Where’s Waldo?
Explore. Dream. Discover.
A couple of weeks ago we ventured to Navajo Lake State Park. We spent the weekend camping and playing in the lake. It turned out to be a great place and everyone had a wonderful time! The park is actually quite big, with quite a drive from one end to the next. We camped on Sims Mesa, but we also drove down to the dam to see the San Juan River. The San Juan is supposed to have some of the best fly fishing in New Mexico. Next time we go, we will camp on the San Juan so Rob can get up early and fly fish.
This visit was more water play than fishing. We took the kick boats out, the kids played in the water, and the boys even found a great rock about 15 feet up that they jumped off over and over again.
Many years ago, Rob challenged me to stick my head under water in the Willamette River. I was hesitant at first, but eventually did it. Boy, was it cold! The San Juan was cold as well, so I double-dog dared Rob to stick his head under. To my surprise, he did! (I guess one never can resist a double-dog dare!) That got the kids all interested, so after an offer of $5 each, the did it as well. It was fun and cold and now I owe quite a bit of money for various challenges!
It was a great weekend get-away and we look forward to going back. There are so many great places to camp and fish that we rarely hit the same place twice, but Navajo Lake and the San Juan River will definitely be an exception.
Big Creek is absolutely beautiful. I love the way the water rushes over the big boulders as it makes its way to the river. As we slid down the hill to get closer to the water, I noticed many rock stacks. And while I intended to take pictures of the creek, I ended up taking pictures of rock stacks, and the river ended up… in the background.
Despite the cold weather, Rob still spent most of the day on the water, practicing his guide skills. As planned, the kids and I headed down to the river in hopes of seeing him float by. We arrived with only minutes to spare. I did not even have a chance to begin reading to the kids when a couple of rafts came floating down the river. And there, guiding the second raft, was Rob, bobbing along with a big grin on his face.
Yesterday was Rob’s first day of white-water guide training. After some classroom instruction, they ran the river. Then they ran it again, and again. The kids and I managed to see him on his first trip down, but unfortunately my pictures did not turn out very well. Tomorrow they are supposed to run it four more times, so I think I will try to get some better pictures. Today was a lot more classroom instruction, but they still managed to run the river twice. By the end of the week, he will be a certified white-water raft guide. He will then spend the rest of the month running the river, practicing, learning the water and getting ready for the summer season.
I take pictures of ducks and geese pretty much every time we are down at the river. Most of the time I am on the lookout for pictures that will work for my My 52 project, but what I usually end up with are lots of pictures of geese simply being geese. While thinning out my pictures in order to make the usable ones easier to find, I came across some that reminded me of popular children’s games. I thought I would share a few just for fun.
Duck…. Duck…. GOOSE!!
Ready or noooot, here I come!!
Simon says…. Face right!!
There is no place Rob would rather be. The rivers call to him. The fishies taunt him. So when he has a chance to break out his fly-fishing pole and spend an afternoon on the water, he is not about to turn it down. Fish or no fish, his best days are spent with a line in the water, the sun charring his neck, his legs immersed in water. To him, there is no better way to spend a summer day.
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