ruh roh raggy

Fly fishing has yet to teach me how to bend the weather through sheer force of will.  So in the meantime, I guess I'll have to continue to roll with the punches.

Made it up to Taos this AM, only to find the plateau was getting hammered by snow.  Found myself in a growing conga line heading north out of town at 25mph, on icy two track, still thirty miles shy of today's planned venue.  Decided to bag it, having a good idea of what awaited me in the Gorge, no sense adding injury to today's insult.

Back at home, the storm was already breaking up, leaving moderate temps in its wake, bout time.  Whipped out 8 miles on the South Foothills- nice and tacky!- before settling in to watch USA v Canada in hockey.  Dam, thought we had it!  Congrats to Canada, they really looked the better team.

As for my cursed fishing, here's hoping third time's the charm, I'll try again next weekend.

ham and eggs

preparations complete, just need the weather to cooperate a bit.

smorgasbord of micro eggs, crane fly larva, poundmeisters, green caddis pupa.  Fingers crossed!

target acquired

So I was preparing to sit down and tie some Poundmeisters for this weekend's adventure.  Over dinner the fam was just staring at me awkwardly as I prattled on about my preparations. 'Uh, whazzup?  Someone sick or something?' 

Darlin wife had to break the news about our latest NM weather shenanigans.

T-minus 3 days and counting.

Read: 70% chance of breaking my neck in snow squalls heading down into the Gorge.  Sigh.

Who are you and just what have you done with my NM springtime weather?

Better fugeddaboud any #12 Poundmeisters, realign my expectations for Sunday.  Time to break out the #22-26 hooks, tie up some midges, most certainly some baetis emergers.

those 'Juan fish better get their rest, a storm's blowin in.

stoke

JAY_9677, originally uploaded by JayMorr.

enjoying some vicarious fishing this week, via Jason Morrison

fates

You ever get the idea that providence is trying to send  you a message?  

This weekend was just like that:  our sunny days of last week abruptly gave way to another battery of storms Friday-Sunday.  Not a deal breaker as far as my fishing plans go, just fish thru the weather, you know?

Seque into Saturday afternooon:  ABQ Urgent Care.  Darlin daughter fractured her finger at soccer practice, we spent our afternoon anxiously waiting our turn behind the mountain biker teen and another soccer player with fractured wrist. 

Seque into Sat evening as the 3 1/2 hours spent shifting around in waiting room chairs was akin to medieval torture.  That twinge in my lower back aggravated by Thursday's run flared up into full-blown muscle meltdown of near chernobyl proportions overnight.  Could hardly get out of bed this am, jimmenychristmas.

It would appear The Fates are trying to convey a message, you might want to postpone any fishing fun for one more week my friend.  

Message read, understood.

Spent all day under influence of muscle relaxants, ibuprofen, peering over my slippered feet at USA curling on the TV, ugh.  FYI those target circles are The House, the track is called a sheet.  Oh, and the Brits handed us another loss, sigh.

  

Things looking much sunnier this PM, USA currently up 4-2 over O! Canada in hockey, men's downhill on the horizon, was just handed a steaming latte by beautiful wife.  Next weekend's trip a mere 6 days away and counting.

See you all on the other side.

stoopid bike theef

Some people, sheesh.  I'm talkin boud you, stoopid bike theef.

HT: MTBR.com

whet your appetite

You know that fishing trip I postponed to instead take the kids out mountain biking, shoot some vid? Yeah, me neither, seems so long ago. Basketball, soccer, scouting, birthdays, wow a fella can get kinda lost in the mix there, if he's not careful. ;-)

But a professional-grade schemer such as I understands the virtue of Patience. Dad's time is nigh: time to warm up the tying bench, lay some groundwork for Sunday's fishing. Can't wait!

In the meantime, vid surfing turned up this gem RE: winter fishing.

Winter Fly Fishing in Colorado from RA Beattie on Vimeo.

Now I know for a fact, I will not be blessed with such prolific hatches, or snarking 3 pound trout upstream and down. But it remains a certainty I will be out on the water for the first time in months, may even land a fish or two.

Gonna be great.

O Canada!

That was way cool.

white mesa nm

 

Soccer tourney was in Bernalillo, a hop skip and jump away from White Mesa.  Somehow managed to earn myself a pass today, attempted to make the most of it riding Dragon's Back near San Ysidro.  Biked up the first mile to the overlook allright, but did not make it 30 yards past the entry to Dragon's Back before I was turned back by muddy trail, sigh.  (Trust me, you don't want to ride out there when it's wet: not good for the trails, even worse for your psyche.)

