June 10--Driving June 11--Farmington NM

June 10 2009

Woke up to the sound of rain. It was amplified by the roof of the motorhome and allowed us to sleep in for an extra hour (or two), but we were disappointed that this would mean no South Boundary trail. All that time spent squinting at the map . . . wasted. After reviewing the weather in Taos for the next couple days, we decided that we had to move on. Without further delay, we hit the road in search of the sun. I got to drive the motorhome for about 4 hours. The road was amazing through Carson National Forest. We went above the snow line and walked around for a while in the wet mud before continuing the drive to Farmington, NM. Yeah, I know, Farmington. There are some pretty sweet trails out here and the sunshine was welcome. After consulting a local bike shop (Haven Cycles), we headed up to the Foothills area. The trails were smooth, non-technical and contained many (MANY) whoopties. Historically, the single track was reserved for mountain bikes and motorcycles. ATV’s not allowed. Recently, (within the last six weeks) there was a scuffle involving 4-wheelers and motorcyclists. The 4-wheelers want access to the trails, but are ruining the single track in the process. Now, there are sections for 4-wheelers and motorcycles and a smaller region for mountain bikes only. A lot of the signs were ripped down, which made navigating a scavenger hunt. The region for mountain bikes only is clear—that is the trails were really fun, fast, and narrow. Even though we started riding at 7:30pm, we finished our 19.3 mile loop around 9:30pm. I know that is after dark, but we remembered to bring our headlamps because we knew this might be a possible scenario. Eric ran over a snake (in the dark), which looked like a stick, but it wasn’t. I gave a death scream and managed to avoid running over the snake.

June 11, 2009

We had sausage and eggs for breakfast. Mmmmm mmm. We headed back up to the Foothills area to ride some of the trails we missed from the night before. What I may have eluted to before is that the other trails are wider and looser and just not as much fun. That was today. We started on a loop called Anasazi which Eric and I debated time-trialing for the rest of the day, but against our better judgment decided to try some other trails. By halfway, we were both exhausted. I think part of it was the late night ride from the day before. My shorts were driving me crazy too. We got sick of doing whoopties and power-pumping every possible dip. Finally, we climbed our last ascent and ended at the motorhome. We BBQed some beef in the parking lot of the amphitheater and relaxed for a little while until we realized that it was already after 4pm. I had managed to break 2 spokes on my rear wheel and we needed to make it to the bike shop before they closed. We threw everything in the trailer and rolled into Cottonwood Cycles. They were able to repair my bike before they closed. We chatted with the staff about rides in the area. Everyone said we had to do the UFO Alien ride out of Aztec NM. In fact, they were doing a group ride when the shop closed on that very trail tonight! I was too tired to go and opted to patch my jeans instead, but Eric jumped on board. It is an 8.3 mile loop, which passes a UFO crash site. If you don’t get enough action from the first loop, there is a newly constructed section that adds about 6 miles. With the addition of the Alien loop, Eric managed to ride over 53 miles in less than 24 hours!! Damn. I get to ride the trail in the morning with fresh legs before heading up to Durango.

Sorry for so few pictures! Will try and upload some more later.

