Bicycle ride in New Mexico with Nancy’s brother Andy.  We rode our tandem, Andy was on a single.  We carried our own gear and camped most days.  A “highlight” of the trip was the third day when Andy got a first flat blowing slime all over his leg, bag and rack, followed by a second major blow-out caused by over inflating the tire at a gas station.  The second flat not only blew the tire, but it also blew a big hole in the rim – ouch, had to get his wife  to drive up with a spare wheel.

On the geological side of things we were amazed by the Valles Caldera, just outside Los Alamos on day 2.  Valles is a volcanic crater that measures 14 miles across and was formed by a long dormant (thankfully) super-volcano.   It required more than 6 photos to capture it’s full vista (see header of this page for 5 of the 6 photos).

From the scenery side of things the trip included the Enchanted Circle Scenic Byway.  This is an 80-mile loop connecting several mountain resort towns in north-central New Mexico, through the Carson National Forest.  Great high desert mountain scenes for a couple days.  And of course, we managed to eat at a few of the roadside burrito stands.  Great fuel for a great ride.

Riding in New Mexico Forest

75 miles Albuquerque to Redondo Falls, 4030 ft

30 miles Redondo Falls to Los Alamos 2000 ft

22 miles Los Alamos to Espanol 370 ft

57 miles Espanol to Arroyo Secco 2530 ft

53 miles Arroyo Secco to Eagles Nest 3810 ft

55 miles Eagles Nest to Sipapu Ski Area 3020 ft

67 miles Sipapu Ski Area to Santa Fe 3890 ft

69 miles Santa Fe to Albuquerque 2560 ft