Day 1: Albuquerque to Bernalillo

September 12, 2017

Today is short and flat, an easy shakedown ride to start the tour. On the road at 9:30. Amazingly, I never had to stop to adjust anything on the bike. No rear derailleur adjustment. No dragging brakes. No rattling fender. No handlebar adjustment. This might be my first time ever to assemble the bike without a single mistake.

I pedaled by the University of New Mexico stadium on Cesar Chavez Boulevard.

It was easy to pedal across Albuquerque (prounounced AL-boo-ker-kee). Traffic was mellow and it was downhill all the way from the hilltop airport area to the Rio Grande river valley. It was a sunny cool morning, temperature 66F/19C.

From the airport Super 8 motel I pedaled north on Yale Avenue, then west on Cesar Chavez Boulevard. Cesar Chavez was an activist for the rights of migrant farm workers. He popularized the phrase "Si, se puede" that was later adopted by Barack Obama. The best translation is "yes it can be done".

My only good view of downtown Albuquerque was when Cesar Chavez Boulevard crossed a railroad switch yard.

I turned north onto 8th street which took me past the edge of downtown. Then I turned west on Central Avenue to get to Old Town.

The bike ride would have been more interesting if I got onto Central Avenue farther east and pedaled through the middle of downtown. Maybe next time.

The most amazing fire station paint job I've ever seen! On the edge of downtown Albuquerque.

It was only 6 miles from my motel to Old Town and most of it was downhill. But I spent the rest of the morning at Old Town and had lunch there. While sitting in the plaza several people approached me to ask about the bike. It seemed like people had never seen a recumbent bike before. As expected, most of the tourists were from Texas.

Jewelry vendors in Old Town Albuquerque.

Old Town is the oldest part of Albuquerque, founded in 1706 as a planned settlement on El Camino Real de Tierra Adentro, the historic Spanish trade route from Mexico City to northern New Mexico. The English translation is "The Royal Road of Interior Lands".

One of many shops selling Native American arts and crafts in Old Town Albuquerque.

Most of the buildings are adobe with huge unsawed timber roof beams. I suppose Old Town is Albuquerque's biggest tourist attraction. It was nearly deserted when I arrived at 10 AM just as the stores were opening.

Old Town has several shops selling expensive Native American art and jewelry. Also a few shops selling cheap souvenirs. I bought a t-shirt with tasteful Native American designs at an art gallery. Most expensive t-shirt I've ever bought but I really like it.

The north side of Old Town is dominated by San Felipe de Neri Catholic church. A sign says the church has served the community without interruption since 1706.

San Felipe de Neri church in Old Town Albuquerque.

The interior is not outrageously ornate. I appreciate having the freedom to walk into a 300 year old building. Outside the church I had a long conversation with the guy shown praying. He parked his bike inside the church. The WalMart mountain bike has a homebrew gasoline engine added. It was a slick setup, with a teardrop fuel tank. The motor's drive chain was grafted to the left side of the rear hub. He said it could cruise up to 30 mph. I recommended that he not mention that to cops because anything that goes faster than 20 mph must be licensed and conform to motorcycle safety regulations.

Old Town Albuquerque is built around a beautiful plaza. It's the standard thing for Spanish towns. Santa Fe and Taos have similar historic plazas.

Old Town Albuquerque is built around a block sized plaza.

I enjoyed sitting in the Plaza and watching Old Town slowly come to life. Tourists trickling in.

Albuquerque hosts the world's largest hot air balloon festival. The International Balloon Fiesta is the first week of October, a huge tourist event that I was happy to avoid.

Ceramic hot air balloons seem to be a popular tourist souvenir.

The two restaurants facing the plaza were both closed. I asked where to eat lunch and was told to go to Church Street Cafe behind the church. It's a large restaurant in what they believe to be Albuquerque's oldest residence. I'm glad I got there at 11:30 because a huge tour group arrived a few minutes later. I ordered the traditional pork Carnitas chile relleno lunch. It was great. First of several chile rellenos during this tour, but this was the only one stuffed with pork instead of cheese. Chile relleno is made with a poblano pepper which is larger and milder than the usual New Mexico chile pepper.

I had lunch at Church Street Cafe. Claimed to be the oldest house in Albuquerque. Built with Terrones, a type of clay that was only available before the swamps were drained in 1820.

