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.

Headed out last night w/ plan to drive further up hwy 400 to next road to find a place away from quaking aspen TH. Succeeded. However it was out of cell phone range so i missed my Sunday ride w/ Andy.

Wind died down overnight. Up & at it early. Drove back down to QA TH for ride. Today plan is to do an easy ride for rest of body & knee that still hurts. Putzing around @ TH deciding on ride. Stood at the trail map when a bluebird w/ a beetle in its mouth landed almost @ my feet. What a pretty bird: the blue is iridescent. I got about 10 winks & it flew up into a tree to consume its catch.

Finally headed out on prime Zuni Mtn ST. Kept heart rate down and enjoyed scenery by going slower. Checked out scenic overlook on Lost Lake Rim trail. Looked out over desert plateau to the end of skyline.

Meet Albert & wife Becky, owners of defunct local bike shop. He had comments about his customers.

Crossed a barb wire fence where i hooked a barb into my shorts, almost got hung up.

Back @ TH Blaine was just starting out. He had issues w/ his drive train that I said I could fix if he would get his cluster and call me.

Stopped @ Red Rocks XG for a shower. Host same as before and fee was same.

Back into Gallup to do wash. Gallup has beaucoup laundromats, most are 24 hour along historic rt 66. Clean clothes and bike gear drying on line in back of van. Low humidity assures quick drying time.

Blaine called me as I was walking in the Albertson’s parking lot w/ my hands full. He had the parts and was ready to meet me to install. He arrived, we moved to an abandoned building just off  rt 66. And Jack showed up. We all chatted about our rides and he ribbed me about missing a business permit. He has been reading my blog.

Fixed Blaine’s bike: replaced drive train. He thanked me. Like me long ago he doesn’t know how to work on bikes. But I do now.

Drove thru town on rt 66 to Amerigas parking lot for night. Tomorrow school is in session so I might have an early wake up.

Plan tomorrow is to call PO for pedals and then ride High Desert & then drive to Albuquerque

I am competing w/ Wait Wait don’t tell me.

40 mph gusts, 36 mph average out @ high desert ride. Good trails in desert. Will ride again b4 leaving. Started out w/ sprinkles and hopes that more rain would not fall. I was told that when the soil gets wet it becomes sticky and binds up wheels. No fun, don’t ride. 19 miles, 1939′ climbed. Wind made climbs into head wind hard and dicey on narrow trails. 7000 foot elevation rides like Fruita and Moab Sovereign trails.

Back into town to buy beer. GPSd package store fom trail guide: way out in country, bit of hard neighborhood but it was closed. GPS worked but need screening tool to vet choice.

Stopped @ Safeway for groceries. Parking lot plugged. Walking in parking lot was sporty as many drivers seemed to be using me to sharpen their fine motor skills. Store was more than plugged. There were like maybe 50 people waiting to be checked out. Just too many to even put food on my table tonight. I noticed a laundromat out near ride was plugged. DO all these people come into town on Sats? Might try again later this afternoon to see if the crowd returned home.

Rode w/ these young people @ their local trail that is home to dawn to Dusk ride where you win based on how many laps you ride. The elevation got me on every hill but kept up on flats & downhills. they told me that after their race the trails would be like butter as all the wheels would ride out old ruts and foot  prints. We shortened our ride because of sprinkles. I wore my rain coat and the rain stopped. Later I took the coat off and the sucker hole was long enough to finish ride. 40 mph winds head on to back of van where the road bike was hiding under the rain cover. The bike and rack were moving in the wind. Cover made a perfect wind stop.

Parked just off end of airport runway head into wind and van is still rocking. Why yes, I am alone and I am typing this.

Pedals didn’t arrive via USPS so I am here at least until Monday.

Will probably go back to Quaking Aspen TH for another night of 7800′ elevation sleeping.