Britt Runyon (New Wave Operations Manager and Official Photographer) just can’t stay indoors. Even in the dead of winter, like Thoreau, he’s out and about, “inspecting” the winter scene.

Notice that the river in the background is frozen over. This is just a few miles downstream of the New Wave Rafting World Headquarters.

It was January, and it had been a bitter cold week. Yet, some kayakers were out having fun.

Our wintering Bald Eagles are back.

A view from one of the side channels in the Orilla Verde Recreation Area.

The hatches continue. These fish were caught on dry flies.

Our rafting guests are framed by wild roses, in this nice shot by Britt Runyon.

New Wave rafting guests pose next to a display of wild roses

Yesterday, after work, Kathy and I threw a couple of funyaks on the trailer and drove 3 miles upstream to the County Line. This is where the Racecourse section ends and the Bosque section starts. The Bosque is Class 2 (easy), and very scenic. It is also at some distance from the highway, and therefore more secluded and less noisy. The word “bosque” means cottonwood grove in Spanish, and there are lots of cottonwoods lining the banks of the Bosque section. We took our flyrods and tied on bright-colored Woolly Buggers, because the water is still a little off-color. We caught rainbow trout and smallmouth bass, and enjoyed the moonrise, with the moon supposedly larger in the sky this month. The water is now a comfortable 65 degrees, and the air temperature was in the mid-80s. Nice! We took out at our property (aka Millers Landing) as the sun finally set.

Kathy Miller stripping a Woolly Bugger, floating down the Bosque

Moonrise over Rinconada, on the Bosque section

The federal Bureau of Land Management (BLM) was busy this winter, improving the camping and boating facilities in the Orilla Verde (Green Banks) Recreation Area (OVRA). You earlier saw, on this Blog, a report of the work done at the boat ramp at Taos Junction Bridge, where the Taos Box trip ends, and the Rio Grande Gorge trip starts. They did a great job.
They have also just completed work on the Arroyo Hondo campground, which now has great views of the river and is very beautifully landscaped.
Who pays for this work, by the way? You do, at least in part. We collect, from you, 3% of the rafting fee, to turn over to the BLM. It’s a Federal User Fee, and it goes back to the “resource” (the BLM facilities on and along the river).
I consider the camping opportunities that are found in OVRA to be as nice as you could hope to find anywhere. What a beautiful canyon and river, with fishing, hiking, biking, birding, boating, swimming, lazing around in a gorgeous setting and sitting by the campfire all available. You just can’t beat it!

Arroyo Hondo CG, view downstream

Arroyo Hondo CG, view upstream

Taos Junction Bridge boat ramp

We’re having a beautiful Spring this year, with warm weather arriving early. The photos seen here were taken near the Gaging Station in the Orilla Verde Recreation Area of the Rio Grande. This is the stretch we run when we do our full-day Rio Grande Gorge trip.

Claret cup cactus

Cliff Fendler bush

Gaging Station rapid

Canada goose

Green Hedgehog cactus

Turkey Vulture

We went abruptly from Winter into Spring, here in northern New Mexico, already seeing temps in the 80s. The apricots suddenly bloomed, causing everyone to worry about an ensuing freeze, which would doom the crop. Last April was cold and snowy, so who knows what is next to come? The river too responded to the sudden warmth, jumping up to 1130 cfs this AM, with the water temp at 54 degrees. And, when you can locate them, the trout are biting. Apricot trees are to be seen here and there, outside of the orchards. I call them free-range trees, and here’s a nice one that’s blooming on the banks of the Rio Grande, in the Orilla Verde Recreation Area, where we run our full-day Rio Grande Gorge and Float trips.

Apricot tree blooms along the Rio Grande

Today, at 3:30 PM, the temperature was 63 degrees as I got into the car to drive a few miles upstream and see if the fish had started biting. And … sure enough, they were! They (both browns and rainbows) went for my combination of a purple Wooly Bugger and trailing red Copper John. The river is running at 500 cfs, and still quite clear. Upstream, I saw a kayaker playing at the Sleeping Beauty wave. Another system is moving in, but we know that winter is pretty much over. We’re now looking forward to Spring skiing and the Rio Grande caddis hatch. The only sad note is that our wintering bald eagle friends will soon be leaving. How we have enjoyed their regal presence.

The Racecourse stretch of the Rio Grande, near Taos, NM

New Wave owners Kathy and Steve Miller are hard at work teaching skiing at Taos Ski Valley. While much of the country is (at this writing) devoid of snow, we have excellent conditions at Taos SV. We had a busy Holiday season, as skiers came from areas lacking in snow. Just prior to the onset of the busy season, Kathy and Steve vacationed in Hawaii with their children and grandchildren. Meanwhile, Operations Manager Britt Huggins, in the company of guide and girlfriend CJ Robison, rode on his BMW motorcycle all the way to Panama, where they will spend the rest of the winter. Britt will look for work there as a scuba instructor.Guide Ben Rainchild and his girl friend (and guide-hopeful) Heather Mc Reynolds are spending the winter at NWRCo. headquarters in their motor home. They are working as ski instructors at the nearby Sipapu Ski Area.Also spending the winter here, in his travel trailer, is guide Ron Whitney and his pooch Penny. Our friends, the wintering bald eagles, arrived with the first cold weather in Dec.We see them daily on our commute to work or on the property.As the winter continues, we hope that you will join us to “Think Snow”.

Bald Eagle in ponderosa pine, Orilla Verde stretch of the Rio Grande, 12-6-2011

Sea turtle seen while diving at Hawaii Kai, Oahu

Trumpetfish and the wreck of WWII Corsair fighter beyond, Hawaii Kai, Oahu

It’s pretty much guaranteed that we’ll find a Bighorn Sheep on the shores of the Taos Box section of the RIo Grande River. Here’s a few images from June 11, 2011.

Karen & guests floating quietly by one of the young rams.

A bachelor group of rams.

Having a cool drink of water.

One of this years offspring.

One of the introduced ewes (#5) with her new youngster.