5-JUN-16, SUN, Santa Fe to Taos NM
sunny with nearby storms, wind SE @ 9
Temp: start-end 57 / 84
Time: start-end 7:19 / 16:16
Bike: Neuvation road bike
 
Day 1 of the New Mexico cycling trip I started on June 5th: It was a very tough day for me as I started off sick with a bad headache made worse by the breakfast I had that morning. So I spent the entire day stoically pushing through the pain. It was a tough day mentally as I couldn't keep up with anyone and rode mostly solo, and last in the group. It was also a tough day physically as we started at 7000 ft with no acclimation opportunity. We climbed initially toward breakfast. Then spent the next several miles descending a total of 1400 ft. We then spent all but the last 10 miles ascending and descending several times, topping at 8500+ ft before the descent into Taos. There was one long section at 10% followed by numerouse sections in the 6 to 9% range. I struggled on all of it and didn't even enjoy the downhill runs. All I could do was plod along, ready to collapse when I reached the bed but enduring the seemingly endless day in the meantime. The day's ride was 78 miles with 5800 ft of climbing. I was thinking I had made a mistake taking on this trip. This was by far the lowest point of the whole ride for me and most difficult. No one else agreed it was the most difficult but I claimed special circumstances that no one else was dealing with. Traffic in downtown Taos was thick and the road was narrow. I actually walked the bike a block because I didn't think I could safely negotiate between the cars, trucks, and motor homes and the curb. That was a first! But, I didn't care. I was in survival mode. The hope was better days to come.
 
77 miles, 13.5 avg, 45.5 max speed, 5830 ft of climbing, max elevation 8547  
https://connect.garmin.com/modern/activity/1211755183
 
6-JUN-16, MON, Taos to Abiquiu, NM
sunny with nearby storms, wind NE @ 3
Temp: start-end 61 / 90
Time: start-end 7:45 / 14:48
Bike: Neuvation road bike
 
Day 2 of our New Mexico cycling trip: I felt worlds better. Headache was long gone and I felt much better on the bike. Of course the day was much easier - 3300 ft of climbing in 71 miles. We started by leaving Taos to the south. We descended initially and had some brief climbs before a long stretch with little climbing or descending, then reaching a very nice downhill. Once again we had a mild climb followed by a long descent down a road under construction. That was not pretty - no shoulder, restricted impatient traffic and jerks. But finally we reached our turnoff and rode along the Rio Grande Gorge. It was a quiet, low traffic road with campgrounds along the way. The road dead ended as a paved road but continued on as gravel. We rode the gravel. At the end of the pavement there was a cantilever bridge crossing the river to a 1.7 mile segment of gravel which climbs about 600 ft out of the canyon. The initial climb was a 10% section right after crossing the bridge, of about 1/4 mile. I rode most of that but put a foot down. I remembered that I'd had trouble unclipping and didn't want to be faced with not being able to unclip should the going get rough. We were approaching a turn and the surface was dodgy. After the turn, it leveled out and I got back onto the bike. After awhile the incline ramped up again and I played safe walking another stretch. Finally, after some more riding and walking, we emerged from the canyon and had some easy riding for several miles. We had 2 more summits, each at about 7200 ft with a 1000 ft drop between them. But the cycling was pretty in places and it wasn't too hot. Finally after the second summit we dropped 1200 ft to the Chama river, then climbed about 200 ft to the town of Abiquiu. We stayed at the Abiquiu inn. At approx $200 per night, this was our nicest accomodation. It was also the only accomodation. Randy and I were the third and fourth to arrive followed shortly by James, Karen, Steve, and Mark. While we did not ride in rain, others behind us did. Shortly after we moved our belongings into the awesome room assigned to us, the heavens opened with some hail and heavy rain. It was good not to be caught out in that. After cleaning up and changing we (James and I) walked to the general store and checked it out. Then we returned to the Abiquiu Inn restaurant where we were joined by Karen. It was a nice dinner and good company!
 
miles 70.7, avg 15.3, max speed 43.6, 3373 ft of climbing, 7224 max elevation
https://connect.garmin.com/modern/activity/1211755224
 
7-JUN-16, TUE, Abiquiu to Chama, NM
mostly sunny with nearby storms, wind SW @ 5
Temp: start-end 57 / 84
Time: start-end 7:34 / 14:03
Bike: Neuvation road bike
 
Day 3 of our New Mexico cycling trip: Abiquiu to Chama. This day was beautiful. We climbed from 5900 ft to nearly 7900 ft in about 61 miles and we accumulated approx 3800 ft of climbing. The ride encompassed a range of scenery from red rock country to sub-alpine meadows. Most of the climbing was easy, being in the 3 to 4% range. 6% was the toughest. After the ride we walked up to the train yard and explored and later went to the brew pub where I had a milk stout and James had a brown ale. It was a good way to end a good day.
 
