End of the Monsoons

We are fast approaching the end of the Monsoon season here in Southern Colorado and it seems this one has been a long one for me. I am not complaining too loudly as the area has been in the 4th year of a drought and this past year was the worst on record for over 100 years.

So it takes a lot of catching up to get back to normal. The rivers here feed the valley floor with life giving water and that water is used to raise a myriad of crops. Those same crops mean millions of dollars in income for the San Luis Valley which translates into jobs for everyone living both there and even some distance away.  

The San Luis Valley has been compared to a huge underground lake. The water sits in the sand that underlies the valley floor and that is where most of the irrigation gets its water. Conversely, the mountains typically feed this huge underground reservoir with the streams and rivers that run down across the valley floor.

With the last 4 years of drought, the valley has been short on water running down the rivers and so the underground lake has not recharged. So the water that was used for irrigation and other things is not being replaced. There is a huge effort underway to stop over using the water and find a balance between what is needed and what is available.

it would take a huge amount of rainfall and snowpack over several years to bring the underground aquifer back up to normal. Its so interesting that the very thing that is needed, high water in the rivers, then causes more problems for the people in the valley in other ways. Flooding, washing out of irrigation structures, siltation problems are just a few of the problems that come with more water in the rivers. The more man tries to manage nature, the more we seem to mess it up.  

The end of the rainy period is fast approaching and the high water in the rivers should start to recede. I believe that this will cause the river to clear some as there wont be the ash runoff from the fire areas in as much volume. This will allow the streams that are still running clear to add a more substantial proportion to the big river. Most of these streams are spring fed and so will help with the problem.  

It remains to be seen what affect the ash flow and mud in the rivers had on the fish population. Currently, the water is so dirty you cant see more than an inch into the water. This makes fishing impossible with flies and lures if you want to catch anything.  

The lakes remain SUPERB. I have never seen fishing this good. Get out there and enjoy the days as they clear and the rains subside. kk

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Glorious summer morning on the Rio Grande

Glorious Mountain Adventure

Since the monsoon rains started in July, it has been an almost non stop rain event both night and day. Yesterday dawned bright and clear and we headed up toward Creede, Colorado with visiting family members. Arriving at Creede, the morning clouds hung low and imposing over the valley floor but specks of sunshine were showing through on the higher peaks and on the pillars of Hercules which tower over Creede..

Driving up Bachelor Loop past the cemetery, the sun broke out upon us and we began to see glimpses of wildlife scurrying along, happy for a day without rain. Arriving at the old town site of Bachelor City, we all got out and began a tour of that old site.

Many pieces of old glass and other relics of days long past were evident on the ground as the recent high rainfall had exposed them to view. My step brother and his family enjoyed seeing the old cabins still hanging on in the harsh mountain environment and those are a certain photo op for anyone visiting the area. The town was platted in January of 1892 and by March over 100 houses had been erected. There were dozens of saloons, four hotels a school and newspaper and a church inside the town proper at one time.

Today, not much is left of the town and care must be taken if you decide to leave the parking lot above the old town site that you don't step in a hole and get hurt.   There are various holes left over from the town both exploration holes for mining and claim verification and old outhouse holes that were the standard of the day. I have not found any that are open to any depth but sometimes they were bridged over below the surface with wood beams and those can rot and give way unexpectedly. DO NOT venture into any depression or hole that you are unsure of. Just be smart when afield and enjoy the views as you can see from the pictures, the views at Bachelor are outstanding.

This is one of my son's favorite places to visit and I think the ghosts of days long past still walk the old streets and meadows and there is something in the air that makes you feel their presence. I often sit across the meadow in the white aspens letting the sun filter down upon me, and wonder how the men and women of that day were able to live in such an inhospitable place. Families were raised and business went on even though the climate is brutal in nature.  

The town suffered with the Silver Panic of 1893 just like most silver mining camps did. Slowly the population dwindled and finally disappeared probably sometime in the 1940's. Water and sewer issues and the extreme cold and heavy snows finally pushed the last survivors of the town to Creede and beyond.  

