A Great New Mexico Fourth of July Tradition Gets Even Better

One of New Mexico’s best Fourth of July celebrations, attending the hometown rodeo at Cimarron followed by the fireworks show at nearby Eagle Nest has gotten a whole lot better with the addition of a new public campground on the lake.

Those making a trip north to the high country lake at 8,300 feet will find 19 new camp sites with shelters, campfire rings and picnic tables in the campground at Eagle Nest Lake State Park, located off U.S. 64 on the west side of the lake.

The $10 a night, dry, camp sites are available on a first-come, first-serve basis and are expected to go fast over the holiday weekend, so plan accordingly, said Mark Sullivan, Park Ranger. Six sites available by reservation have already been snapped up.

Those who get a site will enjoy a front row treat to the village’s annual fireworks display as it erupts right over their heads. And as long lines of traffic leave the area following the display, campers can kick back and enjoy knowing they’re already home for the night.

 Those unlucky enough to not snag a spot at the state park campground can try their luck at any number of nearby private campground operators or venture across the lake into Cimarron Canyon where another 88 sites in three campgrounds exist.

And while the fireworks is a good show, the rodeo just down the road at Cimarron is a real treat for those interested in attending an authentic, old school, country rodeo including bull and bronco riding, wild cow milking and the always entertaining wild horse race.

The rodeo, one of the longest running in the country having started way back in 1923, not only provides the area’s working cowboys an opportunity to test their skills and win some money but also provides local students with scholarships from the proceeds, said Chuck Enlow, Rodeo Director of the Maverick Club which hosts the event.

The rodeo is open to anyone and draws riders from around the region as well as plenty of local riders who work the area’s many cattle ranches. Enlow’s day job is managing a herd of about 300 horses for the Philmont Scout Ranch. 

The rodeo follows a traditional parade starting at 9.a.m. along U.S. 64 through Cimarron and runs through much of the day. Visitors will find covered stands to sit under while the local Kiwanis Club serves up buffalo burgers, hot dogs, chips and soft drinks for a modest price. 

Well-behaved, leashed dogs are allowed on the rodeo grounds. A good hat, plenty of sunscreen and perhaps an umbrella is recommended for visitors. A camp chair or blanket could also come in handy if the grandstand is crowded and the only seats left are on the grass.

Eagle Nest’s Fourth of July parade begins later in the afternoon around 2.p.m. and the town is also hosting an arts and crafts fair over the holiday weekend, said Robert Curry of the Eagle nest Chamber of Commerce and manager of the local Econo Lodge.

Those attending the fireworks display will have to pay a $5 entrance fee at the state park where well behaved, leashed and supervised dogs are welcome. Responsible alcohol consumption is permitted within the park but no glass bottles are allowed. Designated drivers are encouraged and a heavy police presence is expected, said Ranger Sullivan. 

 Those visiting the state park at the lake will also find a new, “Green”, visitor center to explore. The facility employs straw bale construction, natural lighting, solar panels and a wind turbine to reduce its energy consumption to zero, according to a state parks news release about the building.

The Fourth of July celebration at Eagle Nest and Cimarron provides an important economic boost to the local, rural economy and visitors are greatly appreciated and truly welcome, many local merchants say.

If You Go:

From Santa Fe take U.S. 84/285 North to Espanola, continue straight through town on Riverside Drive and proceed on State Road 86 north to Taos. Take US 64 East to Eagle Nest and continue another 24 miles on U.S. 64 to Cimarron. 

 

Forest Service Cabin Rentals Provide Unique Outdoor Opportunities

The Platoro river above the summer vacation community of Platoro in the Rio Grande National Forest outside of Antonito, Colorado.

Looking for something new to do on your next outdoor adventure? Why not consider renting a Forest Service cabin for a touch of nostalgia, history and better access to the backcountry’s beauty.

For example, just across the state line in southern Colorado one can rent a cabin in the old mining town of Platoro, located on the Conejos River just below the big reservoir.

The facility is an old forest service work camp with two recently remodeled cabins sitting next to each other on a large piece of property on the edge of this small, summer vacation community.

First made available this year over the Memorial Day weekend , a visit to one of the cabins revealed propane heat, plenty of hot water, a modern bathroom and a kitchen with an electric stove, refrigerator, a table, chairs, and cooking utensils.

