New Wave activity on the Rio Grande river, near Taos, New Mexico…and the rafting season begins to wind down
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.
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