Day 4 –

Day four was a first for us. Not that we haven’t had “Day 4s” before. But, day 4 has always been spent riding to the next destination. This time we decided to spend a little time in one place – twice! Not that we’ll have more than one “day four” but…..ah…..never mind.

The schedule was loose. Of course it involved riding. But, Cheryl wanted to see more of Santa Fe. So, I’ll tell you a little bit about that, but because this is a ride report, I’ll tell you even more about the ride that day.
And of course, that ride starts with food and coffee. So we headed south on Old Las Vegas Highway –



….to Harry’s Roadhouse. I’ve spent some time in Santa Fe and there are a ton of great places to eat. Harry’s is one of those. Awesome, from scratch, cooking and great coffee. No surprise it’s a lot like the Breezy Rain back in Moriarty. And, as per usual, I stick with what I like – Breakfast Burrito. It was great and Cheryl enjoyed her meal as well, but again, it’s a road report so I’ll spare the details and simply say that if you find yourself in Santa Fe, you would do well to stop in at Harry’s.

Happy and full, we strolled back out to the parking lot. It was a nice, warm day. But, this being mid September, there is a chilly undercurrent in the air. It’s hard to describe, but you know it when you feel it. The bottom line is – pack warm riding gear. That’s even less a no brainer when you know that your day’s ride is to climb the nearest mountain to the home of Ski Santa Fe which tops out over 12 thousand feet. It’s about as close to a city as a ski resort can be. The road up starts at the north end of Santa Fe proper. I’ve made the drive many times in a car, and I’ve skied the mountain as many times. But, today would be the first time up on two wheels.

Here’s the route –

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Heading north through Santa Fe. A perfect day for a ride –



We cut through the Artsy Fartsy district on Canyon Rd –



And then we headed up the mountain –



I wasn’t sure, but this would indicate why the bike felt a little squirrely on the curves –



The road up is an endless series of curves. The chip and seal surface was a little loose, but overall not bad. Normally we like to wick it up a bit, but there’s nothing wrong with a nice easy sight seeing ride either.

As we climbed higher that cool undercurrent became the chilly ambient. We stopped at one of the pullouts for Hyde Memorial State Park to toss on our jackets. Normally, when we pull up, curious folks will make some sort of conversation such as – “Pretty chilly on that bike” or “Is it her turn to drive?”. Not this time. In fact, it seemed like people were avoiding eye contact. A couple in a Suburu next to us hurriedly gathered their hiking sticks that look like ski poles (What are those really for anyway?) and scurried away from us. I could have sworn the woman cast a withering glance at us over her shoulder. Huh? Whatever. But, I will say that the general reception we received in the Santa Fe area was cool, if not chilly. My guess is our choice of transportation doesn’t reconcile well with the kind of lifestyle people have in Santa Fe. Lots of Range Rovers and Priuses (just like home) and women with no make-up, Birkenstocks, and unshaven legs. Hey! Maybe it wasn’t the bike at all! Maybe they just didn’t like Cheryl because she’s a girlie girl?

Regardless, we saddled up and continued to the top and turned around and went back down. Along the way we pulled over.

It really is beautiful country –



We weren’t the only riders enjoying the day –



We wound our way back down the mountain and made our way back to the condo. The climb was getting easier, but Cheryl still was apprehensive, hence no pics. That should tell you something if you’ve seen the conditions under which she is willing to blithely snap away. I’ll be sweating through my jacket navigating the Million Dollar Highway or Tail of the Dragon and there’s Cheryl, asking me to get closer to the edge to get a better shot. But, not this time.

We did survive the last climb up the hill and cleaned up for a stroll through town. The rest of the evening was spent on foot wandering around old Santa Fe. It is a beautiful and historic city that we enjoyed very much. It can be very expensive, but compared to the days following, it was a bargain.

Tomorrow - the ride between Santa Fe and Aspen – the highlight of the trip.

 

This is a Cool read.

 

thanks for sharing this ride---I love it!!

 

What a great read! I can't wait for the next installment, what camera are you using to get all those awesome shots?

 

I have lived in New Mexico for 35 years and have spent the least possible amount of time I could in Santa Fe. I like it that way. The "City Different". Most of the time I have spent there was at the state capitol supporting freedom, lest it be snatched away by the liberal retards that congregate there. Nothing special about Santa Fe. It's just weird.
Trying to get back to Texas!

 

Thats a beautiful thing !

 

Yup, as already said here a few times you have a great gift of keeping ones interest. Thanks for the read...

 

On behalf of myself and all other weather bound 4 wheeled keyboard commando's, I just want to say thank you for your taking the time to post of your adventures. It is a refreshing read with a generous amount of anticipatiion for your next post.

 

Thanks! The awesomness belongs to Cheryl though. She's using a Panasonic ZX-10. It was my Christmas present from her last year. It's a really nice camera, but it has problems capturing moving shots, which isn't great for taking pics while riding. The pics posted here represent maybe 10% of the total taken. Lots of blurry or out of focus shots. Also, you can see some shadows on the pics because of something on the lens - scratches I'm thinking.

So I can't say I would recommend it. Cheryl is looking into getting something that will work better. If anyone has some ideas, I'm all ears.

I had some family in Santa Fe. They eventually grew tired of those same things and moved to Denver, which is just a bigger version of Santa Fe.
We have our version here in Wisconsin known as Madison. It's also our state capitol, so I think there's a common denominator.

Regardless, we enjoyed Santa Fe by focusing on the things that were of interest to us - a rich history, beautiful landscape, and Adobe architecture.

To all - again thanks for taking the time to read about our travels. It's 4 degrees and snowy, so reliving our last ride is a nice way to spend a cold winter's night.

Cheers!

PS - I'm working on Day 5. It's pic heavy and a longer story, so I'll post that one up asap. Dang work is getting in the way!

 

Any point and shoot should allow you to advance the shutter speed or having a setting for "Sports" . This will speed it up and cut down on those fuzzy shots. Appreciate the posts and enjoying the write up.