The bedroom was equipped with two bunk beds featuring a futon mattress on the bottom and a traditional spring mattress on the top. The mattress proved to be the more comfortable of the two.

What the cabin lacked in ambiance - the interior was painted a bright, Government Issue, mustard color and the floors were covered in cold linoleum tiles - it made up for in location, historical intrigue and scenery.

Guests are within walking distance of the excellent fishing on the Conejos River and at several nearby high mountain lakes including Platoro Reservoir and Mix Lake. The area offers abundant hiking opportunities, spectacular scenery and plenty of wildlife to view.

A fox made its way through the property on a regular basis and the swallows nesting in a neighboring barn were a joy to watch with coffee in the morning as they swooped and dove about in mass flight.

On the property are several interesting outbuildings which upon exploring might prompt one to wonder about their previous use.

One of the other aspects of renting a Forest Service cabin is the special feeling that comes from occupying a public space for a weekend. Visitors are entrusted with its care and expected to clean up after themselves. One might experience a feeling of communal responsibility and special pride while sitting on the porch, waving at the passing neighbors.

The Platoro cabins are just one of many cabins available for rent within a day’s drive of Santa Fe, including the highly popular, incredibly rustic, Elwood cabin located at 11,000 feet near the old, gold mining town of Summitville.

This cabin is high in the mountains above Platoro and provides the kind of solitude and scenery one can only dream about at lower elevations. 

Mix Lake above the old mining town of Platoro, Colorado offers good fishing and spectacular scenery. 

Reservations for Elwood go quickly due to its spectacular setting, says Mike Blakeman, Public Affairs Officer for the Rio Grande National Forest.

But many other Forest Service cabins remain available even through the height of the summer.

Visitors can find remote line camps in the forest between Saguache and Gunnison or rent a cabin near the summer resort town of South Fork or even an old, fire lookout tower near the town of Mancos.

The lookout tower is operated by the Jersey Jim Foundation and is a 55-foot tall tower equipped with propane stove, refrigerator, heat, kitchen utensils and a double bed. The cost is $40 a night and visitors will find fishing and swimming at nearby Jackson Lake State Park or can tour the ancient Indian ruins at Mesa Verde National Park.

Those interested in renting the tower need to telephone the organization directly starting on the first working day in March as they only book a year at a time, says Clara McNeil, reservation clerk for the group. The telephone number is 970-533-7060.

The lookout tower is booked for the 2010 season which typically runs from late May through mid October. However, those interested can call and ask to be placed on the waiting list in case of a cancellation for this season, she said.

More information about these and other rental opportunities can be found on the Forest service’s website at www.fs.fed.us while rental information, availability dates, fees, directions, etc. are managed through the government’s reservation contractor www.recreation.gov.

Blakeman said one of the primary benefits of renting a Forest Service cabin is that 95 percent of the rental fees go back to the local ranger district’s coffers for improvements to the facilities. The reservation company only collects a $9 fee above and beyond the rental fee, he said.

The Forest Service's Platoro cabins are located near the historic railroading town of Antonito, Colorado where visitors can board an old steam for a scenic journey into the woods.

Nambe Lake and Falls Beats the Heat - Great Fishing, Hiking, Scenery.

When the summer heat comes down on Santa Fe, there’s a great little spot this side of the Pecos where one can fish, picnic and play in the cool waters running under the shade of many a cottonwood tree.

Nambe Lake and Falls is just up the road from Santa Fe, a short 16-mile drive that takes one a world away from the heat, noise and congestion of the city. 

The 56-acre lake is well stocked with trout and provides great fishing in the shadow of the Sangre de Cristo Mountains from which its lifeblood, the Rio Nambe, flows.

Located on scenic Nambe Pueblo’s lands, the lake and falls offers visitors a great place to wile away a day, wading in the cool waters of the river, basking in the soothing mist of the water fall or hiking streamside under the shade of its many cottonwood trees.

The falls area offers a plaza surrounded by adobe and viga picnic shelters, many shade trees and the river running through it.

The area is popular for family gatherings, reunions, graduation parties and other events.

In the same area but further downstream the falls area offers group and individual camp sites including some with water and electric for recreational vehicles, all under the shade of the many cottonwood trees.

