Rio Grande Rafting

Our family has always been very close. For a number of years, we all vacationed in the South Fork, Colorado area. In the summer time there were as many as 25 of us together enjoying ourselves. One particular activity we all did together was rafting the Rio Grande River. This story describes the activity we all enjoyed.

Rio Grande Rafting

 

Beginning with the summer of 1974 through about 1985. Pam and I took our summer vacations in South Fork, Colorado at the base of Wolf Creek Pass. Many of our immediate families also vacationed there. In the months of June and July, the Rio Grande River between Creede and South Fork was generally ideal for rafting. My wife Pam and I had purchased a twelve foot six man heavy duty raft, canoe paddles, and life preservers which we stored at my Dad’s cabin there.

 

We started by taking rafting pleasure trips for the kids and other family members. We would load the raft on top of my van and head up the highway from South Fork towards Creede. The highway follows the river all the way to Creede. We would drive up about 15 miles and unload the raft and and passengers. Someone would drive the van back to South Fork and leave it where we planned to get out. We loaded people, launched the raft and headed downstream. One good paddler with a canoe paddle sat in the front of the raft and one in the rear with all the passengers between them. The paddlers just kept the raft straight while everyone else enjoyed the breath taking scenery and the raft ride in the great outdoors. We would make several trips in one day until everyone who wanted to make the run was happy. As we were making the trips down the river, we noticed that the fishing hole access from the perspective of the raft was much better than from the shore. So, the fishermen of the group got together.

 

One person sat in the back with a paddle to keep the raft straight, and three fishermen would be forward in the raft throwing Panther Martin spinners into to all the honey holes we passed. On nearly every trip down in the raft, we would catch a limit of trout. There was usually a little water in the bottom of the raft, so we just threw them in the bottom of the raft until we got back. We had discovered trout fishing heaven and made many many fishing trips down the Rio Grande in the years to come. Other members of the family bought rafts and we often had as many as three rafts making pleasure and fishing runs at the same time.

 

A couple of years after we started fishing off the rafts, my brother Craig, my Dad, and I, started making fishing runs down the river through private property. As long as you didn’t step out on the bank, it was legal. We caught larger fish in the virgin water. The landowner started stringing a strand of barbed wire across the River fixed at both ends. There was so much slack in the wire that we were able to catch it with a paddle and lift it over the raft. On one occasion, the landowner was waiting for us on National Forrest land where we got out. He was hollering and screaming about calling the sherif. Craig got a little louder than him and and explained the federal law to him so he could understand it. Craig told him he was going to call the sherif himself and talk to him about being harassed by the landowner. The guy left and never bothered us again. I’m sure glad we never ripped up the raft so we had to get out on his property.

 

The Rio Grande River was particularly low during the summer we made our last raft trip. I was paddling and my wife Pam, my cousin Kristi and her husband Mike were with me. Mike was fishing out of the front of the raft and we were enjoying the scenery. We were cruising along pretty good and we hit a sharp rock under the surface and it ripped the entire bottom out of the raft. Fortunately the water was only two feet deep there, so we were able to pull the raft to the shore. However, I lost my fishing pole. Mike and Kristi took a long wet hike to South Fork and had someone come and pick us up.

 

In later years, we made a few summer trips to South Fork and stayed at Pam’s brother, Bob’s cabin, or rented a full sized home, but we didn’t go rafting. Our daughters and their friends rented rafts, but it was not quite the same as the early years.

 

To have a lot of family fun together, someone needs to take the initiative to start an activity the young and adults can enjoy together. Rafting is, however, an activity that needs to be enjoyed before you get too old. It does make some really fine memories for Seniors who experienced it in their younger years.

Rafting down the Rio Grande River near South Fork, Colorado. That’s old Bill in the back paddling.

 That’s Billy Don in the front, then Brenda, then Chad and Darena, then old Bill in the back keeping us straight.

Bill with a nice string of trout caught rafting down the Rio Grande near South Fork.

Thanks for reading Rio Grande Rafting,

Hawg Jaw Bill