All was not lost- weather was great, made it back for a second game, later ripped 10+ miles of sweet, sweet singletrack around ABQ Foothills South.  Picnic dinner in the family room, time now for some Winter Games.  

All is right in my world.

tourney time

spring has sprung

More evidence that the darkest days are behind us:

odds & ends I'm wondering if I can sneak under the penetrating radar of Mrs Wulff:

Note to self: better send it to the office ;-p

As the man says, Spring has sprung!

el nino no es mas

Frequently one to make wild prognostications based on flimsy evidence, my latest:  Winter's back was broken precisely at 3.10 today.  Woooo!

After nearly a month of storms, seems El Nino has finally fled the state heading for points north and east, keep your heads down out there! 

Back at la casa de Roughrider, our fair city looks to be awash in sunshine for the foreseeable future, bout time.  Now if I can successfully thwart the mtb-hating soccer tournament gods this weekend, I may get back in the saddle to enjoy the victory.   Rider up!

stoke

 for those of us waiting out this last batch of storms- why wait?

P1020835, originally uploaded by tonifane.

cross training

Team Roughrider pounded the pavement under sullen superbowl skies today, our first 5K since Turkey Trekking back in November. The team came w/in a hair's breadth of placing all four runners, again! The kids both led the pack in their respective age groups, Mrs Wulff captured 4th, schweet. Good work team!

As for yours truly, I won my age group for the first time, ever. Incredulously found myself chasing the boy around the entire course, dam he's fast! Every time he'd hear me wheezing up on his heels, he'd interrupt his day-dreaming, glance over this shoulder, give it some gas. Try as I might, I simply could not hang, finishing 15 sec's behind our team speedster.

Did manage to shave like 2 min off my November time chasing Team Roughrider's rabbit, doubly schweet. Now where's my recovery chocolate milkshake? Oh and can I get some Advil with that, Stat?!! ;-]



Bigger things in the works as Mrs Wulff has started training in earnest for her first half marathon in April- you go girl!

family vs wild

Forgot to tell you all- we ran into Bear Grylls and the Discovery Channel crew shooting their latest Man vs Wild episode in the Valles Caldera. We were surprised at how low their shooting budget seemed to be- but we'll let you guys be the judge. A sneak peek:

valles caldera

The Wulffpack celebrated Mrs Wulff's birthday this weekend, yep 39, again, how'd you guess?! ;-) The celebrations culminated in a day spent snowshoeing the Valles Caldera National Preserve in the Jemez Mountains near Los Alamos.

The VCNP was formerly a 90K+ acre private ranch holding in the heart of the Jemez Mountains, sold to you and I in the year 2000, now managed for public recreation and research.

Now I need not extol the virtues of 'New Mexico's Yellowstone' to fellow New Mexicants, however for those of you residing out of state, simply put, she's a stunner.



copyright: bugg's photostream

Home to some of the largest elk herds in the state, the vast meadows of VCNP are encircled by the remnant rim of an ancient volcano, indeed the heart of the preserve is the collapsed caldera itself.

copyright: New Mexico Bureau of Geology & Mineral Resources, New Mexico Institute of Mining & Technology

Fishing on the preserve continues to be an angler's dream, thanks in large part to limited access and the beat system employed.

Click image at left for VCNP fishing rules & regs.

(Note the uncanny resemblance to the image shown at top of the VCNP page? Yep, that's my 14" fatty taken from a 12" wide section in Beat 1: yet another proud moment in the annals of Wulffpack lore ;-)

No surprise really, to find some of the Wulffpack's favorite movies were shot in and around the Caldera, it's the kinda place that embodies everyman's image of the American West, ahem.

Which segues nicely into our own story, this past Sunday.

We had not yet snowshoed the VCNP, and the entire family was giddy at the prospect, Mrs Wulff riding a veritable tsunami wave of kudos the entire trip up the mountain. She's a sly one, my wife: VCNP is convenient to Jemez Springs, leaving us wondering if the entire expedition was merely a thinly-veiled diversion to hit up one of her favorite funky bistros: the Laughing Lizard, which we did just that upon the return, hmmmmm. Note to self: add LL to blog's java joint sidebar, their cappuccino was absolutely stellar.

As for the trip itself, pictures vs words, seems I've written enuf of those already.










The Jeremiah Johnsons