Author Archives: Karl Moffatt
Sandia Lakes Offers Top Notch Winter Angling Amid Spectacular Scenery
If the dead of winter makes you stir crazy then there may be no better escape than a quick trip to New Mexico’s fanciest fishing hole. Sandia Lakes’ recently remodeled park located just south of Bernalillo on the State Road 313 features spectacular scenery, excellent accommodations, spacious surroundings and plenty of good fishing. “They’ve done … Continue reading
Fort Selden and Leasburg Dam in Southern New Mexico Make for Warm Winter Get Away
As the temps begin to dip and the snow gets to flying, it’s time to head south to warmer climes where one can visit southern New Mexico attractions like historic Fort Selden while camping out at nearby Leasburg State Park. Fort Selden, just outside of Las Cruces on the back road to the chile capital … Continue reading
Lonely BLM Backcountry Byway Beckon’s those Bored by the Highway
If you’ve ever wondered what was up in those hills to the east of I-25 as you traveled south near Socorro, then the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) has a backcountry byway for you to explore. Twenty-four miles of good, dirt, road that rambles up through those hills featuring interesting rock formations, curiously colorful peaks … Continue reading
Jemez Area Hot Springs Provide Soothing Relief for Visitors
It’s near noon on a delightfully warm and sunny, midwinter’s day and the steaming waters and impressive view at the Spence Hot Spring are soothing one man’s worries away. “It doesn’t get much better than this,” said Bob of Albuquerque, who had called in sick, grabbed his bike and jumped aboard the train to Bernalillo … Continue reading
Taxidermy Shop in Heart of Albuquerque a Wild Adventure
Behind a nondescript storefront on Albuquerque’s Central Avenue lies an amazing wildlife display where gleaming eyes, glistening hides and snarling teeth greet astonished visitors. “It’s my own little museum,” D.L. Gruben of American Wildlife Taxidermy says of his extensive display of hundreds of different animals from around the world, most of whom he killed himself. … Continue reading
Visit Wildlife West Nature Park to See Wild Animals Up Close
If it’s wolves you’re looking for, then the Wildlife West Nature Park in Edgewood is a good place of find them, along with plenty of other enlightening and entertaining animals. The 122-acre park offers sanctuary for wildlife that for one reason or another could no longer survive on their own. And for a lucky few, … Continue reading
Tent Rocks National Monument
It can be a challenging and exciting climb to the top of the Canyon Trail at Tent Rocks National Monument but those who make it are rewarded with a striking panoramic view of the valley floor below.
From on high one can see the sparkling waters of the Rio Grande forming the lake at Cochiti dam, the spreading plains to the east, the Ortiz mountains looming in the south and the Sangre de Cristo and Jemez Moutains to the north and west.
But it is the view from behind, from where the hiker just came, that may be the most impressive as the eerie tent-shaped hoodoos for which this place is named dominate the scene. Continue reading
Visit Wildlife West Nature Park to See Wild Animals Up Close
If it’s wolves you’re looking for, then the Wildlife West Nature Park in Edgewood is a good place of find them, along with plenty of other enlightening and entertaining animals. The 122-acre park offers sanctuary for wildlife that for one reason or another could no longer survive on their own. And for a lucky few, … Continue reading
Fly Fishing Film Festival Proceeds to Benefit the San Juan River
Aaron Carithers of Anasazi Anglers and a native San Juan River Brown trout. By Karl MoffattFly fishing fanatics can get their fix and do some good by attending an upcoming film tour in which proceeds will go to trout habitat improvements and other worthy projects on the state’s top angling attraction, the San Juan River … Continue reading
Caddis Hatch on the San Juan River – Soaring Eagle Lodge has it Covered.
A swarm of fluttering caddis arose as I pushed aside a brushy tree limb and discovered a long, slow, stretch of the San Juan River before me.
Over by the far bank, telltale rings appeared on the surface of the calm water.
There were trout holding in a shallow riffle just a few feet upstream of the deep cover provided by an overhanging Russian olive tree.
I slipped into the river in a crouch and slowly made my way out across the wide expanse of open water, laying out line in the air as I gauged the distance. Continue reading