Landscape between Albuquerque and Santa Rosa

We saw trees on the hills east of Albuquerque.

The trail we walked on

Petroglyphs on basalt lava boulders along Rinconada Canyon Trail near Albuquerque

ERIC:

Day 15 - (5/8/03) After spending a day in Albuquerque I realized that people don't know how to drive in this town.  At least it is not just a bike hater thing.  We visited a bike store and picked up some bike maps.  There are some bike trails in town, but we missed them all.  I decided that Albuquerque is not a great city for street riding, but I'm sure there are some wonderful mountain biking trails.  Yesterday we had a great time at the Rinconada Canyon Trail.  We saw many Petroglyphs.  I enjoyed shopping with Mom in Old Town Albuquerque.  I purchased many items.  This morning I was happy to leave Albuquerque.  We had a long ride today, over 110 miles.  It started with an uphill climb.  After lunch we went downhill from 7200 feet to 4200 feet.  We rode very fast after lunch.  Luckily we had strong winds to our backs and we were able to ride about 20-25 miles per hour easily.  We got to the motel early which was great since we thought yesterday it was going to be a very long day.  Tomorrow is only a 60 mile ride which should be a piece of cake.

Old Town Albuquerque

Total Trip Distance: 1368.8

Max Speed:43 mph

Day Fifteen - 5/08/2003

TOM:

Day 15 – Albuquerque, NM to Santa Rosa, NM was 110 miles. This route profile starts at 5800 feet and ends at 4620 feet with two peaks in between.  The first peak occured at 13 miles from Albuquerque  and was at a height of 7300 feet and the second peak was at 52 miles at a height of  7200 feet. The elevation in between was 6000 feet.  The first hour was slow moving at an average of 11 mph.  After reaching the top of the first peak the speed picked up, going down to 6000 feet with the wind behind us. In between the two peaks was a relatively flat area for about 20 miles. The second peak was easier to climb than the first because the wind was stronger behind us. At the top of the second peak we met Lucille by chance for lunch.  After lunch there was a down hill area with strong wind and we covered 25 miles in the first hour and 45 miles in the first two hours. The whole trip took us 5 hours and 57 minutes of riding time to cover the 110 miles for an average of 18.5 mph.  The total time including stops was 7 hours and 5 minutes.  The temperature was 62 degrees when we started and 57 degrees when we reached the top of the first peak.  Our water was cooler and better than when we started.  With the wind blowing hard it was very cool when we stopped, so our rest breaks were very short.  For the distance covered it was an easy and fun ride.  After leaving Albuquerque there were pine trees on the mountains until we descended to the first valley and the terrain was drier and without trees.  Yesterday we had a great day in Albuquerque.  We started by stopping at a bike shop to get four more tubes for my bike to replace the two that were lost yesterday.  We found out the thorns that punctured the tires are called goat heads which were seeds that were introduced by the railroad to keep animals away for the rails. Next we went on a hike in a very interesting National Park canyon and saw some pictures that were carved on the rocks 400 to 700 years ago.  We then went to the old town area for some shopping and a good dinner.  After returning to the motel I replaced both tubes on my bike with heavy duty tubes to hopefully reduce the number of flats.  

One of many lizards we saw on Rinconada Canyon Trail

Albuquerque,NM to Santa Rosa, NM 110 miles. This route profile starts at 5800 feet and ends at 4620 feet with two peaks in between.  The first at 13 miles is 7100 feet and the second at 52 miles is 7200 feet.

We loved the wildflowers along the trail.

Lucille:

May 8 - Thursday - Yesterday was a rest day for the bikers.  We went to Petroglyph National Monument near Albuquerque and enjoyed seeing the petroglyphs on the many basalt lava boulders.  We walked on the Rinconada Canyon Trail, about 2 miles round trip.  The deeper we got into the canyon, the more petroglyphs there were.  It was so peaceful.  We saw many colorful wildflowers as well as many lizards and grasshoppers.  The designs were made by chipping away the thin surface of the rock, revealing a lighter gray beneath.  The majority of the petroglyphs were made 400 -700 years ago by the Rio Grande Pueblo people.  Some were made by Hispanic heirs of the Atrisco land grant beginning in the 17th century.  Pueblo Indians used  petroglyphs to teach their children about their history, culture, and spiritual beliefs.  Before dinner we wandered around Old Town Albuquerque and had a delicious dinner at Antiquities restaurant in Old Town.
Today after leaving the hotel I went across the street and bought food for our lunches and then got on I-40 for the 110 mile trip to Santa Rosa.  About 60 miles west of Santa Rosa, I spotted Tom and Eric.  We stopped at Clines Corner and had our lunch together.  I continued on to the motel to relax, watch TV, and work on David's quilt.  I expected Tom and Eric to arrive at about 5 o'clock and was surprised and delighted when they pulled in at 3:40.  The wind was to their advantage today.  We had a very good dinner at Joseph's Bar and Grill.