June 9--Taos, NM

Yesterday was pretty boring. We awoke in Salida CO, drove to Pueblo CO to have the motorhome checked out. Nothing major, just some things neither Eric or I could figure out on our own for some reason. Called my dad, who fixed half our issues over the phone. I think if we just parked at a giant RV park we could wander around and talk to all the other RVers to figure ours out. The goal was to make it to Taos, NM, which we did easily with enough time to talk to a local bike shop for the scoop on good rides. The shop was called Gearing Up and had a great selection of single trail maps with awesome descriptions. We opted for a large map showing the entire area and spent the rest of the evening trying to figure out which trails would have the least brutal climbs based on the nearly invisible contour lines. We parked in Carson National Forest just off highway 522 north of Taos. It was the first time we used the slide-out feature on the motorhome. We seriously have room for yoga for two, twister, a picnic . . . it’s pretty wide open.
This morning, we woke up and got ready for our ride. We decided that it would be best to go early to avoid the hottest part of the day, but at 8am it was probably only about 50 degrees. Brrr. So much for finding the sun! The ride was called Horse Thief and tracked along the rim of the Rio Grande. We thought there would be sweet views of the river, but they were few and far between. We didn’t mind because the trail was so fast and fun, it would be hard to stop and relish in the beauty of the river. Besides, I think we managed to navigate the trail by instinct. The only time we stopped to think about which way to go, we almost got on the wrong track. By the time we arrived back at the motorhome, the day had officially reached peak temps (maybe 75?).
We thought our bike ride would have lasted until 12 or 1pm, and so we were a little surprised to find ourselves back home by 11. Our next decision may have been one of the poorest ones so far, but it all turned out well in the end, so no regrets. We decided that since it was still early in the day, we would go ahead and raft the river today too! By the time we found the campground near the put in and shuttled the cars around, it was 3:30pm. Not to worry, only a mile hike in with the uninflated raft and all our gear, left and then we can push off to enjoy the scenic river. While Eric shuttled the vehicles, I sat and watched the clouds build for the afternoon. The wind picked up and I started wondering if Eric would make it back to the campground on the motorcycle. Hmmmm. He did, but the weather had turned a little cold and rain looked imminent. So, we hiked down anyway. I wiped out on the trail, but no injuries incurred. We pumped up the raft and set sail just after 4:30pm. If you have ever rafted before, you probably know that the wind only travels up river, hence making traveling down river in flat sections more challenging. We also had know idea where we put on the river because the ranger had told us to put on at this particular spot (up river from where we had planned to put on) so we weren’t really sure how far we had to go. Immediately, we had a couple good waves followed by a serious boulder garden that lasted for a good quarter mile. The water was gushing! Then, we hit the long, flat, windy section, with the bonus of some rain. It may sound pretty terrible, except Eric and I were well equipped with dry tops and bottoms, booties, gloves and helmets to keep us warm and dry. Our only concern was the landmark on the river where we had intended to put on, never appeared. This meant that we could have been farther upstream when we put on than we thought. Luckily, the confluence (two rivers connecting) we were expecting was a fantasy and we reached our takeout in the daylight. It stopped raining and the sun came out for us to pack up the gear. One of the rivers must have been completely dry because we never came across it. We feasted on bean burritos and hot chocolate before driving back to the put-in where the motorcycle sat waiting for our return. We are camping at the in Wild Rivers Recreation Area (no joke.). Tomorrow, we are thinking about hitting the epic South Boundary Trail weather pending.

June 7--Buena Vista trails/CO trail

Ahh! The sound of traffic on 285! What a pleasant was to wake up! We stopped by Best Western for some free internet, checked email. Hmm. I don't know that anyone is missing me yet. We then strolled into the Trailhead bike shop in Buena Vista for some advice on bike trails. Eric did most of the talking, I just wandered the store. To start, we headed to the river put on for the Arkansa Town Run at the town park. We rode a nice technical single track trail from Whipple to Broken Boyfriend trails. BB is a new trail and really fun! The entire loop was less than 4 miles so we headed up FR 344 to catch part of the CO trail. Although bruttle at first, the scenic views were incredible the whole way and well worth the effort. The trail eventually took off on a nice decent. It was fun, but I was anticipating the return trip to be a grueling climb. I was not disappointed. We turned back after about 7 miles in (of 11 possible), and were hungry, exhausted, and pretty smelly. I don't know that this is what I had in mind for heading South. I wanted to be warm, but this whole ride was done in cold weather riding gear with winds holding steady 30mph. We only had a little snow blasts, but gosh, pretty freakin' cold for heading South to the sun. We had steak for dinner with corn and french fries, but neither one of us could eat much. Too tired. We tried showering in the motorhome for the first time. Where's the hot water? Still got some learning to do.

Day 1 –June 6, 2009

Today we awoke the first day that we were on vacation. It didn't feel like it for awhile because we hadn't spent much time packing all the random miscellaneous piles of paper work, clothes, kitchen utensils and electronic equipment. Eric had some extra work to do with batteries and I spent my morning stuffing all our stuff in cabinets. By noon, I had discovered several items that belonged at work (whoops!) and had thought of 2 things left at work that I wanted to keep. We made a special trip in to Cristol Chem on the motorcycle. When we got back to the house, we had nothing to do but roll out of town.

One thing we could have done better is plan where we were going. It wasn't until be were cruising down 93 that we decided to hit the Centennial Cone Trail. We had tried to do this trail before, but the timing never worked out. It may have only been a 30 minute drive, but it took our great adventure to bring us to the trailhead of the CCT. It was possibly the best way to start this trip. The trail was amazing! It was 95% single track which was smooth as a baby's, well you know, and had spectacular views the whole way. We were unable to do the normal loop because a portion was closed, however, we were able to do the majority of the trail as an out and back. It was our first ride, so we expected to be tired when we arrived back at the motorhome. We didn't expect that our elevation gain would be over 5,500 vertical feet. That's like doing Ward 1.5 times! Our trip mileage was 23.1 miles. Although the technical level of the CCT was easy, it is not for someone who doesn't have a bit of endurance built up.

