IN TRIBUTE: Thelma & Norma

Today I'm riding in honor of Thelma and Norma.

If you would like me to ride in tribute of your loved one, please email a photo to thebikewriter@gmail.com or judyharley@yahoo.com, include the person's name and a brief note if you like, and send your contribution.

The entire $100 donation, is tax deductible and will go toward Alzheimer's programs at Cedar Community.

Click here to submit your donation. 

IN TRIBUTE: Bob Neumann

Today I'm riding in honor of BOB NEUMANN.

If you would like me to ride in tribute of your loved one, please email a photo to thebikewriter@gmail.com or judyharley@yahoo.com, include the person's name and a brief note if you like, and send your contribution.

The entire $100 donation, is tax deductible and will go toward Alzheimer's programs at Cedar Community.

Click here to submit your donation. 

Excitement and Mystery: The Blue Hole

Logged 70 miles on Sunday from Las Vegas,N.M. to Santa Rosa. Majority of the route was along Highway 84, which was pretty desolate and wonderfully downhill. 

Route 66 stamped into concrete sidewalk

The final portion of about 17 miles was on I-40. By the time I arrived in Santa Rosa my feet were melting.

Beau and Melissa from the First Baptist Church in Santa Rosa gave me a place to stay Sunday night.

The boys were super courteous and they tipped their hats and politely shook my hand when they greeted me.

Just down the street from the church was a local tourist attraction called the Blue Hole. It's a circular bell-shaped pool, about 130-feet deep and the water temperatures in the 60s. A lot of people use it as a local swimming hole and for scuba diving.

The water is a deep rich blue color. Some locals say if you dropped a nickel in the water you'd be able to see it at the bottom. Others say there are 600 miles worth of caves underneath and that's where the scuba divers explore.

There's rumor this is where Billy the Kid once swam.

In March of this past year a Navy veteran and expert diver, Shane Thompson, was scuba diving and exploring passageways. He got trapped and died in the caverns below. Read more HERE.

Santa Rosa is a very small community of about 2800 right on the Historic Route 66. 

On an interesting but sad note the old hotel signs with the illuminated pipe neon lighting are still here, but so many of them are closed and in very poor shape. 

 

Spic and Span

My new friend Craig and I met for coffee and some last minute story exchanges and mapping directions before I hit the road to Santa Rosa. 

We had breakfast at the Spic & Span. The brutal art murals were along the parking lot walk across the street. 

Side notes:

The temps are not as fierce now that I'm southeast of Santa Fe. 

Do you know the city of Santa Fe has banned plastic bags at all the stores. Not even Walmart can carry them. 

JESUS or Jesus?

Started my day tour of Santa Fe at the Hostel and pedaled toward the historic downtown. 

I came upon this Big Jesus Sale. Just had to stop and check it out. 

Found quite a few Big Jesus wooden carvings, nothing I could carry on my bike so I decided to push along. 

A sales person met me at the door and clarified. "The owner's name is Jesus - HAY-SOOS - the Mexican pronunciation. He was having a big sale."

Correction noted. 

Turquoise Trail, the town of Golden, and other colorful things

Headed out at 4:30 a.m. Thursday morning to beat the heat and make it 64 miles from Albuquerque to Santa Fe via the Turquoise Trail. 

Much of what the Turquoise Trail road looks like.

Sometimes I don't see any traffic for 20 minutes.

Aside from the location marker, this photo shows the dark skies and the approaching storm.

It turned out to be a plan with the best of intentions. 

This was my first solid day of biking following my clunky fall. I can pedal fine but there's some soreness that makes me walk with a bit of a hitch in my giddy-up.

The Turquoise Trail is a more scenic route from Albuquerque to Santa Fe. It passes through small, eccentric and artsy towns and comes highly recommended by the fellas at the bike shops. 

While I am not pedaling over the Sandia Mountains or the San Pedro Mountains I am in between and that still means some significant hills. 

By the time I reach 21 measly miles I'm tanking. I'm in the very, very small town of Golden. Al is the friendly face behind the counter at Henderson Store. Its been family owned and operated since 1918 and has a high-quality collection of Native American arts and crafts. 

What really trips my trigger is he has a porch with shade. I find a quiet corner, under a swallows nest tucked into the corner of a wood beam, and I totally fall asleep. I'm out of the intense sun and no newts or lizards are running across my face so I think I'll be okay. 

I'm sure it was a combination of things - the early start to the day, the heat and the hills and the altitude.... something which I completely forgot to factor in when planning the tour.

