Photo by Britt Runyon

That's a big frog!

Mom and Dad and this year’s brood of Canada Geese

Photo by Britt Runyon

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/

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.

You may recall from an earlier post that Kathy and I were bugging-out early, because we had been invited on a Middle Fork trip, and simply could not pass-up  such an opportunity. The Middle Fork was a week of bliss, with fabulous weather and non-stop fishing, catching native cutthroat trout on hopper patterns, all day, every day. Then we headed for the fabled Henry’s Fork, for more fishing. And next door was Yellowstone, with the most fantastic array of scenic and wildlfe wonders in the world. We returned via Flaming Gorge (but didn’t fish) and our own San Juan river. I’ll be putting-up a series of posts in coming days, showing you some of those wonders. Stay tuned!

Meanwhile, our capable staff finished off the rafting season, and, with final figures in , we improved our numbers over last year! Given the prevailing economic malaise we are all painfully aware of, we are more than pleased with this result. Thanks to every one of you 4937 guests we had the pleasure to serve this season.

Thanks also to Britt and Jenni for their posts while we were away. You have to agree that Britt’s photography is first-rate. And today, 9/5, is the occasion of Jenni and Patrick’s wedding, the subject of Jenni’s earlier post. Congratulations to the two of you, and we are looking forward to the event, now just a couple of hours away. We know that Jenny will be a beautiful bride.

Here’s a photo from Yellowstone:

This bull elk was photographed while grazing alongside the highway, between West Yellowstone and Madison Junction. Like the bison of Yellowstone, he was very nonchalant about all the people that came pouring out of their cars to take his picture.

Yes, we do love the rain. And that’s because the river rises after a substantial rain! Today’s level is up, to 247 cfs. And today may mark our last big day of the season, as kids begin to go back to school, and our numbers dwindle. This day’s activity is: AM Racecourse – 24, PM Racecourse -16, Rio Grande Gorge – 9, Float – 12. Our last day of the season is the 30th of this month. Only two weeks to go!

Of course, many of the staff have exciting plans for the off-season, not the least of which is Patrick and Jenni’s wedding, on 9/5. The event will take place at the Stakeout Restaurant, in Taos. Patrick is a guide and Jenni is our Office Manager. I’d like to say that they met working at New Wave (as has been the case with other New Wave couples), but they didn’t. Rather, they met while both attending St. Johns College, in Santa Fe – our local very brainy institution. Watch this blog for wedding photos!

Kathy and I will begin our Fall vacation before the season ends. That’s because we were invited on a private trip on the Middle Fork of the Salmon River, in Idaho, to start on the 21st. of this month, and couldn’t say no. We’ve done the Middle Fork only once before. It’s one of the premier wilderness river trips in the lower 48, running, in its entirety, through the Frank Church River of No Return Wilderness, which takes up most of central Idaho. The water in the river is gin clear, the rapids are fun and the fishing, for native cutthroat trout, is fabulous! Last time we caught trout all day long, fishing from the boat as we drifted along, and … using only hopper imitations. For a fly fisherman, that’s like dying and going to heaven. We’re flying in to a riverside airstrip, and then taking 6 days to run 75 miles. Aaah!

Here some photos: of the Pilar Cliffs, after yesterday’s rain storm ended

The Pilar Cliffs, along the Racecourse run, Rio Grande river, near taos, New Mexico

At the airport in Challis, ID

Circling in to the airstrip

Kathy's first cutthroat, just across from the put-in

Kathy fights a fish, as Will kayaks by

Tappen Falls

Spectacular scenery, in the final canyon

and some Middle Fork shots. Stay tuned for some shots from this year’s trip. We leave for Idaho on the 18th.

Pretty good day today – 23 on the AM Racecourse, 14 on the PM Racecourse, 8 on the Rio Grande Gorge and 10 on the Float. We’re expecting things to begin to quiet down soon, as kids go back to school.

Level today is 238 cfs. We could use some rain!

Here’s a photo of a very large bug, encountered along the riverside, which we believe is a crane fly, but it seems to be missing legs and antennae. Wikipedia says they’re fragile and lose body parts easily, and since the adult winged form dies immediately after mating, this guy may have been on his last legs. Or, it may be another bug altogether.

Cranefly?

266 cfs, today, and another bright and sunny day. Today we have 14 guests on the AM Racecourse half-day trip, 8 on the Rio Grande Gorge full-day trip, 7 on the New Wave No Wave half-day trip and 28 on the PM Racecourse half-day trip. There’s no better way to enjoy northern New Mexico in August than going rafting, and no better way to cool off!

For those of us that live on and live for the river, this end of summer low water time is good for more than just rafting and fishing. You also get an opportunity to take a close look at the river rocks – the skeleton of the river, so-to-speak. Many river rocks have been exotically sculpted and polished by the sediments that high water carries, and now they’re available for inspection. Here’s one example I photographed last evening, while out (you guessed it) fishing. Other rocks of interest are the ones that create the big holes and waves during high water. Here’s another photo I took yesterday. It’s of Taos Junction rapid, and “X” marks the rock that creates the hole that causes the most havoc.

"X" marks the rock that creates, at high water, the monstrous hole in Taos Junction rapid, on the Taos Box section of the Rio Grande river

As to yesterday evening’s fishing, there was no action until close to 8PM, when I drifted a #16 Elk Hair Caddis to the only rising fish I’d seen so far. He took it – a male brown trout of about 13″. Here’s a photo of that fish, after being returned to the water.

Brown trout, after being returned to the water, in the Orilla Verde section of the Rio Grande river, New Mexico

Pot-holed rock in the Orilla Verde section of the Rio Grande river, near Taos, New Mexico