For tonight, we are sleeping at Kenosha Pass. We cooked up some huevos rancheros and had giant glasses of juice (Eric) and water (me). Our fridge is flashing *F *A, which is a little concerning because neither one of us knows what that stands for. We will have to google it tomorrow. Time for bed.

First photos

In order to get around Eric decided we needed a motorized bike. I have to learn how to ride it. So far, I take if up and down my road. I stop at the sign and do a tight turn to get back to my house. It was not my idea, but Eric insists it is absolutely required for shuttling long rides. Maybe he's right! It is a lot of fun . . .
Our second motorized vehicle doubles as our home. The Chateau Sport! We will drive, cook, sleep, and shower in luxury. Jealous? Should be. Jesus fish included in the purchase! I have moved into the CS which is currently parked in my driveway. It is pretty freakin' awesome.

10 Day Weather Outlook

Today we can see the weather for the first day of our trip. Amazing! I am sure it is not accurate, out 10 days and all, but the weather in Salida, CO is supposed to be 72 degrees and sunny. That doesn't sound perfect, huh? I have been training for how to relax and enjoy my company. This past weekend we had several appearances from friends that assisted my training. The infamous Autumn swung through Boulder for the Bolder Bolder 10K running race. Katie's bro, Brad, stayed with us. We decided he can only visit once a year because it is so much fun. Ms. Nikki Uhre also decided to drop in on Sunday for a visit. At the race on Monday she held a sign that reads: Don't poop your pants Brad, Katie, Krista. It's a long story. My favorite breakfast joint is now the Southside cafe. We ate there twice in 3 days. They have the perfect combination of choices for anyone really. The joy brought by this last weekend is seriously going to help me make it until next Saturday. It is already Thursday!!!

Last night, I decided to go for a jog. I threw on some non-smelly clothes and headed out the door around 7:30pm. I was hoping to feel like an antelope, but I felt more like a wounded sloth. My breathing was labored and my feet felt heavy. Instead of cruising the neighborhood, I chose the trails across the street. I figure if I'm going to feel this bad, I might as well enjoy the scenery that has been exploding with color with all the past rain. After crossing the creek, I felt better and the thought popped into my head, "What if I never get to do this run again?" Now, I like this thought and hate it at the same time because it usually ends up as a challenge. For example, there are many trails in this area that can be run with moderate effort, but there are some that I consider to be epic. If I am concerned that I will never get to run on these trails again, I will tell myself that before I leave, I need to do XY or Z before I leave. Last night, when "What if I never get to do this run again?" popped into my head, I was thinking of one of my epic loops. My next thought was, "Well, before I leave, I will do it. . . " only to realize that my days here are numbered. Of course the challenge is not just the route. The challenge also includes not walking at all. Instead of planning to do it someday before I leave, to do it now. It only took about an hour or so, but it is no run for beginners. The most amazing part was how I felt. It wasn't painful or slow like how it began. My breathing stabilized and my legs felt strong. My heart felt so much happiness! I saw deer and the most beautiful red fox! I got home exhausted but happy and I want to do it again. and again. and again.

The countdown begins!

Seriously.  I have been waiting forever to leave on this trip.  I couldn't be more anxious about heading out than now.  My current job is not wrapping up, which is incredibly frustrating.  All I want is closure, finality.  What I get is, "Hey, you should try this other experiment." or "you have time to show XXXX how to run those assays, right?"  Sure I do!  Between packing, moving, piling all our stuff into a motor-home/trailer, transporting cars, selling off all my furniture, and trying to stay sane.  I am also supposed to be writing for a post-doctoral fellowship for my next job.  That's coming along nicely.  HA!  What is today?  Ah, yes, the 19th of May.  I have 17 days until we push off out of the driveway.  I don't care if there are bike parts and laundry hanging out of the doors, we will at least make it to Lousiville (5 miles) without looking back!  Wind in our hair, tunes blasting, dishes rattling, the works.  Every time something really bad happens I will think, "So this is Hell?  Great! Well, at least there is a light up ahead.  It will only take 17 days to reach it!  In that time I vow not to kill anyone or injure myself.  Period."  Smile.  Just smile.  Trying not to look smug.  Futile.