Santa Fe, New Mexico

Hello, Friends! Santa Fe was just a quick 1,900 mile drive from Brevard, NC. I was on Route 40 for an eternity, but it was a nice experience seeing the Appalachians slowly turn into a long flat forest. The forest melted away, and then Oklahoma and Texas were all pretty much prairie (savannah? Guthrie?). I passed one section of Texas that went right through the middle of a wind farm that went for miles and miles. I spent some time on historic Route 66, which was fun, but it’s seen far better days. I started to get a taste of what I would be seeing over the next week or so when I got into New Mexico. It’s a harsh, beautiful landscape. Jagged old mountains, desert, and views that go on forever.

I survive these long drives on a mix of podcasts and Google radio. For podcasts, I recommend Bill Burr (unless you don’t like cursing), Joe Rogan, NPR Embedded, Stuff You Should Know, and TED Radio Hour. My favorites are Embedded and Bill Burr, but again, he really likes to curse.

I bet you all want to hear about Santa Fe, NM. Home to great mountain biking, awesome food, fine craft brews, and my favorite author, Cormac McCarthy. I didn’t get any time with Ol’ Cormac but I did stalk him sort of. One of the trail systems I rode in Santa Fe was the “Dale Ball Trails”, which weave through the mountains that surround the Santa Fe Institute, where buddy ol’ pal Cormac likes to spend his time. Shot of Dale Ball Trails near Cormac’s hangout:

My campsite was at 8300 feet, so the air was pretty thin and the nights were cold. The temperature was typically around 37 degrees when I got up, but I was totally comfortable in my tiny tent. However, I wasted little time between my tent and the car and the coffee shop way down in town. There, I would drink some coffee, plan out my day, and then take care of any errands I needed to complete in town before heading back to camp to prep for my ride. Here's what it looks like when I'm laying on my oversized air mattress and  I look straight up from my tiny tent's door (I knew you were all curious).

So, Santa Fe, visit if you get a chance. I knew there were going to be adobe homes in Santa Fe. I didn’t realize the entire city was adobe style. The place and its people have a very unique style. I used to call Evansville, Indiana the land of ugly tattoos (nice people, but really awful tattoos). This place is the opposite. Everybody is tatted up, tastefully. They all look sun bleached, wind burned, and prematurely wrinkled in an esthetically pleasing sort of way. I saw one guy that could have passed for Wayne Static if he’d lived to 88. I got zero adobe photos, so you'll have to settle for a pic of the Cathedral Basilica of St. Francis of Assisi which is in downtown Santa Fe. 

Or maybe this interesting bar room art will make up for my lack of adobe:

Bar room art, The Matador, downtown Santa Fe, NM

 

So my second day in Santa Fe consisted of many hours on the Dale Ball trails, followed by hunting down this place called “Fort Marcy” that charged $2 for a shower and then off to Second Street Brewing Company for dinner. When I arrived at Second Street it was packed and I was thinking I wouldn’t be able to get a spot at the bar. However, there were two seats available, one on either side of this one guy. This guy turned out to be Paul, and Paul was a conspiracy theorist. I sat, ordered a beer and a burger, and then the bartender leaned over the bar and whispered to me “you’re sitting next to Paul. Paul is a conspiracy theorist”. I thanked her for the warning.

It didn’t take Paul long to notice the fresh victim sitting next to him, me. I had quickly prepped myself mentally for this exchange. He first asked me if I was here visiting, and then somehow our conversation quickly moved on to secret underground cities under the Arizona desert that only the government and the very wealthy have access to. He somehow got Elvis into the conversation for a second and then moved on to some sort of “food additive” they use in Roswell, New Mexico that causes you to “lose your appetite and leave the restaurant quickly so that they have more customer turnover”. I noted that an additive like that could make billions on the open market if it weren’t kept secret, and this fact seemed to send Paul into deep reflection. The bartender returned with my dinner and mercifully told Paul to “leave this gentleman alone so he can eat his meal in peace”. Paul happily agreed and eagerly noted that he would tell me “all about what really happened to Bruce Lee” when I was done eating. I never ate a hamburger so slowly in my life. Paul finally gave up on me ever finishing my meal, and left. You meet all sorts out here. 

So, I’m going to try to get these posts out more frequently. I’ve struggled a bit with finding time to write because I’m having such a great time. My days have been filled with riding, driving, and other shenanigans. By the time the day is getting short, I’ve been too worn out to think about writing. I guess this is all sort of good news, but I really will try to get back on schedule with these posts. As I finish this post, I’ve already left my destination subsequent to Santa Fe. So, like I said, I have a little catching up to do.

Thanks for reading all! And thank you for the Facebook/Instagram likes and comments (to those of you who partake). This trip has been an absolute blast and it’s fun having you guys along for the ride.