Headed North

I left Albuquerque and headed north towards Santa Fe and Taos, New Mexico. Good weather and nice views were the rule for the first several days.

I was not allowed to ride on the interstate highway so I decided to try my luck on a back road suggested by google. I knew it would be a rough, steep road for a couple miles and boy was it ever. This was near Peña Blanca.

But once I got up the hill, which took about 2 hours, I found myself on a large, flat windy mesa that went on for several miles.

I stayed in Santa Fe with Matt, another warm showers host. We went out for pizza and beer in the main plaza.

Making my way to Taos, I camped out one night in this dry river bed. Quiet and peaceful. Just pray that no flash flood comes through.

The road to Taos.

An interesting shop in Taos.

These students were having a bake sale to fund their robotics program. Are kids smarter these days? One kid was trying to explain their project to me and even with a mechanical engineering degree I got lost. But I bought some delicious chili and a chocolate chip cookie.

Cows and a mountain in northern New Mexico.

Finally, back in Colorado!

A view of the road in southern CO.

On the way to Pueblo, CO I climbed a long 20 mile hill to La Veta pass. It took almost five hours and was very cold and windy. Not fun.

But then I got to zoom downhill for 30 miles which was a blast.

In Walsenburg, CO I could not believe it, but several mule deer were strolling the streets and hanging out in someone’s front yard.

The road to Pueblo, CO was tough. A cold front came through so it was terribly windy and cold for a couple days. My route took me on some gravel roads with many hills. The worst day was when I was trying to get to a hotel in Colorado City (too cold to camp). I rode from 9 am to 7 pm and only covered 42 miles. That’s just above 4 mph all day. I figure I burned 6000 calories that day.

Here I am bundled up against the wind on the way to Colorado City.

I managed to shoot a short video.

I think that’s enough for now. I am currently in Pueblo, CO and should be in the warm cornucopia of Ira and Katrina’s place in Golden in a few days. Stay tuned.