If you like to peruse the old mining camps as I do, make sure Bachelor is on your list. The road up from town past the cemetery is in great condition and an easy drive for a car or truck. Get a map from the local merchants and find a new adventure around every corner in that area. This is a good day trip for about anyone and whether you can walk a long distance or not at all, its still very enjoyable. Start out early as the intermountain rainstorms usually bring about some lightning in Bachelor by early to late afternoon.  

(CLICK ON PICTURES BELOW FOR MORE PHOTOS) 

Rivers are Running High

Almost non-stop rain has swollen the rivers to their spring banks here and its a tad concerning to watch it rise each day. There is still plenty of room for more water so don't panic quite yet. However, it is up in the willows that line the banks and all the rock bars are covered with a foot or more of dark ash filled water. Both the South Fork and the Rio Grande are about at the same general stage as far as amount of rise in their surface levels. Both also are black with soot from the runoff coming out of the fire ravaged areas. I have several friends with houses on these rivers and I am watching them in case I have to help them in the event of higher water. I will follow with more photos tomorrow and this week so you can visualize what its like. Normal August flows are low and clear and the fishing is great long into the calm warm evenings. I am not sure when we will see the bottom of the streams again but am hoping with the normal fall patterns of rain, it will be sometime in late September or October. Once the rain quits, the feeder streams will clear better and hopefully the good clean clear water will offset any flows coming out of the burn zone. Still hundreds of places to fish I you are so inclined. Get your rod and some lunch and enjoy the bountiful earth.

Hikes by Dennis

Seven of us started a hike about 2 miles NW of Crystal lakes, then we made a wide loop all around the area looking (and finding) mushrooms.  We went as far E as the foot of Hogback Mesa, then S to the lake and back to the vehicles.  Around 7 to 8 miles total I would guess............

We found a lot of good King Boletes, one patch of chanterelles, a few hawk wings and gobs of little puffballs.  We had a couple of rookie hunters but they caught on very quickly and helped find the fungi..............on the way back to town we did a good deed for the day and drug a big rock out of the road.

There is a mushroom foray tomorrow and Saturday at 830AM at the Visitor Center, it would be a good opportunity to find out what all of those LBM's (Little Brown Mushrooms) really are!!

Wayne will be leading a good hike Monday, Doug is heading for the high country Tuesday and I will probable lead a group over to the top of Fox mountain (the easy way) and check for fungi along the way.

All hikes meet at the VCPl at 9AM...................

Fishing Big Meadows Lake

WOW, is all I can say. My step mother's grandchildren showed up this week and wanted to go fishing. So, I rounded up enough fishing poles for three kids and Paula and I and we headed to Big Meadows. It was a rainy kind of day but we braved the intermittent showers and walked around the edge of the lake to a spot away from the crowds near the parking lot.

Walking past the people right by the boat ramp, I could see many stringers full of rainbow trout and I stopped and visited with some of them to inquire about what they were using.  

The standard power bait type configuration was working the best for them and so we had several poles baited with that and Paula used the bubble and fly she is famous for. One person tried various lures including a Needlefish from the bank.  Both the fly and bubble and the Needlefish yielded a few fish over about two hours. I believe for maximum impact the lure needs to be trolled to give it the proper action and also to be exposed to the greater number of fish. I saw a man and a woman in a small boat land 4 fish in a distance of not more than 200 yards trolling past us.  

We sat there for quite some time without much action but when it opened up, it was fast and furious especially on the rod with the power bait. Sometimes there were fish on 3 poles at once and getting them off the hook and on the stringer and back in the water was hilarious to watch.  

The kids had a blast as they had not fished ever before and so success was paramount to a good day for them. If you are taking a younger person fishing, find a honey hole where they are assured of catching fish so they have a positive experience the first time out. That helps them to enjoy it and maybe continue to want to go fishing.  

I can name dozens of people who were taken fishing either once or over and over as a child and either didn't get to fish or didn't catch anything and it soured them on the experience. While catching fish is not the only reason we go fishing, it does add to the time afield and makes us ready to go again.  

We cleaned the fish and each of the kids wanted to attempt that. With a lot of squealing and saying "yuk" and "gross" multiple times, they finally did get the heads off but the rest of the process just was too much for them, even in rubber gloves.  

But they are now wanting to go all the time and I think I created 3 more fishermen to support the future of our sport. Remember, license fees, taxes on equipment and user fees in campgrounds all help our Division of Wildlife fund programs that maintain and expand our parks, forests, waterways and wildlife populations.  

