Category: May, 2023, San Juan River, New Mexico

A real bummer! Went to the most popular parking lot on the San Juan River, Texas Hole. It was almost empty. At 9 am a fisherman was walking from the river so I talked him up a little. They are starting to release a great amount of water and for the next few weeks, it will be unfishable. I drove to Aztec for a signal and started looking. On May 9th they released a notification saying they will be releasing so much water for the next few weeks it will be unfishable. Before I made reservations for this trip I researched the best months to fish the river and May was one of them. Oh well.

So what to do? I have 8 more days at my campsite. Bill and I canceled our house reservation. Might hang out for a day or two and head home.

The weather was perfect today, mid-70s, and the wind died. I fished for 4 hours. The water has cleared quite a bit but is still a bit milky. I caught a couple of smaller rainbows and had what looked to be a huge brown on very briefly. I saw it broadside and it broke me off.

More photos, less text

I fixed my black tank drain tube support. You don’t need that tube breaking. Switched to steel instead of aluminum.

I forgot to mention to myself that on Sunday my F150 went over 100,000 miles. When it needs work it’s expensive but a great vehicle.

As you can see by Monday’s photo of my campsite it is spring here. There are some large turkeys in the campground. Plants are budding. The banks of the river look very different to me.

Large bodies of water have a thermocline which is a separation of colder water under warmer water. I guess in the fall and spring there will be a thermocline turnover. I read that is what is going on in Navajo Lake, the reservoir above the dam. Water constantly flows under the dam. That water is the San Juan River. The water now coming from under the dam is very milky and the river is low. The fish are still there but I haven’t been able to see one. I didn’t catch any fish. Usually if you stand still for a while you will see fish. They aren’t that afraid of people.

I drove four long days to get here. Yesterday I fished and drove to Aztec to grocery shop and get a couple of small pieces of steel for a repair. Today I’m going to kinda relax and recover. I’m not going to turn a trip into a job. My trailer and truck are horrible messes that need to be straightened out. I’ll putter around with that. There isn’t a hurry but I need to repair a couple of things on my trailer. Might as well get that out of the way.

Drove from Eagle Nest which is roughly 30 miles east of Taos to Navajo Lake State Park in northwest New Mexico where I’ll be camped for the next two weeks. About 10 miles west of Taos is the Rio Grande River Gorge over which runs the Rio Grande River Gorge Bridge. When a car is approaching the bridge bounces a little. The first time is a little bit of a surprise.

The drive across northern New Mexico is one of my favorites.

My campsite for the next two weeks. Fishing tomorrow!

Arrived and set up camp at Eagle Nest State Park in northeast New Mexico. Usually in my trailer, I take a “Navy Shower” where you get wet, turn off the water, suds up, turn the water back on and rinse off. Tonight, after three long days of driving I took a “Hollywood” which is a regular shower with the water running at all times. Eagle Nest’s elevation is 8200 feet. It will be about 31 degrees tonight. It’s super windy and very dry. Tomorrow is a five-hour drive to where I’ll be camped for 14 days. I’ll dump my tanks and then fill my 36-gallon potable water tank before setting up camp. Last year I bought a ten-gallon tank with wheels so I can empty my gray water tank every day so I can take a Hollywood every day. It wasn’t expensive.

Just finished setting up at North Sterling State Park in northeast Colorado. There is a reservoir here the locals use for boating and fishing. I think this is my fourth year camping here and it’s the first time I’ve been able to see the reservoir without taking a hike down to it. Tree trunks are partially covered by water. About a mile from the park entrance is where water flows out of the reservoir and that was dry. It’s the only time I’ve seen the spillway without water flowing out. I guess they are holding it in.

When I arrived here the support for my blackwater tank drain tube was once again broken. The last time I repaired it with 1/8″ aluminum. It didn’t last two days. The constant vibration of the drive breaks it. I just temporarily repaired it with 1/8″ coated copper wire. That works well but doesn’t look very professional. When I get to Aztec, New Mexico I’ll have to find some steel at a hardware store. I have the tools to cut, drill, and tap it. That should solve that problem.

Made it to the Adrian, Minnesota campground. First day of the trip and everything worked well. I increased the psi of my trailer and truck tires, slowed down 5 mph, and increased my mileage from 11 mpg to 12.6 mpg. Until I got to Minnesota I was getting 13.5 mpg but after climbing the bluffs on the Minnesota side of the Mississippi River I was facing a strong wind.