Stress test

Yes. It's time for another big river trip. Life had just gotten too peaceful, easy, and mundane.

We're off for a repeat run of the beautiful Rio Chama in northwestern New Mexico. Click on the link to see what it was like last August.

This trip will be a little different, although we're going with some of the same people and on the same stretch of river. It will be colder, for one thing. And, in spite of most of the Rockies having a great snow year, the water will be lower. It seems that New Mexico is not seeing so much snowmelt this spring and so the reservoir that regulates the flow we'll be floating can't afford to let as much go downstream as we'd like.

<sarcasm>I mean, what could they be thinking? How is water for crops along the middle Rio Grande more important than our not having so many rocks to avoid in the raft?</sarcasm>

If we survive the stressful packing process (see partially-outfitted cataraft above as it sits in our garage, waiting to be loaded down by the family's master packer), I will eventually have photos, videos, and stories to share about our 2011 adventures (hopefully not too adventurous) on this great river.

But in the meantime, there will be a slight blog hiatus here at Hometown Tourist. See you again soon!