The 9th and 10th paddling days of my New Mexico trip were spent on two lakes in the northeastern part of the state.  Conchas and Ute Lakes are located just off of Interstate 40 near Tucumcari, Nm.  With drive time and making and breaking camp I only did short exploratory paddles on each lake.  I did take time to talk with park rangers and boaters about parts of the lakes that I did not get a chance to paddle.

Although neither lake comes close to Navajo Lake in terms of size or scenic value, Conchas does offer good opportunites for multiple day trips and overnight camping.  Its cliffs are not as impressive as those in Navajo, but the Canadian River arm (runs north-south) has some very interesting geology especially near the dam.  Ute Lake is located on a almost treeless prarie and much of the shore is just grassy hills running down to waters edge.  There are sections with interesting cliffs, especially along Ute Creek (NE end) but I think you could cover most of the interesting stuff in a single day trip.  If you like big open spaces the main lake body would be atractive to you.  Ute was almost full, so if the level drops 10-20 ft, there should be more interesting cliffs to see.  Both lakes have lots of weekend boating, skiing, and fising traffic so weekdays are much better for kayaking.