Chama, NM

Saturday, September 25

It’s always a weird feeling waking up in a new location when you arrived the night before in the dark. We came to Navajo Lake State Park last night around 8:00pm and parked in our designated campsite. This morning, we were surprised to discover that the campground was completely full of other campers. Camping is still in full swing in New Mexico during late September! The landscape around us was very dry with desert-like conditions. We knew there was water somewhere around here though as this state park encompasses Navajo Lake and the nearby San Juan River. Supposedly, there is world-class trout fishing available here.

Andi tried to secure us a fishing guide for the weekend without success. That is one downside of traveling without a solid plan. We don’t always know where we’ll end up until sometimes the day before we arrive which means that sometimes things we’d like to do aren’t available. On the flip side, sometimes we luck into amazing experiences, find fantastic lodging options, or score great deals on excursions because we’re flexible and often times book things last minute. It’s give and take.

Since we’d originally planned to visit this area to fish and that wasn’t an option now, Andi and I decided to take the kids on a short walk along the river. The sun was already warm by 10:00am as we set out on the trail.

There wasn’t anyone around except a fisherman or two along the shoreline. We stopped to take a few photos of each other with the pretty scenery behind us.

Andi and I decided we’d drive around the dam and see what else there was to do within the state park. I’m sure there were more hikes we could have done, but it seemed that boating & fishing were the primary recreational activities. And since we couldn’t get a boat or a fishing guide on such short notice, Andi and I made a last-minute decision to continue driving toward Taos. Next stop — Chama, New Mexico.

I don’t know what Andi and I were expecting, but northern New Mexico wasn’t anything like we pictured. The landscape from Navajo Dam to Chama, NM continued to be barren and dry. There wasn’t a lot to see or do during our one-and-a-half hour drive east along Highway 64 either. The next “big” town we came to was Chama & Andi reserved us a campsite at the Rio Chama RV Resort.

The historic Cumbres & Toltec Railway Line runs right past this RV park which was a unique thing to see. Around 4:00pm, campers gathered along the bank of the river to wait for the train to pass through. Aden especially loved all the dogs that accompanied their owners to the viewing. Tory decided to get fancy for the evening and made her own scarf from a Dollar Store Halloween decoration.

Later, there was a free concert at the RV Resort right across from our campsite. Andi and I set up our camp chairs and a hammock for the kids & we all listened to the band perform. We met a really sweet couple from Sante Fe who invited us to come stay with them the next time we’re traveling through New Mexico.

Tomorrow, Andi and I decided we’re pushing off toward Taos. It’s a town that’s been on both our travel bucket lists for some time now. We can’t wait to see it.