2020: across the prairie and down the rio grande

Moths, what is it about these moths?  i think i first ran into them in colorado.  i remember waking up and having to chase a couple out of my tent.  at lathrop state park in colorado, when i woke up they were in everything:  my tent, paniers, handle bar bag, they were even in my riding gloves.  and now here in albuquerque they're not renting the ground floor rooms because they've had a moth infestation. well, anyway, today was my final ride.  70 miles, including one healthy climb.  i stopped just before the crest to rest and enjoy the view.  while i was reclined on a guardrail, a convertible sports car came by, going uphill.  an older man driving.  and in the passenger seat was his bicycle laid out. he looked at me, i just smiled and waved. it was a day for convertibles.  and for motorcycles. sunny, not too hot, memorial day weekend.  cautious of gathering, why not just go for a ride in the mountains?  there ar...

sleeping in a real bed, warm and snug can be an unappreciated event some of the time. downtown to cruise the galleries.  part of the ride in is along an active railroad line.  well, it will be active again starting may 30th.  the new mexico railrunner, santa fe to albuquerque.  how nice is that?  it'd be like a nashville to knoxville or knoxville to chattanooga train.  wow, what a thought.   and the city promoted a development along about a mile of the route, including a park, some housing, art studio, art school, offices and farmer's market.  the farmers market was wide open.  masks and distance requirements in effect, though hard to maintain.          farmer's market inside and out (active rail to left off frame) santa fe survives off tourism now.  oh, and it's the state capitol, of course.  though interesting enough, i never saw the actual capitol.  but definitely some beaurocratic s...

after a cold night in the tent, there's the challenge of getting up.  it takes awhile.  fortunately, the camp site was legal and there was no need to hurry.  but eventually packed and up and riding again.  if i'm camping, i never take time to make tea or eat anything.  pack and start riding.  after 10, 15 or sometimes even 20 miles i'll find a place fo stop and get something. the riding is usually best early. in this particular time and place, the wind had died down over night and the ride was a slow, rolling downhill.  i slipped it into top gear and was off.  long sleeve shirt and riding jacket on. the landscape was more sage brush, but now the fields were sprinkled with run down trailers surrounded by dilapidated vehicles of all sorts.  i guess it must be pretty hard to find a place to get rid of some of that junk.  it just collects. then i started to see these strange structures, more earth covered, all facing south with broad bands o...

7:30 in the morning and i'm drinking a hot cup of tea and eating an almond croissant in santa fe plaza.  it's amazingly peaceful and quiet.  a few joggers pass through, an occassional automobile.   the shadows are still long, but it's starting to warm up.  the light is so much more intense here, colors brighter, yet earthy. it was cold again last night.  i was up early, tired, but packed up and immediately finished climbing up to the mountain pass at 7,400 ft.  turns out i had done all but a few hundred feet the day before.  i could feel that in my legs.  the road through the pass might as well be an interstate, 3 lanes and wide shoulder in each direction.  i got caught on it and couldn't get off because of concrete barriers limiting access, but traffic was light that early in the morning.  i reached the top and looked down on the valley.  saw the road i wanted to be on, but couldn't figure out how to get there, so ...

         leaving alamosa i left alamosa around 9:30, too late to beat the wind.  though to be honest, i don't know that there was an early enough.  but i left with the right attitude, it was going to be a long day, i wanted to be in santa fe in 3 days and any progress i made today would help in achieving that.  i was camping out, so it really didn't matter where i stopped.  i did have my eye on a piece of national forest about 60 miles away. it took 1 1/2 hours to reach the first town where there was food, la jara. 15 miles.  normally, that's closer to an hour.  i made a stop for what had become a reliable source of protein and what minimal vegetables i eat, a 6"tuna sub with everything on it, extra mayo (yeah, paul, mayo).  unlike in la junta, they ley me eat outside at their only picnic table, building blocking the wind and sun, staring at the old railroad depot.          la ja...

my anxiety levels have been unusually high this trip.  it's not because of covid, though i certainly think that plays apart.  not the virus itself, but the side effects. the rules, at least the ones followed, are different everywhere.  i've had different breakfast arrangements in multiple hotels.  One has a light breakfast of only prepared, prepackaged food; one has no prepared hot food but not necessarily prepackaged; and this one has no open breakfast area at all, they have a paper bag for each guest with water, an apple, and two granola bars.   the restaurants i've seen are take out only.  some won't let you inside, some won't let you sit outside, either.  If there is an inside counter, usually the employees are wearing masks, customers optional, distancing agreed on.  yesterday, i stopped at a cafe that only allowed me in to use the bathroom if i wore a mask and washed my hands.  they let me sit outside, i was the only one, and the s...