Don't delay your fishing trip if you want some tasty trout for the pan. Its great out there in all area lakes.

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Kristen and Jarrod with our limits.

BEAR TIME

Its bear time in the Rockies. That time when the bears find out that running around town is the best way to find food. This can be anything from trash cans to dog food left out to hummingbird feeders to bird feeders.  

As the summer population of tourist climbs in the summer, they begin to put out food for the birds and deer and other wildlife so that they can enjoy watching them out the back window. The problem with this is the bears and coyotes and other wild creatures, catch on quickly to the routine and come into the towns or around cabins in remote areas and look for free food.  

While I love seeing a bear in the wild, they can be quite dangerous if cornered especially with cubs or in the darkness as you return home from Bingo or some other activity. Also, they get so used to people being around that they begin to break into cabins to get more food. Many people leave screen doors open and this just is an open invitation to a bear to come in.  

The biggest problem with allowing bears to feed around a house is that it eventually ends up in their death. If a bear is found to be a violator 3 times, the Department of Wildlife has to kill that bear to prevent further damage. Once they learn to break into houses, there is no stopping them. So the very people who love to see a bear, end up causing their death.  

Living next to wild creatures, we have a responsibility to keep out of their way and also to prevent them becoming too accustom to man. Every week there is a story in the news about a coyote attacking a child in a city and this is due to animals being able to adapt to more and more population.  

There is no easier pickings for a good meal than a small dog or cat in a back yard. In fact, two of my friends lost small dogs to owls that swooped down and carried them off.  

This is the time of year when bears are trying to get as many calories as possible for the winter ahead. So they go to the easiest source. The recent fires here may have pushed more bears out of those areas and therefore there will be more depredation ahead.  

This week in Creede, Colorado, a small mining town nearby, a bear was spotted in a tree in town and had to be removed by the wildlife officers. They tranquilized the bear and yet still had to pull it down by hand and face a dangerous situation as the bear fought them aggressively. It was funny to hear people comment as they watched this activity. The sheriff provided backup with a shotgun and all the tourist and people who have no idea about the dangers of a wild bear were so worried he might shoot the bear. I do believe they would rather a officer get mauled or killed than have the bear shot.  

This is from years and years of watching pretty wildlife films that depict animals as having human traits and characteristics to the point that people think they are cute fluffy balls of fur. The animals found in the wild are not only wild and cunning but dangerous too. Proper care in how we live in and among them is essential to their survival also in a growing population of humans.  

Remember, keep you distance and know that they are only trying to protect themselves or their young but if provoked, can cause extreme damage to a person

We can enjoy nature close around us with proper care and a clear understanding of the dangers involved. This is a good time to see wildlife and an evening drive around neighborhoods often leads to that experience. Just stay in the car and be safe out there.

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Moving problem bear from Creede Colorado to the forest.

Ash Flows on the Rio Grande River, Colorado

The monsoon rains brought about a relief to area firefighters who battled the West Fork and Papoose fires. A huge amount of effort was involved in containing this fire and no structures were lost as a result. This in light of it being a total burn area exceeding 110,000 acres in size.

However, the rains have caused a new problem to arise. That of flash floods and ash flows into the rivers and streams. Many of the smaller tributaries to the South Fork and the Rio Grande proper come out of the burned out areas and those are flowing ash and mud and debris down into the rivers. This has caused a horrible distress on the rivers as you can see from the photos.  

Area officials all agree the trout will not survive these ash flows due to the heavy sediment in the water. This raises the temperature of the water which trout cannot survive in. Also, the silt will clog up their gills and suffocate them slowly. The rivers are vast living ecosystems and the bug life on the bottom of the river is what sustains the fish. With the introduction of heavy silt and ash, the bugs will all die.  

This is what I am being told by all the area managers both fish and wildlife and forest service personnel.  

I have never seen a river with this much sediment in it. The water is just not dirty, its thick. I have lived in dirty water states and this is something like I have never seen nor imagined. It reminds me of the pictures we saw following the Mt. St. Helens eruption back in the 80's.  