miles 61.4, avg 13.4, max speed 44.5, 3894 ft of climbing, 7708 max elevation
https://connect.garmin.com/modern/activity/1211755260
 
8-JUN-2016, WED, Chama to Taos, NM
mostly sunny with nearby storms, wind SW @ 14
Temp: start-end 52 / 75
Time: start-end 7:25 / 15:13
Bike: Neuvation road bike
 
Day 4 of our New Mexico cycling adventure - Chama to Taos. It was our longest mileage day, our highest elevation of the trip, and remarkably easy given the distance and general high elevation. So, mileage was 94.5, climbing was 4800 ft, highest paved road in New Mexico 10515 ft, highest speed on descent of 49.9. It was an excellent day and least tiring of any of the days so far. We climbed 3 passes before lunch - 1 pass after lunch. We had an initial drop of 450 ft (which included a couple long, very steep hills in the first 10 miles or so. Then we began the long climb to the top of the highest pass in New Mexico. This was a slightly greater than 3000 ft climb from about 7500 ft to 10500 ft from about mile 10 to mile 45. Most of it was an easy gradient. It did get steeper near the top. The next 2 summits reached 10200 ft and 9900 ft, Then we had a long fast drop to lunch, to about 8500 ft. The final major climb of the day, after lunch, brought us back to about 9000 ft. between summit 1 and summit 2, we saw a large snow field at 9700 ft. It must have been well protected by sun angle and been very deep at it's pinnacle. That was the only low elevation snow we saw on the entire trip. Some in the group apparently stopped and made snow balls. It was nice being in the cool air of the upper elevations. After the final summit, we dropped about 2000 ft in 20 miles, to the Rio Grande Gorge. We enjoyed a nice tailwind as well, in this stretch. There were storms along the mountains to the east. They did not affect us but apparently riders behind us got caught in rain and/or wet roads. The Rio Grande Gorge is amazing. I saw something similar last year along the Snake River in Idaho - a single span steel bridge across a gorge with a depth of 600 ft. There was a rest area on the west edge of the gorge and mountain goats occupying some of it. It was a very interesting area. In the final approx 15 miles we climbed out of the gorge and up to an elevation of 7300 ft before the final downhill into Taos at an elevation near 7000 ft. It was not pleasant. We rode along with fairly heavy traffic with a shoulder that was variably there and rough and choppy. After the ride, we joined a group at the Eskes Brew Pub about a mile south of the hotel. Beer and food was good, but I don't recall now just what I had. There was also a blue grass group playing live but fortunately they kept their volume low with no electronic enhancement. It was perfect!
 
miles 94.5, avg 15.3, max speed 49.9, elevation gain 4731, max elev 10515
https://connect.garmin.com/modern/activity/1211755298
 
9-JUN-2016, THU, Enchanted Circle Ride starting and ending in Taos
partly cloudy, a storm, wind N @ 5
Temp: start-end 63 / 86
Time: start-end 8:02 / 16:03
Bike: Neuvation road bike
 
Day 5 of our New Mexico cycling trip we did The Enchanted Circle. I had heard so much about this loop over the years that I had become very intimidated about the prospect of success. It was an optional day and I almost didn't do it. What a mistake that would have been. It was actually easier than I expected and the only really tough part of it for me was the last pass between Angel Fire Resort and Taos. The main climb topping out at 9820 ft elevation turned out to be easier than expected. It was followed by an incredible downhill and awesome views of New Mexico's highest peak - Wheeler Peak, still decked out with lots of snow, contrasting sharply with it's black volcanic terrain at an elevation of 13161 ft. The Enchanted Circle circles the mountain, which dominates the scenery on the north and east sides of the circle. We reached the Vietnam Memorial by about mile 60. At that point we were rained on and waited out the rain under a portico at the memorial for about 15 minutes. I was feeling nauseated for some odd reason and it bothered me as I struggled up the next climb. At the top it was only 9200 ft meaning it involved a climb of only 700 ft. It shouldn't have been as hard as it felt but nausea is debilitating. Nonetheless, I made it to the top and rejoined Karen and James. We then had a 2000 ft descent over 19 miles back to Taos. That was not easy either as we had a fierce headwind most of the way down, necessitating pedaling most of it. So a good day despite my misgivings and issues. Total mileage for the day was 87, 5400 ft of climbing, and a max speed on downhill (the fun part) of 49.5. Moral of the story: don't give up before you try! After the ride James, Karen, and I walked to the Gorge Bar and Grill. James and I had Fish and Chips and an awesome Porter. It was an excellent choice. There was a square of shops and entertainment going on behind the restaurant. We walked around the square as James needed sunscreen. We found a store that sold it and then went in search of a coffee shop. Alas, it was closed but the ice cream shop was open and also sold coffee. We had walked down in light rain and had waited under cover while a heavy shower passed. As we walked back we again had some light rain. The temperature was pleasant and the rain wasn't a great bother - it was actually rather pleasant. Fortunately we didn't tarry too long on our walk. Heavier rain followed and I was glad to be back in the room, unwinding!
 
