Navajo Dam, New Mexico

Yesterday we moved farther south in New Mexico but it really isn't right for us to move on without first telling you about our stay at Navajo Lake State Park in Navajo Dam, New Mexico. So before we head out to discover this area, I decided to take time for an update.

We made reservations, site unseen, way back in July when we were thinking about what we wanted to do this fall. The map showed lakes and rivers for fishing, the sites were reasonably priced and it was new territory - the park met all of our criteria.


When we got to the area, we could not believe the roads; we actually thought we had taken a wrong turn since we saw the park, on the other side of the San Juan River. We finally found a turn, drove down 1.5 miles on a washboard and potholed clay road and arrived at the park.

We found our reserved spot and decided this would not be a bad area to spend a couple of weeks. We quickly realized just how "out in the boonies" we were when cell phone service was only from a selected few spots in the motorhome and internet service was nonexistent. Nonetheless, we knew it would be fun because Bonnie and Barry were coming to join us for a week.

They really surprised us when they pulled in after dark and I heard a diesel engine - yep, Bonnie gave in and they now own an Allegro Bus (of which I can't believe I didn't get a picture - guess I didn't want to encourage Mike's thinking...)

As we went in and out of the park the first couple of days, we saw this sign before a wash near the park and thought nothing of it since we frequently see these signs in Arizona.

But then it rained a couple of inches... and we had this foot deep sludge to drive through for the remainder of our stay. I am not kidding, it never dried up in two weeks and no one did anything about it... people just kept driving through, including us.

This was the roadway into town... once you got off the lumpy bumpy road - 18 miles to a grocery store. BUT, we really did enjoy ourselves! The walk to the river was an adventure. I loved the rock formations.

Mike was sitting on this very rock one day when a snake was spotted near him. Knowing how he feels about snakes, you won't be surprised to hear that some of his jars of bait went in the river as Mike quickly scurried to safety.

As Mike fished, I found all kinds of things to photograph.

I am always amazed when plants grow out of rock...

And some days, I was there to snap a picture when he caught one. (Dan, please note the type of rod he is using.)

At this time of the year in this area when one tires of fishing for trout, you can always go and "snag" a few salmon. One day we were over by the dam and saw quite a few people casting from shore so we had to find out what was going on. It seems that in the spring, kokanee salmon fingerlings are released into the reservoir from this spot and in the fall, the "grown ups" come back

to spawn and then they die. So the season for "snagging" opens up on Oct 1st and people come from all around to get their limit of 12 salmon per day.

And you really do snag them with a weighted treble hook... it sure looked like fun when the guys were pulling them in. The salmon are about 3 pounds - the size of a nice walleye.

There was great people watching - this lady wore her "little black dress" for the occasion.

This is a part of the catch from one day.

The proud "snaggers". I don't think this takes a lot of skill; just strength to keep casting and yanking... both the guys were sore the next day.

When these were cleaned up, Barry and I had a "bake off" with each of us trying a different way to fix them - they were good with just a little onion and seasoning and they tasted good with a sauce for walleye I found in a MN cookbook. (We have a couple of fillets in the freezer for you to try, David.)

Navajo Lake is another one that we would like to explore with our boat; maybe we will have to bring it down some year.
It was great to spend time with B & B.

While at the park, we also visited the Aztec Ruins which are nearby. Since the early 1930's, these
ruins have been the site of archeological exploration. It is thought that, like Mesa Verde National Park, this area was inhabited between 1100 and 1300. It was probably the home of at least two different peoples at two different times in history since archeologists have found evidence of "remodeling" - a term I had never heard in relationship to ancient villages before.

This "window covering" is thought to be from the original builders. If you look closely it really looks like a venetian blind. It was found behind an excavated wall.

This is an original ceiling. The materials are thought to come from 40 miles away as they were not native to this particular area.

The village was extensive with perhaps 2000 people living there. In one room, skeletal remains

were found that date back to 1200. The museum has examples of pottery also from that time. After a while, you get kind of tired of looking at ruins but I still won't pass up the next place because I always learn something new ...from the old.

Well, we better get going; I see on the map there is a ghost town a few miles away...