Summer along the San Juan River is still freezing in the water!
Navajo Lake and Navajo Dam is one of my favorite areas of New Mexico, and having just made my tenth visit to the area, this was the first time to be there in the heart of summertime. I thought this, finally, was my chance to go for a swim in the San Juan River. The air temperature was in the low 80s. This made me totally unprepared for just how cold the river was. You could not ease your way into the water, which is not my custom anyway, so I made the plunge completely under water, only to have to immediately bounce back up and make my way out. The cold was so intense I felt something like frost bite! After warming back up, I took out my brand new lens, the Sony 24-70mm f/2.8 GM II, and made a few photos of the river mostly from a low angle. Doesn’t the water look inviting on a hot summer day??
One of my favorite areas to visit in New Mexico is a very small town in San Juan County called Navajo Dam, which is home to the second largest lake in the state, Navajo Lake. I have been here many times, but this was the first time to find myself on a road on the southern shore of the lake allowing me to make photos with a much different view of the lake and dam and in the distance, the San Juan River also. This was the first time I found myself driving across the top of the dam which is very high up and steep, and with no guard rails! There are stunning views on both sides of the dam, but as the driver you definitely have to stay focused!
I imagined being able to find places totally not on the agenda during a recent 5-day whirlwind Western Road Trip with eldest friend Terry and his wife, Beth, visiting from Florida, and of course also with Jessica, her dog Artie, and my beloved puppy Kiki. Mexican Hat rock formation was one such place. This day Jessica and our dogs got up at 5:15am to see the sunrise in Monument Valley, then we all reconvened and visited Forrest Gump Point and then Goosenecks State Park. Seeing a sign for Mexican Hat and having time, and a Jeep Renegade Trailhawk, we turned down an unknown dirt road and started exploring.
Return to the San Juan River in northern New Mexico
The very green and beautiful San Juan River flows for miles through New Mexico. This portion of the river is near Navajo Dam, an area I first visited in February. I only had time for a quick drone flight over the dam area itself, but on this trip I was able to fly over a large stretch of the river! I was out on another rural land property assignment, but now since I have my own off road capable vehicle (Jeep Renegade Trailhawk), I no longer have to rush back to Albuquerque to return the rental truck to Enterprise so I can stay in places like this with Jessica and the dogs at our leisure!
I was back in Rio Arriba County New Mexico shooting two rural land properties for Hemingway Land which brought me to the Navajo Dam area with Navajo Lake on one side of it and the San Juan River on the other. Naturally I had my DJI Mavic Pro drone with me, but only had a little time to shoot some flyover video of the dam.