After lunch I left Old Town and continued west 1 mile on Central Avenue, then turned north onto the Rio Grande bike trail. Near the beginning I took a short detour up to a new trail bridge across the Rio Grande. It was my only view of the Rio Grande today, and my first view of the Sandia mountains to the northeast.

Bike/ped bridge adjacent to I-40. My first view of the Rio Grande and the Sandia mountains.

I followed the bike trail upstream until the pavement ends. About 8 miles. This was the only place I saw many other recreational cyclists. The bike trail is quite isolated from the city because it has the Rio Grande to the west and an irrigation canal to the east. I could never see the river from the trail. Trees always obstruct the view.

Much of the bike trail is on an elevated causeway above the floodplain. It's probably a levee.

This looks like a road because there is so much paint, but it's actually the Rio Grande bike trail along an irrigation canal.

The bike trail goes through an area known as bosque, Spanish for woodlands. Bosque (pronounced BOHS-ke) is the ribbon of trees that grow in the floodplain of the Rio Grande. It was an important source of wood for Native Americans and early settlers. Most of the trees are mesquite which only grows about 10 feet (3 m) tall. But there are also areas of tall cottonwood trees. Bosque is considered an endangered habitat, threatened by invasive species such as Tamarisk and by levees that reduce the extent of flooding.

The bike trail trends north but in one place it turned east to give a view of the Sandia mountains.

I'm not a big fan of bike trails but this trail took me 8 miles across the city with no traffic lights or stop signs. And it gave me an opportunity to be in the floodplain and see the bosque which I can't do on roads.

When the bike trail ended I pedaled east on a bike path adjacent to Alameda Avenue. Then north on 4th Street to connect to NM 313 which has a paved shoulder and moderate traffic. Most of the traffic is on I-25.

Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary Catholic Church on the north side of Albuquerque.

The Sandia reservation is the first Indian reservation I entered during this tour. The 39 square mile reservation spans from the Albuquerque city limits to Bernalillo. Population is 4414, with 1/4 of the population living in Sandia pueblo and 3/4 of the population living in the tribe-owned section of the city of Bernalillo. Only a portion of the tribe still speaks the native Tewa language. The reservation is close to Albuquerque and the tribe owns a small casino/hotel. But many of the Sandia people still live in poverty. Median household income in the pueblo village is only $31,000.

Soon after leaving the city I enter the first Indian reservation.

NM 313 doesn't go near the Sandia pueblo village. From NM 313 the Sandia reservation appears to be undeveloped land.

South of Bernalillo was my closest approach to the Sandia mountains. I could see radio towers on the top but I couldn't see the aerial tramway.

Sandia mountains from NM 313 in the Sandia Indian reservation. The peak is 10,679 feet (3236 m) elevation.

Telephoto extreme crop of Sandia peak. Still can't see the aerial tramway.

It was a warm afternoon. High of 92F/33C, mostly sunny, with no shade on the highway. But the humidity was low and the pedaling was very easy thanks to the flat terrain and tailwind.

Early Spanish conquistadors had a cooperative relationship with the Native Americans. But over time the Spanish authorities wanted stricter control and the Indians revolted in 1680. A Spanish army led by Diego de Vargas recaptured the region in 1692 and exacted heavy retribution, expelling some and keeping others as slaves.

NM 313 took me through the middle of historic Bernalillo (pronounced BEAR-na-LEE-yo). The south part of town is old. The north part near US 550 is typical suburban sprawl.

Clouds were rapidly building when I arrived at Days Inn Bernalillo at 3:45. A thunderstorm started at 4:45. There was much thunder and lightning and strong wind gusts. But only 5 minutes of light rain followed by 5 minutes of heavy rain and 2 minutes of light rain. It was nice to be inside. After the storm I walked to The Freight House Kitchen and Tap for dinner. Had my first Bosque IPA beer, brewed in Albuquerque.

Gives a whole new meaning to *Home On the Range.*

I stayed in the Rio Grande river valley all day. Bernalillo is 5052 feet elevation, about the same elevation as Albuquerque. I normally sleep at 450 feet elevation, so it's prudent to spend 2 nights near 5000 feet elevation before sleeping 2 nights at 7700 feet elevation in the Jemez mountains.

Today was short and flat, so I will be well rested for tomorrow's big mountain climb.

Distance: 29.2 mi. (46.7 km)
Ascent/Descent: +432/-529 ft. (+130/-160 m)
Average Speed: 10.6 mph (17 km/h)

Today's ride: 29 miles (47 km)
Total: 29 miles (47 km)

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