Following my brief siesta I come across the home of 'the mayor' of Golden. #sarcasm. He's the local eccentric that has a glass bottle display in his front yard with a confusing series of signage. 'Welcome,' 'No trespassing' and 'Free information about Golden.' 

The colorful glass bottles are beautiful. The rest of the front yard is very Sanford & Son. 

Eleven more miles and I'm into Madrid; an old coal mining town established in the 1890's that was left abandoned in the 1950s and later revived by hippies in the 1970s and turned into a hot spot for movies and artists. 

Some interesting tidbits about Madrid:

- In 1913 there was the first mine accident and in order to boost moral the owner of the mine built the "first lighted baseball field and score board west of the Mississippi. Because Route 66 ran through Madrid the Red Sox and White Sox stopped to play against the Madrid Miners.

- A tradition started In the 1930s to illuminate the town for the Christmas season. Free electricity was offered for the villagers if they would put up Christmas lights. The people embrace the tradition and it kicked off a lighted Parade, which in its heyday there were 150 floats and the parade stretched a half-mile. Major airlines rerouted their flights to include the Christmas town of New Mexico. On one of those flights Walt Disney heard the story and later came to see the site. He returned to California and the ideas for Disneyland's Toyland light parade and street lights was born. 

- A couple other Hollywood names also came to Madrid. In 1976 David Bowie's "The Man Who Fell to Earth" man was filmed on the coal tailing piles south of town and in 1979 Perry Como hosted a TV Christmas special in Madrid. 

Photo gallery of some of the art in Madrid:

Dan and his dog from Art & Antiques. Dan likes to weld horse shoes into art. His wife, Lori Musil paints the Western and equine art.

Got my kicks....

Toured the Albuquerque Museum and its Route 66 exhibit: Radiance, Rust, and Revival on the Mother Road. 

This is the 90th anniversary of Route 66 and the fascinating exhibit detailed a true pathway for adventurers, migrant workers, and tourists.

On a history note Route 66 had its beginnings in the Good Roads Movement, a country-wide effort to improve roads for bicyclists and, later, automobile enthusiasts. 

The movement gained national prominence when President Woodrow Wilson signed the Federal Aid Road Act of 1916. 

In Albuquerque the largest employers were the Atchison, Topeka, and Santa Fe Railways. A Bing Crosby version of the song played in the background while walking through that portion of the exhibit.  

A couple of tidbits included:

- John Steinbeck wrote the Grapes of Wrath in 90 days. The hardscrabble story about the Joad families migration to California won the Nobel prize in 1962. 

- There was a Negro Travelers' Green Book published 1936-64. It provided African American tourists with information they needed to travel comfortably. 

Black travelers had to carry buckets or portable toilets in the trunk of their cars because they were usually barred from bathrooms and rest areas. 

- In the 1950s Albuquerque had a new nickname The Neon City. 

- There were quite a few stories about clever scams the locals concocted to take advantage of gullible tourists. 

John Yellowstone told a story about how he lived close to the highway and his mom would at set up a shop on the edge of the road and weave little rugs. People would stop and his mother would ask if they'd like her kids to sing a song in Navajo for a Blessing on the road. The kids would sing a song with no meaning whatsoever and people would give nickels and mom would save and buy clothes. 

Do the Chickens Have Large Talons?

Sharing some of the artwork on the International Hostel of Santa Fe Pension, where I stayed last night. The art feels very "Napoleon Dynamite" - like the eagle's talons are aiming for a liger. "Do the chickens have large talons?" --Napoleon Dynamite (see photo below)

Just beat the storms (photo above). Lots of lightning and thunder on the horizon. The winds picked up and skies grew dark about 7 miles outside of Santa Fe. I stopped at a gas station and asked a lady if the storms generally moved north.

"I'm not sure, but throw your bike in my car and I'll take you the rest of the way."

That is how I met Jenny, a speech therapist who got me safely into town.

I had a solid 58 miles in on the day with plenty of long hills and just a smidge too much heat.

I believe the elevation is also hindering my Supergirl powers.

I started Thursday at 4:30 a.m. just to beat the heat and it took me until 5 p.m. to get to my destination.

Stay tuned for a photo gallery of yesterday's sights!

Pat Bohn: Recognizing Forgetfulness

ALBUQUERQUE, NM: On my way to work today

Headed to "the office" early today. Trying to log about 70 miles from Albuquerque to Santa Fe via Highway 14. Leaving early; hoping to beat the midday heat.