The area hydrologist for the Forest Service project 3 to 5 years of problems due to the fire. So we are in this for the long haul. However, we have seen this happen over and over across the USA and the streams will recover back to their once pristine condition.
In the mean time, there are countless other streams that are not affected by the ash and the lakes remain outstanding for fishing success.   

So, don't let one part of the area ruin your outdoors experience. Know that we are all part of a bigger world and that these thing will occur over time. Whether it be hurricanes, tornados, floods or any other natural disaster, we live in and among the dangers and resulting effects but can overcome them with perseverance and determination all the while keeping in sight the journey is much more than just a single event.

Get out there and catch those fish this week as its never been better in the area lakes

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Gardening in the Mountains

I was fortunate this year to have a space for a garden for the first time in many years. This had proven to be a real boon to Paula and I as we have eaten almost exclusively from that patch all summer long. The mountain region, while not having the longest of hot summer days, does lend itself to a lot of crops that can be grown not only successfully but to over abundance.

In the pictures found below, you can see the variety of vegetables that I was able to grow and in fact, I just planted some more of the cold season crops today. They will be a tad tight on making it before the frost but most like lettuce and kale and others are frost hardy and I will probably cover some of them each night as the weather cools later in September.  

I had been fortunate enough to get some wire fencing from my friend Phillip Craig and the RV park had some t-posts lying around so a deer and rabbit proof soon came together. I learned the hard way as the first night I had my flowers out, a deer got them all.  

Growing crops here you will find that lettuce, kale, peas, beans, squash and even bush tomato will produce well with enough sunlight. Be sure to plant in direct sun and keep watered well. I did notice that gardening here requires.  

I always had a great garden when I was working but never really harvested it like we are now. That is all due to Paula and her use of the produce and her herb garden. I have never had this good of tasting food ever. Its spiced and flavored to perfection and I would suggest you find someone to show you how to cook like this if you don't already know how. I watch the preparation and of course I do all the cooking on the grill mostly and the prep time isn't that much different than how I always ate.  

Simple herbs like Rosemary on meat makes a huge difference. And a herb garden and other is so easy to raise. YES it takes a little time to water and weed and plant but the rewards are immense and the savings huge.  

My grandparents spent every evening in the garden when I was growing up. Canning and freezing food ahead, they never bought a lot of vegetables. BUT they didn't sit down and watch television in the evenings and let their minds rot. Instead they worked outside or sat on the porch and enjoyed the night slowly sinking around them. Those evenings, on the porch swing with my grandmother are some of the best memories I have and yes, many evenings I had to help work in the garden pulling off the nasty beetles from the tomato vines. Their entire back yard was a garden actually in Western Kansas so I know you can raise a garden about anywhere if you have the desire.  

Below, find a recipe from Paula that you can try yourself.  

Fresh Kale and Cherry Salad

Ingredients:

Kale

Handful of pecans (toasted)

Handful of cherries (pitted and halved)

A shake of feta cheese

Wash your kale and dry the leaves. Cut all the ribs from the leaves. Massage the kale with the dressing:

Dressing:

Olive Oil

Dijon Mustard (or French’s if you don’t have)

Dollop of honey (about 1tsp)

Some balsamic vinegar (or white wine vinegar if you don’t have balsamic)

Salt and Black pepper to taste

In a food processor, shake it up. I sometimes throw a few extra cherries into the dressing to sweeten it up

After massaging the kale with dressing, throw in the rest of the salad ingredients (Pecans, cherries and feta)

Serve. Easy and delicious! The key is to cut the ribs out of the kale and to massage it so that the leaves are super tender and flavorful with each bite.

AND, she is making some lovely salad tonight from the same garden. I don't believe I have ever eaten this well in my lifetime and the flavors are unbelievable. The key to successful gardening is thinking small. Two rows of lettuce about 6 feet long will keep a family of four in greens all summer long. And add to that a row of Kale, Spinach, Collards and two rows of bush beans and you will be harvesting a bounty. The shorter the rows, the easier to weed and keep care of too.

I work nor more than 10 minutes at a time now in the garden as I got the weeds early and now just have maintenance. Watering is a snap with a sprinkler and the localized rains I am getting add to that watering. The herb garden is all in containers so if you can put some good potting soil in a pot, buy some rosemary, chives, endives, and other herbs and plant them, you too can have a readily available source for cooking.  

