Santa Fe to Espanola NM

The Hills are live. 9/25/2015

Judy wants me to be sure to say a little about our elevation for the day. I think we were somewhere around 5900 feet at our hotel in Santa Fe. We started to ever so gently climb right from the door and through the old Sante Fe town to soon begin climbing in earnest. At the top of that mean first hill we were somewhere around 7300 feet which would be our highest elevation for the day. We rolled up and down some pretty tall climbs a few times and moved between 5800 and about 6400. Our lunch stop was at 6400ish or there abouts, and is now around the 5300 mark. We were delighted to have had some very nice down hill runs for many miles but and is now around the 5300 knew we would be paying for that!

Judy laughs now that those hills are done with, and Jeanie can laugh too now that she has no flat tire to contend with..

 

Judy is from Arizona and bikes several times a week though she cannot get her husband interested in doing a bike camping trip.

We had our first (and only so far) flat of the trip, and we hadn't even started riding yet. Bright and early Jeanie was carrying her bike from her room at the hotel to the van. As I was approaching behind her I thought -- wow, she is taking this goathead thorn warning seriously and not letting her bike touch the driveway. When I caught up with her I saw that she had a flat tire and was coming for help from our guides, but no one was at the van. When pumping up her tire the stem of her tube broke off and now she needed to put in a new tube. I helped! know how to change a tire, it just takes me a long time. I got her started by removing the wheel and taking out the tube. The guide showed up and began giving instructions and help, so I relinquished my duty. And we lived happily ever after.

Once on the road we made our way through the old town of Santa Fe. As I tried to take a photo I learned that I had neglected to replace my sim card after downloading photos, and could could not take any pictures. Oh no!!! I felt naked without it and dismayed that I could not capture some of the scnes in town. Fortunately, at mile 10 I was able to get into the van trailer, reach my suitcase and pull out the bag that held my camera case with the sim card. Yay.

 

A sample of a fence I had mentioned that is made from tree parts. Very ingeneous

After a great big climb we had some nice downhill riding and came across "camel rock".

 

Camel Rock

Then it was uphill again and stops to catch our heart rates!

 

Beth is from New Hampshire and has ridden extensively in the US and parts of other countries. Bonnie is in the back.

Bonnie was a huge help for our little group of riders as we made our way through town. She was the smart one to pick up a street map at the front desk of our hotel. Thanks to her we did not go TOO far out of our way before finding the correct direction.

We stopped for lunch at Santuario De Chimayo. It is a Catholic church, or sanctuary where there have been, annd continue to be pilgrimages to find healing for many maladies including losing crutches and being able to walk.

 

 

 

 

 

 

In a chapel -- many peoples

 

Interesting to see the different cultures depicted at the Last Supper

 

 

After our lunch stop it was a mere 10 mile ride to the hotel. My group of four were within what should have been three miles from home. But we could not find the road with the name on the cue sheet. A Mexican woman saw us in our bewildered state and pulled into the dirt road we were ogling and said she was not sure she could help but knew we needed something and she would try to help. She explained that there is no road with the name La Playa, but maybe back the way we came there would be something. We rode back that way. Saw what looked like a closed gas station but pulled in anyway. Out came a big Mexican guy with a huge smile and welcoming conversation to try to help us. There is no La Playa. I had found a road near our hotel and he directed us to that. And just then our "sweep" pulled in. She was not much more clear about where we needed to be from where we were, but with another stop or two she found us our way home.

Finally relaxed and showered, it was time to eat again.

Appetizers before going to dinner.

We had our map reading meeting and talked more about tomorrow. A very huge hill of 10-12% grade at the beginning of the day, and lots of hill after that, has everyone taking a bump (a lift in the van) tomorrow to the top of the hill.

 

A little impromptu exercise before driving to dinner.

I will have to edit this tomorrow as it is late and I am very tired.

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