Finally Kayaked the Rio Grande River

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Rio Grande River

(Taos hotels)

Flag of United States Taos, New Mexico
Thursday, May 27, 2010

For years we've talked about kayaking the beautiful Rio Grande River in New Mexico. The water is always a lovely shade of brown. It's like a VERY, VERY, COLD stream of Chocolate Milk that was spilled by a god as he was climbing the nearby mountains.

Chris Aidan, Paul Crow Willis, and I had the fortunate luck to run into a local paddler named Abraham Cobb. Abe is a EMS paramedic and part time ski patrol medic for Santa Fe Ski Resort

Abe was kind enough to be our guide on the Class IV section of the river named the "Racecourse" or also called the "Pilar" section of the river. The flow was 1,800 CFS. At this level the three major rapids are extremely fun!

The Racecourse has an excellent surf wave

Rio Grande River at Pilar

. It also has a terrifying Class IV+ rapid called Souse Hole. The Class IV+ feature has a toilet bowl like whirlpool on river right that will make you and your boat disappear. If you stay river left you will be fine.

All in all, I would definitely run the Racecourse over and over again! What New Mexicans consider "Flat Water" we Texans would consider "Boogie Water!"

BTW, the best part of having an RV at the takeout...... The post-river shower with a side of beer...

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