Hiking near Bluewater Lake

 

Side Trail above Lake

  

When is an elevation a mountain, and when is it a hill?  I’ve decided the definition is when you have climbed it.  The mountain bordering the lake doesn’t look all that tall until you tackle it.  This was one of the first strenuous hikes we had taken since Ron’s most recent foot injury.  Foot handled it fine;  the rest of our bodies was a bit tired by the end.

 

       

View from near the top:

At the crest, we could view the northernmost shore of the lake.

Looking back toward the office and campground of the park.  

    

Another of our favorite hikes is along the old road above the lake.  At one time you could drive from the east side of the lake to the west side along the lake.  That road is no longer open.  Although the west shore is still within the park (Las Tusas area), it is now a 25-30 mile drive by road to get there.

     

On our hikes, we often spot the tracks of the mountain lions that live here, although we have not actually seen one of them yet.  The tracks are huge, resembling a dog’s, but the distinction is that the lion track does not have the claw prints and the back pad has a more scalloped edge.  Can you imagine the size of the cat that leaves this track?

  

   

To the east of the mountain runs an arroyo and a meadow.

   

  

We were enjoying the walk through the narrow sided arroyo until we once again saw the tracks of the mountain lion, and realized that if one was around, we’d have no escape route.

As we began to get the summer rains, the grasses started to green and the wildflowers to bloom.  The meadow was such a contrast to the surrounding desert.  We decided it would be an excellent place for a home.

        

The recent rains have also caused areas to wash, leaving behind artistic patterns in the mud.

   

A canyon winds its way from the east side of the dam.  A switchback trail leads from the campground down into the canyon.  We found a whole other world down there, one with tall grass, wildflowers, and even evidence of beaver.

 

The hike down

    

A tree, recently felled by beaver

  

The dam stretches across the western end.

 

At our lunch stop, we tried taking a couple of pictures to Photoshop together.

On the climb back up, we encountered a large king snake.  These snakes have the markings of the rattler, and often live in the same area, but are not poisonous.  Although some have seen a few rattlers this summer, in all our hiking, we have not encountered any.  The park has proven to be an excellent area for us to get back into hiking.

Our Summer in the Mountains

Imagine the following scene.  You’re driving along the interstate in New Mexico (which happens to be known as “the Land of Enchantment”) admiring the spectacular scenery,…

   

and you turn off onto a small state road. You first begin to climb as you ascend the mountain, and then descend a winding road down the other side,

 

finding yourself in the midst of pinon pines, near a crystal blue lake…

 

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The weather is wonderful.  Nights are just cool enough to need an extra cover (remember,  this is JULY).  Morning brings a beautiful sky, just the right temperature for hiking….you decide to stay a while, perhaps all summer.

 

What more could one want, Right?  That’s how we feel, and this is where we find ourselves for the summer…at Bluewater Lake State Park in New Mexico where we are volunteering.

We are parked, along with two other volunteers in the maintenance compound.

We spend a few hours weekly working in the office/visitor center

and a few afternoons manning the gatehouse.

Our first couple of hours following breakfast each morning is devoted to walking. We’re up to 1 – 2 miles every day, and occasionally as many as 5 miles, which is quite amazing for us, considering the foot problems Ron has had in the past…so glad he went through the therapy this summer…we may never dance again, but at least we can go for walks once more, which is a huge improvement.

The park is large enough, that we can pick a different walking route each day.  Since it is located on an incline, we’re getting a lot of good cardio-exercise.

One of our favorite places to walk is to the top of the cliffs overlooking the dam.  The asphalt drive takes you almost to the crest, and a short walk places you directly above the dam.

An old foundation still stands on the summit, providing an excellent viewing station.

The canyon below the dam stretches out to the right, where we have even been fortunate enough to watch reservation horses as they come to water.  The group is complete with stallion and foals.

The lake lies to the left, with boats rippling its surface daily.

Some of the boaters come just for pleasure, while others come for the large tiger muskies.  The muskies range up to over 50” long…anything under 40” is a “throw-back”.  Bluewater Lake holds the state record for muskie caught at 50.5”, so it attracts fishermen from far and wide.  We happened on this young lady one morning, trying to revive one that had been thrown back and was still dazed.

Weekends find campers parked along both side of the lake, as well as in the developed campground.

      

 

We’ve enjoyed looking for the smaller wildlife of the park, such as the ground squirrel, the mountain bluebird and the bunnies.  We’ve even spotted a horned toad, which are getting more rare.

This is definitely a good place for us to spend the summer.  It’s remote, yes, …30 miles from a grocery or laundry, but it’s also a wonderful place to enjoy the mild weather while catching up on our reading and beading.  We’ll share from our hikes in the area in the next post.