Visitors here will find streamside trails that lead to the base of a waterfall fed by a continuous summertime flow from the dam above. A steeper hike along but above the stream will take one up almost parallel to the dam where yet another waterfall can be seen.

Behind the dam, anglers will find the lake chock full of trout and many coves and other good spots to fish from. From up here one can view the Jemez mountains off across the valley and watch as lazy, summer clouds float by. 

Nambe Chief Ranger Joe Vigil, 63, who was born and raised on Nambe Pueblo, says the lake’s primary attraction to many area anglers is its summer-long trout season.

Many competing tribal lakes at lower elevations stop stocking trout during the summer and turn to catfish because the trout won’t survive the heat.

But not at Nambe Lake and Falls. The trout here are stocked all season long, usually once a month with upwards of four to five thousand fish in sizes ranging from 10 to 15 inches, Vigil says. 

Miguel Espiricueta, 21, of Arroyo Seco and his son, Miguel Jr., 2.5, show off the hefty stringer of trout they caught using powerbait during a June 2010 outing to the well stocked, tribal lake.

Vigil, a retired sheriff’s investigator, says that growing up on the pueblo he used to hike and fish in the same mountains visitors can enjoy now and it remains relatively unchanged. 

Back in the 1950s, when Vigil was growing up, the pueblo was much smaller in population and most families farmed and raised livestock.

The living was much simpler then for him and his four brothers and one sister.

Vigil attended grade school on the pueblo along with a handful of other kids and they spent most of their spare time playing marbles or baseball and riding horses. They also fished and played in the nearby woods where visitors can do the same today.

Vigil joined the Navy after graduating high school in 1965; enlisting was something many young men from the Pojoaque valley were doing then. There was war on in Vietnam and the draft loomed, so Vigil signed up and became a boiler tender on the destroyers, the Cromwell and the Norris. His Navy career was uneventful having spent most of his time stationed on the East Coast.

After his stint in the military he returned to New Mexico where he pursued a career in law enforcement, starting out in the village of Questa and then moving on to the Taos and Santa Fe Sheriff’s Departments in those counties before finally retiring from the Rio Arriba County Sheriff’s Department just a few years ago.

Vigil says he liked police work because every day was different and presented a new challenge.

Vigil says he took over managing the pueblo’s recreational area because he needed something to keep him busy in his retirement. He’s since found he now enjoys the more laid back nature of his work when compared with his previous career.

Vigil is married to Teresa and has been for over thirty years. The couple have two sons, Joey, a Tesuque Tribal Police officer and John, a state government employee in Santa Fe. Their daughter, Crystal, is a home healthcare worker who lives on the pueblo as does her brother, Joey.

Vigil says life on the pueblo has changed some over the years but visitors will still find the pueblo a sleepy little village, surrounded by farms and the mountains, all brimming with pastoral beauty. 

The valley through which the Rio Nambe flows and where Nambe Pueblo exists, as seen from the road leading to the lake.


“It’s quiet and cool up here and we make sure everybody’s happy and enjoying themselves,” Vigil says.

Rangers are on duty everyday during the summer season when the lake is open from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m.

A carload of up to five people can visit the falls for $10 for hiking, wading and picnicking. Photographers need to purchase an additional $5 license for the right to take pictures.

Anglers pay $15 for a day of fishing with a bag limit of up to five trout and no state fishing license is required. Seniors over 60 pay $10 while kids under the age of 12 pay $8 with a five fish bag limit. Kids six and under get in for free and can catch and keep two fish.

Boats with electric trolling motors are allowed as are float tubes and rafts. Swimming in the lake is not allowed.

Visitors can bring well-behaved leashed dogs to the lake and falls and alcoholic beverages and their responsible use are not prohibited

Camping can be had for $25 a day or $35 with electric and water.

Reservations of the falls area day use areas is negotiable. Call Vigil at 455- 2304 for more information.

If You Go:

Take US 84/285 north out of Santa Fe to State Road 503 just past Pojoaque. Take St. Rd. 503 to Nambe Pueblo Road 101 and follow to the Nambe Lake and Falls guard shack. Returning from the lake or falls one can visit the pueblo’s plaza by taking Nambe Pueblo 102 which winds its way back to St. Rd. 503 for the return trip to Santa Fe.



