December 18, 2010 Quarter Century with 5K

We did it again.
We rode the bike trail by the bosque,
started at Tingley Beach,
went south to Rio Bravo,
then north to Paseo.
and back to Tingley Beach.
A 25 miles loop.
I hated to say this,
but that trail needs to be paved.
There are too many cracks.
After the ride,
Denise and I did a 5K walk/run.
Total time: 3 hours!

A Short Loop

I was on call this weekend.
Dion was on call too.
I ended up doing the ride myself.
It was a real struggle.
My body did not want to do it.
I won!
I rode.

So,
from Spain and Juan Tabo to Morris,
south to Comanche,
west to Pennsylvania.
The section from Morris to Pennsylvania on Comanche was lousy!
Avoid it by any means until they paved it.
I thought I was going to break the bike!

North on Pennsylvania to Osuna,
east on Osuna to Eubank.
I took my first break at Osuna and Wyoming.

I got a new shoulder bag from REI,
I brought it along.

I am planning to bring this bag for my bike trip in Taiwan this coming April.

I took the bike trail when I got to Eubank.
The last section was very steep!
Next time, I will walk that section.
I took another rest.

Lastly, north on Morris to Spain,
then east on Spain.

I am glad I did it.
It was a short 7 mile ride,
but it was so tiring!

North Diversion Channel 12-5-10

We met at the Balloon Fiesta Park.
Dion, John, Denise and I made the trip.
We started at the bike trail near the museum.
From there, we headed south.
Except for a few cross streets, the trail was pretty straight forward and well paved.
We got to the end of the trail by UNM without any problem.

It was fun to sit, rest and chat a bit,
something that seldom happen at work.
I was very happy to see that John has been doing these bike rides with us for a few times already.

On our way back,
Dion and I traded bikes.
He loved the location of my brake handles.
I loved the lightness and the saddle of his bike.
I guess from time to time,
it is not a bad idea to trade bikes!

Total mileage: 17 miles.
Great day, great weather!

"Sandia Casino Hill" Challenge 12-4-10

I have been wanting to climb that hill.
I know it is hard.
I know that I may not be ready for it.
But,
the lure to do it was always there.
So, I just couldn't pass the chance when the weather was great,
and may not last long...

This is where I started. It is located north of Paseo and Barstow.
From there I headed north till I reached Elena.
I went west, hoping to catch San Pedro.

But Elena ended at Louisiana,
so I headed south from there.
I made a right on Eagle Rock and got to San Pedro.
Below is the end of the pavement on San Pedro.

I walked the bike across the dirt.
I got to the exit road from I-25 and headed to Tramway.

The stop before the climb.
To climb or not to climb???
I did!

Along that short 4.5 miles, 860 ft elevation change, I stopped 6 times.
Others did better.

It was worth it. I saw two bisons!

After the climb, it was all downhill.
I stopped by the church at Paseo and Tennyson.
I discovered that Tennyson actually goes under Paseo!

From there, I took Holly.
I decided to go out to Paseo and take the bike path.
There were to many speed bumps on Holly.
Last 2 photos are from Paseo and Browning.

It was a hard 14 miles ride.
Will I do it again?
Definitely!
I shall return in 6 months!