To Red River and Back

June 19, 2010 We took a journey up to Red River, NM, which is a ski town northwest of where we are camping. It is bordered by the Carson National Forest, another one of those areas with spectacular scenery around every corner. We spent most of the afternoon in Red River, opting not to partake of the touristy activities, but rather at the Chamber of Commerce info center, which offered free Wi-Fi. We caught up on email, updated the blog, and enjoyed visiting and getting to know Katie, the very affable college student in charge of the information desk. We also observed our first clouds in three days, albeit just a few wispy, fast-moving puffs. Back at camp, I had another humbling experience trying to outsmart the very spooky trout that reside in this small, clear, mountain stream - made more difficult by incessant winds, persistent biting flies, and all kinds of hook-snagging brush, etc. But hey, this is the only way to improve my game! I was thrilled however that I identified a caddis hatch, tied on the correct fly, made the perfect cast to a rising fish that I had targeted, managed a perfect drift, and watched the fish slam the fly! Success? Not totally – in my excitement, I struck prematurely and was once more outsmarted by a prey with a pecan-sized brain.