 

Gov's $250,000 for San Juan Habitat Improvement Projects Saved from Budget Axe

A $250,000 appropriation to fund more habitat improvement projects on the quality waters of the San Juan River has survived the recent legislative budget battle and the state Department of Game and Fish can now move ahead with plans for improvements to the trophy class, trout fishery.

“The San Juan River remains a high priority for the Department. We are pleased that this money is still available to maintain the quality fishing experience known by so many anglers,’ said Marty Frentzel, Chief of Public Information and Outreach for the Department. “ We plan to re-evaluate the projects we planned last year, determine if they are still our priorities, then implement the projects as quickly as possible.”

The department learned this week that the $250,000 appropriation sought and secured by Governor Bill Richardson during the 2009 legislative session was still available for use. It was thought that the funds had been lost during recent state budget cuts to address a massive shortfall, said state game Commission Chairman, Jim McClintic.

“This is great news,” McClintic said. “The Governor really came through for us on this.”

The $250,000 appropriation had been funded through the sales of bonds last year and still remained available for use after the Governor’s freeze on all capital outlay projects was lifted in February, said Linda Kehoe, Principal Analyst for the Legislative Finance Committee.

Richardson’s Chief of Staff, Gilbert Gallegos, confirmed after consulting with the Department of Finance and Administration, that the money was indeed still available.

However, another 2,500 stalled capital outlay projects with a cost of about $141 million that had been frozen by Richardson were subsequently eliminated to produce budget savings.

It’s expected that the department will now pick up where it left off last fall when it was in the process of seeking bids for plans to divert Rex Smith Wash at Texas Hole to reduce silt and sediment coming into the river along with storm runoff.  (see related story)

The plans sought would also include designs to improve an area known as the Braids, also at Texas Hole, to improve fish habitat and fishing conditions there.

The plans were the result of stakeholder meetings held in 2009 to formulate ideas to maintain angler satisfaction at the popular fishing destination.

Richardson had stepped in with the funding as controversy raged that year over the perception that fishing conditions on the river had declined due to low flows implemented by federal operators of the dam over the last decade to accommodate endangered fish downstream. (see related story)

The San Juan River fishery is estimated to contribute an estimated $30 to $40 million to the state’s economy each year while accounting also for a significant portion of the state’s overall fishing license sales.

News that the funding was still available was welcomed by those who live and work on the river.

“That’s’ thrilling news,” said Larry Johnson, Secretary of the San Juan River Guides Association. “It’s our hope and desire that they expedite the bidding process before we lose it again. “

The funding has a shelf life of about four years, Kehoe said.

But the department needs to get its bids in and select a contractor to start on the project before a new administration comes in and possibly reauthorizes the money for something else.

“They better get cracking if they hope to hang onto it,” Kehoe said.

Johnson said previous habitat improvement projects the department has built on the river have yielded excellent results and that the money has been well spent and a great benefit to anglers. (see related story)

Swift Water Rescue Training Prepares Guides for Rafting the Rio Grande, Chama River

 Steve Harris, a Swift Water Rescue Training Instructor with Far Flung Adventures oversees a recent training session on the Rio Grande for river rafting guides and the public.

River runners are gearing up for another season of thrills and spills on the state’s biggest river after having just completed three days of swift water rescue training on the Rio Grande near Pilar.

Bobbing up and down in the swift moving, muddy water, several students in brightly colored gear waved their arms and shouted for help as others on the bank pitched ropes to them.

“At a gut level people know this is dangerous, that’s why they get a rush out of it,” Steve Harris, yelled over the roar of the river. “And that’s why we do these classes, to minimize the risks and be prepared and well trained in the event something does happen.”

Swift-water rescue instructor John Weinmeister of Known World Guides demonstrates the proper technique for corralling a passing swimmer during a recent training exercise on the Rio Grande. 

The three-day course teaches and tests students on various swimming and rescue skills, how to handle boat flips and entrapments, rope- and knot-tying and other aspects of safe river rafting, said Harris, 61, of Far Flung Adventures, who has been guiding and instructing on the river for over thirty years .