It doesn't take anymore time to flavor and cook food well than not. I can see that from Paula's cooking. She has it down pat and should be giving lessons on whipping up something economical, yet wondrous.  

its not too late for a fall garden if you get out there right now and till up a small spot and try it. All of the cold crops will prob make it at least for some harvesting and so get down to the store and get some seeds and try it. At least get some lettuce and scratch out a place in the dirt and keep it watered. you will be amazed at the results in about 3 weeks. kk

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Lettuce was just cut in foreground so not as big as normal. Kale on the right and bush beans the tallest backed by collard.

Hiking the Grande

Again, we are lucky to have my friend Dennis Shepherd sharing with us his weekly hike with the group he leads in South Fork. They meet at the visitors center at 9 a.m. and want people to know they are invited to come along. There are hikes for every ability and so check in with him and find out how you can start enjoying free guided trips into the forests.

The following is the report on the hike from Dennis: 

We started our day on a high note; while  waiting for road construction just below Beaver Dam, we gathered and ate ripe  raspberries..our good luck continued by finding a few King Boletes, a lot of  Hawkswings and a whole gob of Chanterelle mushrooms.......more than I had ever  seen before.

We had cloudy skies and a few sprinkles  several times, just enough to settle the dust on the road.  We met a DOW  truck coming into the lake, bringing some 4 to 5 inch cutthroat trout to restock  the lake, good fishing in a couple of years.

The King Boletes had been up for several days  so it appears the Kings are going to be pretty scarce in this area.   Hopefully we will find more at a lower altitude than the 11,000 ft. elevation we  were hunting in.  One never knows for sure when it comes to finding  mushrooms, just have to get out there and look for them..........

Wayne will be leading an easier hike Monday,  Doug will be leading a "conditioning" hike Tuesday and I don't know what  Thursday will be for sure............but it will be fun.

All hikes leave the VCPL at 9AM.

Water Conditions Rio Grande Basin

Today we took a drive up the Rio Grande to Antlers Lodge near Creede.  Paula had some work there and I got to see the lodge with the Rio Grande passing by the deck of the restaurant. It was a beautiful day and The sun felt good on my face.

I had discussed previously about the ash problems in the water. There are many problems this can cause including, warmer water, loss of insect life, change in the pH of the water and large amounts of sediment in the stream and others.  

The water in the main river was better than I recall last week and I think this is due to the number of clear streams which flow into the Rio, diluting the ash flows.  

After Paula's meeting, we drove on up the valley to Road Canyon Reservoir to inspect the conditions there. The water, while green with algae and maybe turning over some with the summer heat, looked normal to me. A man fishing on the dock with a rapala said he had been having good luck there after work and both he and the kids had caught plenty of fish over the weekend.  

The fires near there really stayed away from the lake and the shorelines remain clear and clean of any fire damage. There was one fold a boat on the lake fishing at the time but I didn't see them catch anything in the time we were there. We didn't have our poles due to being on a working trip and the water was full of too much algae for me to fish anyway. In all the years I have been fishing here, I can honestly say that Road Canyon didn't look any different that in other years. Having said that, the ash flows may still be coming down and will eventually reach the lake but for now, fishing is still very active there.

The Rio Grande is murky with the runoff from the streams to the south of the river. But the other feeder creeks such as Deep Creek and others feed in clean water to the river from the west and north and this helps dilute the dirty water from the affected areas. So while it is dirty, its not to the point where the fish are going to start suffering or dying.

I look for fishing to get better than its been in a long time as soon as the monsoon rains stop. The fish will not have been fished for in the river for a month or more by then and it should be fantastic as the water clears somewhat.  

I was also at Big Meadows but only for about 30 minutes. People were catching fish and the boaters who were trolling seemed to be catching fish on a regular basis. My dad and I had gone into Million Reservoir and found it so full of algae that it was just no fun. We had no bites there and so went on up the road to Beaver Lake. Its getting lower now and in a week or so will be down where it was last October.  

The access there is too hard for my dad and I so we just had a good look around, enjoyed the sunshine and the lake view and came on home. Its not always about catching fish but about the journey.  

We are all on that journey in life and if you miss out on the sights along the way, you end up without memories to tide you over in later years. Go out and enjoy the mountains while you can as they are all here for our enjoyment.