Bike Ride to Santa Fe

Las Vegas to Santa Fe: 66.4

Total Mileage: 2344.9

 

This morning we got off to a bit of a late start because our host was providing breakfast burritos which definitely hit the spot. Due to the late start time we did get to sleep in until 5:45 which was a welcomed change from the early 4 am wake up calls; I got eight hours of sleep which I have not gotten since before the trip began.

Although the route would be shorter, we would be encountering some major hills as Santa Fe is at a much higher elevation than Las Vegas. Hannah, Justine, Nate and myself headed off into the cool morning and were on a mission to get as much ground covered as quickly as possible before first lunch (well our only lunch because the weather would be cooler and we would not be biking over 90 miles). As soon as we merged onto the highway we were shocked and dismayed at the condition of the shoulder. Our ride into Las Vegas had been a really smooth one, but here the roads were almost as bad as the gravel roads we encountered in Louisiana.

Thankfully after our first few hill climbs the shoulder became smoothly paved which helped make our jobs a bit easier getting up and over the hills.

While yesterday had a couple of great views, especially going down through the canyon, today had the same quality of views throughout the entire day. As Hannah and I were chatting we would frequently break mid conversation so we could take in the views. We decided that no matter how many photos we took we would never be able to do it justice. Instead we would have to try and take a mental picture and try to hold onto it for as long as possible.

After lunch we had about 26 miles to cover until we arrived at the host. As we were making one of our final descents on I-25, i hit a rather large log and was nervous i had done something to my already shaky wheel. I managed to get about another two miles before it gave out and i got my second flat of the day. Turns out i had quite a gash on the side of my tire, but thankfully another group biked in behind us and had a tire patch. While it would not last forever, it would hopefully get me to the host. During our route meeting we were told to check out an organic lunch place at mile 58, but sadly it had closed down. There were a couple of people who were starting up a new place and they did let us refill with water and ice which was great. A few miles later I was having a slow liking problem so I decided to do the pump and pray method instead of change my tube; the pump and pray method is when you fill up your tire and hope that there is enough pressure and the leak is small enough to get you to lunch or the host. The tire thankfully held until the final turn into the host parking lot which was amazing.

After a quick shower I decided to go out for a walk and get some solo time which I have yet to have since I arrived in Jacksonville. Santa Fe has a culture which is heavily steeped in religious history. As I am a sucker for old churches I decided to quickly pop into the chapel of our host before wandering into down town. The first chapel I came across was the Lorreto Chapel which was the first Gothic building west of the Mississippi and patterned off the Sainte Chappelle in Paris. It is best known for its choir loft staircase called Miraculous. turns, stands 20’ tall and has no center support. It rests solely on its base and against the choir loft. The risers of the 33 steps are all of the same height. Made of an apparently extinct wood species, it was constructed with only square wooden pegs without glue or nails.

 

From there I decided to back track and try to find the oldest church in the country, something we passed on our way into the city.

 

 

Conveniently the oldest house in the country was right behind the church.

 

After some more wandering I came across the Cathedral of St. Francis of Assisi. It had a great set of doors which were bronze panels depicting different stories of the bible. The inside was filled with brilliant colors as well as a small chapel dedicated to La Conquestadora, the patron saint of women and service men and women.

A couple of random photos from the rest of my afternoon's adventures.

 

 

With some time to kill after dinner I decided to go on a walk and found myself down by the rail yard. The city has converted part of it into a large outdoor park which was beautiful.

There was also no shortage of street artwork and statues/bronzes.

As I was walking over to the capitol building, one of the few circular Capitol buildings in the country, there was a fantastic rainbow over town.

Once I had gotten to the building, the sun was just starting to set over the mountains. This could have been one of the best sunsets I have ever seen. Towards the end of the sunset it looked like the mountains were glowing. Here are a couple of pictures, but not as good as the real thing.

 

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