Dateline: Albuquerque, NM
DTR: down the road
Noisy night @ Ameri-gas w/ switch yard nearby and trains announcing their intent.
Made PO and after searching a second time my pedal package was found.
Drove out to Mentamore TH for High desert trails that I rode on Sat in high winds. Installed pedals and the wings seem to be as loose as they were before but now I have stronger springs to keep the loose wings inn place. Not sure that my early release problem has been cured.
Decided to change the yellow tinted lenses to the colored lenses on my Rudy glasses. I broke the frame of the second lense. cyanoacrylate glue won’t bond pieces together. Will call Rudy to learn glue & to order replacement frame as I have usable lenses for this frame. decided to try my prescription sunglasses.
Headed out into a bit of wind and less than blue skies. Just felt flat, no snap to legs climbing. Right knee is bothersome. Enjoyed trail on flats, downhills, and beginning of uphills. Turner carves turns. Trail is on mesa tops and winds around trees & rocks. Sometimes the tread is hard packed cured clay, other sudden places wind blown sand covers. Sometimes the turn radius changes from “normal” and then add some sand and the line becomes challenging to hold. Well designed & built trail system. I rode a 13.26 mile loop & climbed 1252′ in short bursts.
Enjoyed post ride beer & PB & J sandwich and headed to red rock xg to try luck for free shower. XG host was there and gave me the key. I offered him a beer for freebies he gave me. He refused saying that he would be driving truck on Res and he couldn’t have beer in him as they have a tight tolerance against alcohol.
Headed East out of town driving on as much of historical RT 66 I could find. It runs almost as a frontage road to I-40. Less traffic & slower Sprinter speeds past rubble of past traveler business establishments. Must have been quite the experience to drive 2 lane highway back in the day and required food and overnight stays. All gone, replaced by interstate system and chain motels & fast food joints.
Drove onto an Indian Res searching for 66. A sign posted declared no recording in any kind of what was seen other than mental images, not even a voice recorder.
Missed rt 66 and took rt 6 angling SE to I-25 and North to Albuq. Saw green belt to East which is the Rio Grande. Green broadleaf trees in leaf and portent of shade.
Found a city park past Kirkland AFB and did some internet work. Found bike shop & REI. Checked out REI: new store like all their new store look alikes.
Drove to nearby albertson’s for grocery store food dinner. Called Gracie’s friend, John Dunbar, to meet and learn of rides. While I was talking to him a guy in a car pulled alongside me and said that I picked a very dangerous place to hand with my door open. he said he was car jacked with a gun to his head in the same lot recently and warned me the same might occur to me. I cut off conversation w/ John and bolted. I drove back across I-25 to big box store neighborhood and parked in a business parking lot for the night.
I wasn’t going to stay @ Albertsons so wasn’t evaluating safety concerns. Wow, big crime if the guy was telling the truth which I have no reason to doubt.
So today is a rest day here in A-city. John gave me some camping suggestions I will follow. I am to call him this evening to arrange a ride for Wed.