To Navajo Lake State Park/San Juan River

June 22, 2010 I fished for about an hour in the Rio Chama that runs behind our motel, the Riverbend Lodge. Caught one fish, but added another stream to the list I have fished. Meanwhile, Charlcie was stalking a magpie - they omnipresent in these parts, but difficult to get near. After a traditional pancake breakfast at the Elkhorn Café (taking a break from the green chiles!) we headed for Navajo Lake State Park in far northwestern New Mexico. This is high dessert country and Navajo Lake is truly an oasis. The lake is beautiful and the San Juan River tailwater below it is known as one of the top fly-fishing destinations in the country. Notice all the houseboats anchored in uniform lines out into the lake - apparently the owners leave them there and are ferried out to their boats when they visit. For the next two nights, we camped at the Cottonwood Campground, the only one of several that has trees. After setting up camp, we took a short hike along the river and then headed to The Sportsman to share one of their famous green chile cheeseburgers (can’t get away from those green chiles!) There are two institutions in this part of the country, The Sportsman and Abe’s, and they are famous with fly-fishers. They, along with other establishments around here, are like mini Wal-Marts – they carry a little of everything. Some groceries, a restaurant or café, some hardware, some hunting and fishing supplies, and in the case of Abe’s, gas for your car, RV camping sites, and a motel. They’ve been around for over 50 years and still going.