Fly by Cycle

Above: 13,588ft Cottonwood Peak at sunrise.

A $150 plane ticket from Albuquerque to Denver is a relative bargain, considering that I purchased it last minute and that it allowed me to keep my schedule at work and to be in Denver in the morning for NAHBS.  Still, I was determined to make the most of the expense and a little reconnaissance from the air is always inspiring.  Incidentally, I was almost always within sight of something I recognized on the ground and something I have ridden by bike, including some local routes in the Jemez Mountains, the Great Divide Route, and the Colorado Trail.

Flying above the Jemez Mountains and the Valles Caldera near Albuquerque and Santa Fe, Cochiti Canyon is at the bottom of the frame.  About a month ago, I stole away for a multi-day trip out of town on the Pugsley.  Riding into the night, I awoke above Cochiti on FR 289.  I had previously ridden this road with friends.

On that same 5-day trek with Cass, Joe and Lael, we also linked singletrack leaving from the Pajarito Ski Area, encircling Los Alamos, and descending Guaje Ridge.

Nearby, the 31 Mile Road (FR 144) climbs over 5,000 ft from Espanola to connect with the Great Divide Route above Abiqui and Polvadera Mesa.  The road is seen as the prominent white squiggle in the bottom right quarter of the frame.  Jeremy and I left out of Santa Fe for a few days of riding in the mountains, and soaking in hot springs.

Zoom.  Within proximity of our campsite for the night, before cresting the ridge to connect with the Divide.

This blank canvas is the southern end of the snow-covered San Luis Valley.  This fall, Lael and I rode some pavement south from Del Norte, CO to meet Joe and Cass in Santa Fe.  We rode this section in the dark, and camped in a super secret spot in Antonito, CO.

And a bit further north, Monte Vista, CO, I believe.

Here, the Rio Grande cuts across the San Luis Valley above 7000ft between Del Norte and Alamosa.  It is easy to see here why the river runs dry along the Mexican border– irrigation.

To the right, the northern peaks of the Sangre de Cristo Range, south of Salida, CO.  Cottonwood Peak is sunlit at the bottom, and featured at the top of the page.

Descending towards Denver and over the Front Range, this is the start of the Colorado Trail at Waterton Canyon.

Chatfield Reservoir– geometric picnic and camping facilities are the work of the US Army Corps of engineers, most likely.  Lael and I got lost in this maze of roads and trails on our ride to the trailhead of the Colorado Trail.

Denver.  The city swallows almost everything, except for the natural curves of this river.

Arriving in Denver, I reassembled the Hooligan and rode to NAHBS.

Routefinding above NM

Routefinding by plane seems a little excessive.  But if you are up in the air, you might as well do some routefinding.  My Alaskan eyes know well enough that roads and routes aren’t always paved and graded.  Like a frozen river, a dry arroyo may be rideable on the right bike.  Flying out of Los Lunas, this terrain is all within a day or two of Albuquerque on two wheels.  There are roads that look like rivers and rivers that look like roads.    There is a green circle in the desert, and lots of routes that have never been ridden on a bike.  This is three thousand feet above New Mexico.

Dry riverbed and fractal tributaries:

Roads and irrigation canals.

Road, looks like a river.  It probably is a river for a few days of the year.

Green circle– aliens, most likely.

Road and riverbed, and a modern cliffside dwelling.

The diminutive Rio Grande, an adjacent canal, and levee road.

Pinon and juniper.

Straight as an arrow.

Serpentine.

Thanks to Lanny for taking me up.  I look forward to finding these places on the ground.

Less than a day away.