back in the saddle

After work rides have officially resumed. Good to get back out there~

good morning!

In a profession fueled by coffee, you know you've reached the pinnacle of your avocation when you finally churn your own espresso at the office.

Aahhhhh.

Rank doth hath its privileges.

break glass in case of emergency

I'm thinking everyone has at least one, most likely several.

You know, those secret stashes you've accumulated over a lifetime of fly fishing.  They all have some basic criteria in common:  

1. fish well or even Xtremely well.
2. for big mountain trout or pure-bred cutthroats.
3. remain well off the beaten path, frequented by exactly no one.  But by yourself, that is.  Because who else is willing to risk the <choose one or more of the following as applies> rattlesnakes, sheer cliffs, box canyon, grizz, raging rapids, death march, cougars, snowfields, T-boomers....?

That right there is the definition of emergency secret stash, the glass to be broken only on rare occasions.  

 On an emergency basis only, if you get my meaning.

Such is the predicament I recently found myself in: the end of the season fast approaching, just a solitary day to fish, this trip needed to be beyond the 'ordinary'.

Casting about through the memory banks for a locale to fit the bill, I settled on one particular box canyon reach, first explored with my Dad- now there's an angler who appreciates the notion of secret stash!

That day proved most excellent, enough for the Return to always haunt the corners of the waking mind.



Yeah gotta get back up there.  

Oh ya Mon, secret stash.

But thinking backonit, I was astonished to remember it was the very weekend of Hurricane Katrina, what now, already seven years ago?  That fact alone sealed it, time to break the glass on this fly fishing emergency.

And yes, I found evidence that in the intervening years, exactly No One has risked the impassible cliffs, the perilous rock crawl, the dark box canyon.  Risked all to briefly connect with the pure-bred cutthroat trout that call this place, this pristine Place, home.

After all, that would just be plain crazy, am I right?

recharging

 

Yep, my lovely bride and I stole away to recharge some batteries as it were, at Los Poblanos Ranch here in ABQ.

Los Poblanos Ranch is a working organic farm + bed & breakfast + historic cultural center located in some of the most fertile bottomland in the North Valley, adjacent to the Rio Grande river as it flows thru town.  

 

 

 Established in 1932-34, apparently as the first Creamland dairy, then as a cultural center under a rather visionary patron of the arts.  

As a cultural center, most of the early architecture was designed by the same renowned NM Revival architect John Gaw Meem responsible for much of the Santa Fe aesthetic you are probably familiar with.  

 

Many noteworthy artisans and craftsmen of their day lent their skill into the detailing of the complex, on par with that we've seen in our favorite national park projects .

 

I enjoyed each discovery, much like a kid on treasure hunt.

 

 

That attention to art, design, and craftsmanship lives on in the contemporary additions made in recent years.

That said, there is an obvious draw for fans of small regional farmers, organic gardeners, lavender aficionados, history buffs, architecture geeks.

Add to that: any parents happy to place their brood under someone else's watchful care, steal away for a little R&R!

Food for the soul, my friends.

 

 

 

Los Poblanos is often listed as an all-world, top 100 resort, offering first class accommodations, simple yet elegant meals.  

And serenity, let's not forget serenity now.  ;-]

So while this post might not have much anything to do with fly fishing or mountain biking, there's hope I managed to convey this one small counsel:

Take care of the Big Things in life, and the little things will take care of themselves-  some dude.  

Some Very Wise Dude.

skinnies

The kids and I finally made it out to the North Valley bike park @ 4th & Alameda.

Oh, it's been open since around September.  It's just that I wanted to wait to give those groms ample time to pack that dirt down before I made my triumphal arrival.  ;-)

Now collectively, Team Roughrider has less than a little experience riding skinnies and jumps.  We sampled a bit when last out to Hood River, but most of the features proved more than we could handle at the time.

So I was eager to sample most everything offered and will be the first to tell you I need to build up the ole skillset to keep 'airing' those big jumps.  pffffft!

The kids now....







...ducks to water comes to mind.

Awesome sauce.