Storms over the Mountains

There have been some spectacular thunderstorms over the mountains this month. All the extra water is helping keep the wildfires away. Let's hope it continues.

Happy Solstice

Looking upstream from near Bodo.

"Like the tears of the Earth, rivers they run.

Coming down from the Mountain in the bright morning sun."-- The Infamous Stringdusters. Here's a link to the track these words are from

Can't stop thinking about the river!

It's pushing 5000 cf/s!

Kayaking the Big River

There has been a lot of people getting out to enjoy the high water levels of the Animas this Spring. It's something I've always wanted to try since I saw my first Mountain Games in Vail, Colorado several years ago. It is totally amazing what people are capable of!

Taking It In

Taking a short break from my bike ride to catch my breath and to capture this beautiful view of town

Bird's Eye View

The Animas Valley as seen from the perspective of a robin.

Carnival Time

The Memorial Day Carnival has been running all weekend. I happened to see it from the Rim Trail around Fort Lewis College and got this shot.

State of the Animas

The river is really starting to swell. USGS measured 3,120 cu. ft/s this morning. Compare these pictures with ones I took a little while back. It has also taken on its silty chocolate color that I  love so dearly. "Too thick to drink, too thin to plow"--Mark Twain.

Get it while you can!

Rafting season is upon us, but don't wait too long or you will miss it. The river has been looking pretty good lately, but the snowpack is melting fast. Current flow levels in town, as measured by the USGS are around 2,540 cu. ft/s. The peak flow is near and after that, the river will go back down.

State of the Animas

This is what it looks like now if you are standing on the bridge near Rotary Park. The water is at approx. 1060 cu. feet per second.

Good Morning, Durango!

Another beautiful day starts here in Durango.

High Desert, High Mountains

South of Durango looking north.

Drift

The Animas River south of Durango near the Mall.

Mornings Apart

The same view just 24 hours apart. The Animas River Valley.

Threads of life

Durango is situated on the edge of the high desert and the mountains. In fact the root word for Durango is the Basque word "Urango" which could be translated as "Water Place". It certainly fits Durango well as it is one of the better watered places in the Four Corners. If it wasn't for these threads of life giving waters flowing through this place, it would be an extremely hard place to live as it receives less than 20" of rain a year.

At the water's edge

North of the 32nd St. bridge the waters of the Animas flow slow and deep. South of here the river runs on hard rock and the depth is decreased and the current increases. There also are very little to no boulders found in the river from at this point.

Take me to the River!

Drop me in the Water!

Fishing Bird

I'm not sure what type of bird this is, and I don't actually know if it's fishing or bug catching. I saw a few of them flitting about the river, swooping mere inches above the surface. They were so quick, the only way I could get this shot was by using a long zoom from pretty far off.

Oops!

There has been a lot of work going on down at the Santa Rita Whitewater Park. They have been moving rocks and anchoring them to stabilize the water features for the people who play here. I took this picture but I didn't see what was going on in it until I got home. Looks like someone is gonna has some explaining to do! Those excavators aren't cheap!