The countdown had been set for a year. It was time to return to Salida, CO to resume my Tour Divide. A change in plans only had me riding south to Del Norte, CO. That ride would take two days and I had a week+ of vacation. So, I hatched a roadtrip plan to fill in the gaps, take the scenic way home and visit as many friends as possible along the way. I'd be traveling solo on this one, as most people probably wouldn't like my itinerary - lots of driving, lots of riding...repeat.
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| I-40 construction zone and this wicked looking semi pulls up next to me. |
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| My route passed through Grants, NM which is on the Tour Divide route. It was hot & windy today!! |
My first stop was along the way en route to my overnight stay in Santa Fe. I reached out to my friend, Lindsay, over in Albuquerque for a fun hour-ish route north of town. She suggested the Placitas area trails and I found the route online. I was a bit too early in the day for her to join me on the trail, so this was a solo spin.
I arrived around 3:30p at the trailhead and it was 99º. That might seem hot to most, but I was fleeing the 115º+ heatwave in the Phoenix area, 99 felt downright cozy.
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| Right out of the gate, good signage and a view towards Sandia Peak. |
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| The ride began with a gentle 3 mile climb to this junction. |
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| High Voltage trail and its namesake in the background. |
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| The contouring continued on Strip Mine trail. |
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| With a name like Chalk Dust I was expecting more...dust. It rode fine and had good views of the valley. |
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| The mighty Sandia Peak. |
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| Well placed downhill bridge over an arroyo. |
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| From here it was mostly downhill back to the car on the Bobsled trail. Some rocks up top, then a series of fast, banked turns for over a mile. |
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| Let 'er rip!! |
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| These foothill trails were a hoot. |
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| One final fast cruise along a fenceline back to the trailhead. |
This was the perfect ride to get things going. It was a little over 8 miles and an hour+. I'd still make it to Santa Fe in daylight. Thanks for the route, Lindsay!!
Route:
Kevin offered to host me for the night and suggested we go for a ride early the next morning in the cool temps. Sounded good to me. We hopped in the car in search of a non-crowded restaurant for some classic New Mexican fare. We found it at Plaza Cafe.
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| Green chile chicken burrito. Delish!! |
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