miles 87.3, avg 13.7, max speed 49.4, elev gain 5665, max elevation 9820
https://connect.garmin.com/modern/activity/1211755346
 
10-JUN-2016, FRI, Taos to Las Vegas NM
mostly sunny with nearby storms, wind light & variable
Temp: start-end 59 / 88
Time: start-end 7:57 / 15:25
Bike: Neuvation road bike
 
Day 6 of our 7 day New Mexico trip we rode from Taos to Las Vegas. It was a 91 mile day with 4300 ft of climbing. This was an easy day for 60 miles. It was a bear for most of the last 30. The day started with the 2000 ft climb back up to the 9200 ft summit that had given me trouble the day before. It was actually an easy climb for the most part. After that we had rollers but nothing too serious and we had a fairly long stretch with an awesome tailwind. When we reached Mora, we could see a zig zag gash up the side of the next mountain. Surely we wouldn't be doing that. Well, yes we were. They said it was 12%. I rode part way but couldn't control my breathing. I made a decision to walk it. The hill rose 600 ft in about 4000 ft - a 15% grade. The elevation of the area is 7500 ft. I have real issues with ultra steep climbs at higher elevations. So to walk it was a better decision. I walked almost as fast as those who rode up. After that we had a number of very steep rollers. I struggled with breathing on those as well but didn't walk anything else. As annoying as the last 30 miles was, I wasn't very tired at the end. Maybe I'm getting used to this! We finished up at the square in old town Las Vegas and stayed at the Plaza Hotel. The hotel is an old one - multi-story. Fortunately we were in the new wing, built to match the style of the old part, but with updated 3-prong plugs useful for charging our modern devices. The hotel bar had a great selection of beers as well as other offerings and the hotel restaurant had a good selection at reasonable prices. After dinner we walked around the town in early darkness but pleasant temperatures. While we were not in any storms during the ride, there was heavy rain and hail shortly after we finished. As usual, the storms died away by nightfall and we walked on mostly dry sidewalks and streets. It was a very pleasant evening.
 
miles 90.3, avg 15.2, max speed 44.7, elev gain 4360 ft, max elevation 9200
https://connect.garmin.com/modern/activity/1211755372
 
11-JUN-2016, SAT, Las Vegas to Santa Fe, NM
mostly sunny with nearby storms, wind light & variable
Temp: start-end 68 / 77  
Time: start-end 8:12 / 13:44
Bike: Neuvation road bike
 
The final day of the New Mexico trip. I got about 1.5 miles bonus thanks to missing a turn. So did James as he tried to get my attention and ended up chasing me down. Our only practical route back to Santa Fe was along the frontage road of I-25 and a short portion on the shoulder of I-25 itself. It was hilly and we had a net elevation gain from beginning to end. Fortunately the forecast strong headwind did not materialize. Nearby strong storms did not reach us before the end, either. The main fly in the ointment for me was the lunch. It was a baloney, cheese, and peanut butter sandwich. The peanut butter just killed me. I struggled for the next 15 miles after that and it was just about all uphill. I fell way off the pace. Fortunately, as we reached the outskirts of Santa Fe, I had recovered and was riding as fast as I could. I caught up to Karen and James just in time to tell them to take a right. It didn't look like they were contemplating turning. James denied that of course and he had the program on his Garmin, but he was in the "straight thru" lane and appeared to be pulling up to wait on the light. I yelled out the turn a couple times and eventually they went for it. Not long after that we had another veer to the right and I yelled that out too. It was the same route we had driven the week before. It took us right through the heart of old town Santa Fe. We reached our destination, the Garrett Hotel, after a nice little downhill, to wrap it up. Afterwards, we showered, changed, and walked to the brew pub for lunch and red ale. Then we walked back through old town and back to the car. Next destination, by car, was Amarillo, where we had rooms for a couple nights and plans to hike in Palo Duro Canyon. But that is another story.
 
miles 70.8, avg 14.9, max speed 38.7, elev gain 3812 ft, max elev 7420
https://connect.garmin.com/modern/activity/1211755399
 
I will post a web photo link separately when I finish posting them to the photo site, either this week or next week.