We rested on the eight day. Our accommodations in Albuquerque were not the best, but they had washers, so I did laundry. I got my phone fixed. Now I am not dependent upon Skype and the Internet. I also got a massage and cleaned my bike. Yesterday when I got in I had a very good Mexican meal. However today I could find no other ethnic food enthusiasts, so to be social, I ate some very forgettable meals in Albuquerque. I also worried about the ride to Las Vegas. Last year I only was able to complete half of the ride. This year I wanted to finish this ride.
With the coming of morning (no 5:30 AM, morning was still a long way away), I loaded my gear onto the van and had breakfast before heading out. After riding through eastern Albuquerque and followingI40 into the hills, our route headed north toward Santa Fe. The road goes up and down in the hills, but mostly up. There are a lot of nice suburbs and a fair amount of new construction. It was very different from the type of houses we had seen for the last few days. The road continued to the north and we got into an area with some ranches. They were all very nicely kept and most likely tax write offs for second homes. Lastly, we went through the town of Madrid. A few years ago arriving in Madrid would have been like going through a time warp to a Hippy village of the sixties. It still has that flair but while artists still sell their creations and tie dyed shirts a clearly in evidence, there has been a good deal of yuppie construction. The Disney film ‘Wild Hogs’ was filmed in Madrid. What will be there in ten years is not at all certain.
My road continued to the north past more traditional ranches and lots of open space until it reached I25. On the other side of I25 was the town of Santa Fe. I never go into Santa Fe and I felt somewhat like Moses being denied entry into the Promised Land. This is also where I gave up the day’s ride last year. While not seeing Santa Fe was disappointing felling good and ready to tackle the last half of the ride was a much better feeling.
I25 goes northeast from Santa Fe to Las Vegas. For the first 30 miles it climbs through ever more forested land until it crosses a pass at 7500 feet, the maximum altitude of our ride. There is then a glorious downhill of almost ten miles, before a rather long, no seemingly interminable, series of rolling hills in ever more open country to Las Vegas. The pain in my legs and feet during those miles was lessened by the realization that I would accomplish my goal completing the days ride this year.
What differences were there between this and last year. First this year we had a rest day in Albuquerque, while last year we didn’t. I am sure the recovery day helped a lot, especially on the climbs. Another difference was that the weather was much kinder this year. Last year it was cold and while it didn’t rain, there was always a threat of rain. Today it was cool but there was sunshine all day. I don’t know if I am fitter this year, but I suspect that the rest and weather were the biggest factors in allowing me to complete today’s this year.
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