Cinco De Mayo-the final chapter!

Drain it and it will come!

BLUE MESA RESERVOIR

The largest reservoir in Coloraado. It has been systematically
drained to efficiently make electricity and to create space in the
basin for the spring runoff. Looking at the buttes in the background
you'd wonder...what runoff!
Well, they are trying to plow through Independence Pass between Aspen and Leadville.
They have encountered 25' snow depths through there.

A few small watercraft could still be found out on the lake indulging in some ice-free fishing.

Here I'm standing about four feet above the current
water level with my foot on an old, long ago submerged tree stump.
I'm at least 40 (maybe more) feet below the level the lake will be at in a couple of months!

If you look real close you can see Sue standing up at the top of this boat ramp.
I was about the length of a football field, plus the endzones, down the ramp from her.
While there are a number of little runoff creeks that will direct meltoff into the lake,
the vast majority of it comes down through Gunnison, from above and beyond Crested Butte and the Schofield Pass area which still has over 12' feet of snow yet to melt and run down stream, Taylor Park ( even deeper in some areas), and back east up the valley toward Monarch Pass and down Tomichi Creek, there is plenty of snow to melt and runoff down through the Gunnison Valley.
Hopefully, not all at once!
Or we will become the proud owners of a boathouse and will be changing our address
to Sapinero, CO at the other end of Blue Mesa Reservoir!