“This is good,’ said Barbie Trujillo, 27, of Taos as she emerged wet and grinning from the water. “I’m gaining a real perspective of what the guides go through daily.”

Trujillo is the office manager for Native Sons Adventure Co. of Taos, just one of several permitted operators that provide guided, rafting trips on the Rio Grande.

Harris said the rafting industry on the Rio Grande and Rio Chama generates about $7 million in gross receipts each year and directly employs about 200 people. Its overall economic contribution is pegged at closer to $25 million, he added.

The Bureau of Land Management which oversees the rafting industry on both rivers in northern New Mexico requires at least one certified swift water rescue trained guide per trip and guides must be recertified every three years, Harris said.

Guides must also be certified in first aid and cardiopulmonary resuscitation as well as have proven experience behind the oars.

Harris also conducted a one-day refresher course for guides that attracted another 14 students the day following the three-day course and expects other operators in the industry are doing the same to be prepared for the upcoming season. 

Swift Water Rescue training students practice techniques for dealing with disabled victims.

During the season operators will continue to minimize the risks by screening clients to determine their swimming ability and experience as well as other criteria to determine if they’re qualified to ride, especially demanding stretches such as the Taos Box and the Race Course, Harris said.

Customers who end up riding the waves with a licensed operator also receive pre-trip instruction on rafting safety including defensive swimming, self rescue, re-boarding an overturned raft, avoiding entrapment, use of a lifeline and other safety techniques, Harris said.

“It’s all about minimizing that risk,” he stressed. 

Swift Water Rescue training students practice tossing, and catching life lines  on the Rio Grande. 

The industry’s last recorded fatality occurred back in 2005 during a record snowpack year which produced especially high, fast, cold water. 

That year Carolyn Whalen, a 61-year-old from Heber City, Utah, drowned during a commercial rafting trip on the Rio Grande while Airman 1st Class Jacob P. Hampson, 23, of New York state, died on a military, rafting excursion near Pilar.

It is expected that with current snow pack conditions hovering around their average this year that the river will be flowing at a more moderate pace thus lessening some of the risk associated with river running.

Nonetheless rafting enthusiasts will find all the thrills they can handle during the prime rafting season from now through June.

Thrill seekers need look no further than the Rio Grande’s “Race Course” section for five of the wildest, wettest miles of fun on the state’s biggest river where they can find plenty of experienced outfitters willing to take them downstream through this scenic stretch of river off State Road 68 between Espanola and Taos.

During a typical spring runoff in June spectators can be seen lining the highway to watch the brightly colored rafts and their ecstatic passengers plunge through towering waves of whitewater generated in this steep sided canyon.

And those looking for even bigger thrills can inquire with operators about running the Taos Box, 17miles of river known for its hair-raising rapids and jaw dropping plunges which produces a ride amusement parks can’t rival. 

                       Photo courtesy of New Wave Rafting, Embudo,NM. 

But Harris of Far Flung Adventures thinks that maybe the industry needs to rethink its promotion of these high-water, death-defying rides.

“We probably need to tone down that emphasis because there is such a thing as a self-fulfilling prophecy,” Harris said.

Harris said the rafting industry, the public and the environment might benefit more from a mellower river experience like a slow, scenic float down the Rio Chama or a lazy, summer day’s trip through Orilla Verde Recreation Area on the Rio Grande above Pilar.

“I think as time goes by more people are going to be hungry in their souls for that kind of contact with nature,” he said.

Harris is also director of the non-profit, stream flow and watershed advocacy group, Rio Grande Restoration. He lives on the river in Pilar with his daughter, Viola.

Rafters and kayakers on the Rio Grande near Pilar, New Mexico.

More information about the river and its opportunities, including a list of licensed operators can be found at the Bureau of Land Management’s Rio Grande Gorge Visitor Center in Pilar or by going online to www.blm.gov and browsing the recreation section under the Taos field office tab.


If You Go. The primary “put in” for rafters is located on St. Rd. 68 at Pilar near the BLM’s visitor center while the newly remodeled “takeout” is located several miles downstream at the Taos/Rio Arriba County line. From Santa Fe take U.S. 84/285 north to Espanola, stay on Riverside Drive through town and proceed on St. Rd. 68 through the canyon north towards Taos. About 62 miles one way.