-weight fly rod while I photograph the action

Kathy caught this jack crevalle on a gold spoon, fishing below blitzing ladyfish. Behind her is the old causeway.

Kathy with a 25" "slot" redfish. The term "slot" refers to the regulation that allows you to keep a redfish that is between 20 and 28 inches in length.

Kathy unhooking a 25" speck that took the red and white top water plug, seen here

Here's another look at this great sport fish

On a beautiful day, I've caught a slot redfish on a plastic worm. The chartreuse tail of the worm can be seen sticking out of the fish's mouth

I had retrieved my top water plug almost to the boat when I got a "blowup" - a big splash but no hookup.Kathy said "keep retrieving" and the fish came back and got it, within a few feet of the boat! This redfish was 28 inches long, the biggest red we caught on this trip. I released him to get bigger yet

I also got a nice speck on a top water. But not as big as the one Kathy caught. My fish had a bulging stomach that contained two 5" piggy perch.

There are other attractions to be seen in the bay, such as dolphins up close and the occasional large ship.

We pass the assault ship U.S.S Saipan, in tow to Brownsville, where it will be dismantled

A group of Bottle-nosed dophins lives at Dolphin Cove, right next to the park and channel. They will swim right past our boat

At the end of a beautiful day, it's time for a beer

Pelicans hang out by the fish cleaning station, at the boat launch

I also did some wade fishing on the flat that lies between the boat launch and the nearby Coast Guard station, a 5-minute walk from our site. I used both spinning and a 9-weight fly rod, depending on how windy it was. I caught redfish, specks and other fish.

This bat ray lunged at my plastic lure, right on the surface in front of me. You can see the white-bodied plastic sticking out of the ray's mouth. And, it gave me a hell of a fight.

This is an under-sized gag grouper that took a gold spoon

And yes, we did eat a lot of fish – redfish, specks, snappers and bluefish. Kathy did a fabulous job of both fileting and cooking the catch. In New Mexico, we release all the freshwater fish we catch. In Texas we do as most Texans do, and eat some (not all) of the fish we catch.

Kathy filets a redfish

We need a larger cooler. These three are the two specks and one of the redish we caught on top waters

One of the favorite seasons around here for locals and visitors alike is most definitely Autumn. The molding of the Summer season into Winter brings dramatic changes through out the state and this is especially true at the Bosque del Apache. Eighteen miles south of Socorro lies 52,000 acres of wet lands, a Rio Grande River creation (with a little help from man) which attracts a myriad of birds, waterfoul, raptors and all variations of migrating feathered friends. The following series of photos were taken early November 2009, one evening and the next morning.

Fall color, looking west toward the San Mateo Mountains.

The golden leaves of Autumn and a Redwing Blackbird.

One of the hundreds of Mallards feeding at the Flight Deck.

Great Blue Heron.

After feeding during the day the Sandhill Cranes fly in to spend the evening with some of their buddies.

Sandhill Cranes.

? thousand Snow Geese take flight, sunrise.

Snow Geese at sunrise.

Sandhill Crane, Pintail ducks and Snow Geese.

A mule deer feeds with his feathered friends.

Snow Geese taking flight.

"Hey Watch It!", "Move Over", "Gemme Some Room".

Snow Geese pair.

For more sights of Bosque del Apache go to “www.flickr.com/photos/jorunny/”.

Four miles downstream of the confluence, where the Green River merges with the Colorado River, we came to Spanish Bottom, our planned double layover (2 days & 3 nights). The hike up and out of the river canyon gains 1,100 feet and bring one to the sandstone formations known as The Doll House. More back country hiking takes one to sites such as The Land of the Standing Rocks, The Maze and The Chocolate Drops, but let’s get to the rapids. The 14 miles below Spanish Bottom are occupied by 27 numbered rapids (depending on the level of Lake Powell), some with names such as Big Drop, Mile Long Rapid and Satan’s Seat. So after 13 days and 124 river miles we finally must scout rapids, weigh options, make decisions, follow through and well, see what happens. As it turned out, there were no incidents for our day of rapids, but our last day, day 15, had a few. It rained first thing in the morning for the “Great Colorado River Pancake Massacre”, we had two rapids immediatly upon launch, a chilling North wind streamed down the canyon, the potential campsites became knee deep mud fests of Lake Powell sediment, the tempurature dropped, but we didn’t really care. The sun graced us with it’s warmth for moments, and we were grateful. The rain soaked our waterproof Gortex and we were cold. All the time the downstream wind pushed. So as intrepid sailors headed back to port following time at sea, we hoisted a make-shift sail, teathered the rafts together and set our sights on the take-out. After 10 1/2  hours and 31 miles, at 10:30 PM, using a $5 double D battery flashlight, that was a last minute purchase back in Green River just for this occasion, we spotted  the reflections off the indestructible, military style steel porta-potties of civilization, The Dirty Devil Takeout.

The Cedar Mesa Sandstone of The Doll House.

One of the dolls.

Jesse & Sara, our first scout, Rapid #5.

Patrick douses his new bride, Jenny. Rapid #5.

Neil, just having fun. Rapid #5.

Big Drop #2, Rapid #22.

Neil. Big Drop #2.

Big Drop #3. Jesse & Sara.

Big Drop #3.

Piano Leg Arch.

The weather turns, day15.

Hoisting the main sail.

As the sunsets, we row.

Next up: Autumn at Bosque del Apache and birds, birds, birds.

Now for lack of a distinct geological ending for Labyrinth Canyon, I begin Stillwater Canyon at Anderson Bottom, which for us was day 8, with 89 river miles traveled. The weather up to this point had been nothing but drop-dead gorgeous, a typical Utah fall. We’ve encountered many relics of 20th century man in his quest for successful cohabitation with the Utah desert and his stuggle to establish a home, be he a crusty miner or a farmer with family. Beginning here in Stillwater Canyon the historical relics recoiled a few hundred years back to become artifacts of the Anasazi and their temporary success in making the bottom land around the Green River home. Cliff dwellings, pictographs and petroglyphs become frequent along the canyon walls of Ceder Mesa Sandstone. The White Rim Sandstone now climbs several hundred feet above river level, with it’s typical overhanging presentation, creating formations such as the Turks Head. From Anderson Bottom we floated 31 more miles to the end of the Green River and it’s confluence with the Colorado River, the beginning of Cataract Canyon and finally, “RAPIDS”.

Anderson Bottom camp.

Evening hikes with fall colors used up alot of gigabytes.

Cornered up the Anderson Narrows.

Turks Head.

Our first rain served up with breakfast at Deadhorse Canyon.

Flint chips litter the landscape atop the Cedar Mesa Sandstone.

Anasazi basketball?

Wingate Sandstone forms the Candlestick (background), with the Turks Head up front.

Anasazi abode, maybe 8x10 feet, at Jasper Canyon.

Just another use for bacon grease.

River fireworks granting thanks to the Green River, for we're on to the Colorado River tomorrow.

Next up, The Colorado River and the wet Cataract Canyon in Part III.