Issue link: http://www.e-digitaleditions.com/i/769056
T he next morning after breakfast, while Pat was pairing up the guides with their respective clients for the day, Philip and I began unpacking and assembling the two Hobie Mirage i11S kayaks that had been shipped to the lodge before our arrival. Unlike my rotomold Hobie Mirage Outback, the Mirage i11S is inflatable and therefore easier to transport. While we inflated the kayaks, attached the Vantage CT seats, and assembled the MirageDrive foot pedals, some of the guides began drifting over to ask questions. They had always fished the lakes with jon boats and float tubes, so the foot- powered kayaks were a completely new concept. Even Uncle Frank watched the proceedings with great interest. "So you use these pedals to propel the kayak?" "Is the seat comfortable?" "Do you think you'll catch fish in this thing?" Curious questions came from all directions, and I assured them that not only would we catch fish, we would do it in comfort and style. Philip and I rode with Pat while Dad chauffeured Mom to Charlie's Lake, a high-country jewel with a massive rock formation at its center. The past couple of months had been unseasonably warm, which made the fly fishing more challenging. Juan Mountains that soar above the Chama Valley and finally turned into the gated entrance of the ranch. Stepping through the front doors into the massive great room of the opulent lodge was like stepping back in time. The soft lighting, plush leather furnishings, high vaulted ceilings, and towering stone fireplace were exactly as I remembered. Long hallways stretched out from either end of the great room to the lavishly appointed guest rooms and suites. But it was the people who truly made us feel at home. Frank Simms, president and general manager of the ranch, who is family in all but blood, hadn't changed one bit since I'd last seen him. The fly fishing guides began trickling back to the lodge after a day on the water with their clients, who included individuals, groups of friends, and married couples enjoying their vacations. They heartily shook our hands and greeted us like old friends returning home. Chama's head guide and Dad's virtual brother, Pat Carpenter, soon joined us to say we would start out fishing Charlie's Lake in the morning. He had guided Chama's hunters and anglers for 19 years and knew the high country like his own backyard. He and Dad had fished and hunted the ranch together for years, and with both of them as guides, we knew that we would be in excellent hands for the coming week. 166 • S P O R T I N G C L A S S I C S useful the MirageDrive kayaks could be for fly fishing. We needed a location that combined the timeless elegance of trout fishing and deep, clear lakes surrounded by lush forests and high mountain peaks. I knew the perfect setting—that unforgettable place of my fondest fishing memories. I quickly made arrangements to return to the 36,000-acre Lodge and Ranch at Chama Land & Cattle Company, where Dad and I had caught so many beautiful trout more than a decade ago. But I wasn't making this trip alone. Fly fishing is my family's legacy, so it was only right to share the experience with my husband and parents. Dad had taught me to fly fish when I was barely old enough to hold a rod in my hands, and Mom had fished by his side for years before I was born. Philip and I hadn't traveled at all since our honeymoon, so we were all eager to share this time together. W e flew into Albuquerque, New Mexico, on a warm July afternoon and spent the next day meandering north through Santa Fe to Chama. The arid, high- desert climate was a stark contrast to our homes in Tennessee, filled with stunning ochre, red, and purple rock formations. As the day passed we climbed higher into the cool conifer and aspen forests of the San