On a bright sunny Sunday morning we have assembled in a corner of the main plaza in Santa Fe. A great deal of picture taking commences as we all want to be photographed near the monument that marks the end of the Santa Fe trail. We are a group of about 30, mostly men in their late 50s and 60s, with two wives and another woman. Everyone is decked out in their biking togs - even me.
Then at exactly 9 am, we roll out of the square down Santa Fe Trail, then down the Pecos Trail. My Bianchi seems eager to fly. Once we clear the city, the pace picks up and the group begins to spread out. The riding at first seems almost effortless, as we parallel Interstate 25. We're cruising at close to 20 mph on the straight-away, cresting out of the 7,000 foot high valley in which Santa Fe resides. Below us stretch an endless vista of low mountains and plains.
When the rider in back takes his place in front of the pace line I am somewhat surprised how easy it is draft. One of my biggest concerns has been riding the Interstate. To get through Glorietta Pass we need to take the freeway. But I am pleasantly surprised how little traffic there is and the condition of the shoulder. We stop for our first rest at Glorietta Pass, scene of the last Civil War battle in New Mexico. A confederate army had invaded New Mexico from Texas, and had captured Santa Fe. But the confederates were beset by a union army that had managed to climb down from the canyon and launch a surprise attack. This place was also were a Mexican Army had decided to defend their territory against a rag-tag invading American Army from Missouri. Unfortunately, the Mexicans decided the territory wasn't worth defending. They abandoned their positions the day before the Army of the West arrived. New Mexico was soon annexed to the U.S. without a shot being fired.
We exited the freeway at the town of Glorietta, and made our way down what remains of the old Route 66. We continued our fast pace. The weather was perfect, sun sometimes obscured by clouds. At Pecos National Park we ate lunch admiring the ruins of old Spanish Church built in 1717, which in turn had been built on top of an abandoned city built by the Pueblo Indians. The "city" was actually a large connected hive of adobe that housed hundreds of Indians. By the time the Spanish arrived in the late 1500s, the Pueblo had been mostly abandoned. No one knows why the settlement was abandoned.
After lunch, Russ and I continued together, taking turns drafting each other. Steve lingered behind to help one of the trip organizers bring up the rear. At around 2:30 pm we got drenched by a sudden downpour. We were drenched, but the cooling rain felt good. Within an hour the sun had come back out and our clothes had completely dried - except for our shoes. The terrain is high desert, with big vistas. Table-top mesas loom in the distance. Juniper, pinion trees, and sage dot the landscape, but not so much cactus. Surprisingly, I see no road kill, but lots of litter - plastic bags, beer cans and enough shards of steel-belted tires to stock a Goodyear store. We passed no farms, so I assumed the odd house here and there was a ranch of some sort. At one junction in the morning, we came upon an Indian roasting chilies in a big drum-like thing.
By mile 55, I am beginning to tire. The road enters a series of hills that seem to get bigger with each summit we manage to climb. The last 20 miles are utterly exhausting. Russ and I roll into Las Vegas at around 5 pm, searching the near deserted streets for New Mexico Highlands University. The town looks a bit down on its luck, with a lot of abandoned houses and storefronts. But I guess after Santa Fe, this might not be a fair assessment. After conferring with our maps and directions, we spot the football field, home of the Cowboys, and our camping place. Steve rolls in about a half hour later, apparently getting as escort from the University president in his car. It's all I can do pop an Advil, set up my tent and try to work out the cramps in my hip and legs. But after dinner in the student union, I am feeling better. At dinner, Steve's new best friend, the University president, comes by and gives him the password to the administration's Wi-Fi. At least we can take showers tonight and there is, miracle of miracle, a bathroom available for our use. All night!
I apologize for the lack of photos. I took a lot of them, but I am tapping away in the football bleachers in the blackness of a moonless night. But the inky sky is filled with stars and the sound of many barking dogs.
Tomorrow promises to be an easier day so I'm hoping to post some.
Today's Stats: Total Elevation 3620 feet. Miles 76. Average Speed 12.8; Highest Speed 34 mph.
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