Day 13: Albuquerque to Santa Fe NM

Today was perhaps my favorite single-day ride of the trip so far.  The weather, road surface, topography (rolling hills), and scenery were conducive to fast fun cycling, and the 66-mile distance between Albuquerque and Santa Fe was short enough to allow us to relax a bit, take photos, eat a little more and hang out at SAG stops or towns for longer periods than is typical for us.  My personal energy level seemed to be higher today too, perhaps a synergistic effect from all tour elements being favorable, the next day being a rest day, and my wife Doreen visiting for the weekend.

Once we weaved our way out of Albuquerque,  we rode on smooth asphalt along rolling hills
with mountains always in the background.

In the middle of the paved road shoulder where we ride, this was probably
the most alive-looking dead snake I've ever seen.

Treats at the Mile 33 SAG stop
(Carol's chicken salad pita sandwiches were fantastic!)

Following the SAG stop, we rode a beautiful 11-mile rolling stretch to Madrid, sometimes with paved shoulder, sometimes not, but with relatively little vehicle traffic along the way.

Geezerville yesterday, and Old Goat Rd. today.  Is someone trying to tell us something?
 Madrid is an artistic community today, one that I wouldn't mind revisiting for a half day or more, but apparently was a town known for mining and baseball at one time.  It's not clear why it was founded over a period of 66  years,
or what happened from 1957 to 1970.  Really, there is a lot going on in this photo.

Java Junction -- the unanimous choice for a mid-ride stop in Madrid.

"Java Junction, what's your function?"
"Coffee and pie without compunction."
(L to R:  Geoffrey, Chuck, Ross, Tim, Michael, Alan, Randy)

Although I thought about it, I didn't have the guts to take a side trip down this road.

Day 13 Google Earth image and Elevation Profile
Albuquerque to Santa Fe, NM

The leading edge of a storm front sent some light showers and even a little hail our way before reaching Santa Fe.  About 2-3 hours after everyone had finished, the skies darkened, thunder roared, lightning flashed, and a significant downpour of rain began.  We were fortunate to have finished ahead of the weather and hope our good weather luck continues.  Tomorrow is our second rest day.  We'll resume riding on Sunday when we head to Las Vegas, NM.