Day 2: Bernalillo to La Cueva

September 13, 2017

I got up at 6 and on the road at 7. A miracle, thanks to the good breakfast at Days Inn Bernalillo. Temperature 62F/17C. Most of today will be uphill.

I turned northwest onto US 550, a busy 4 lane divided highway. Traffic was moderate in my direction. Traffic was backed up for more than 2 miles in the opposite direction, creeping towards I-25. Residents of Rio Rancho commuting to work in Albuquerque.

US 550 crossing the Rio Grande just outside Bernalillo.

Today's ride starts out straddling two worlds. On the right is the Santa Ana reservation. Mostly unpopulated and undeveloped except for a large casino. On the left is mile after mile of new suburban subdivisions in the town of Rio Rancho, the northernmost suburb of Albuquerque.

Major casino/hotel expansion for the Santa Ana pueblo.

Commuter traffic decreased after Rio Rancho but there were still many long distance trucks. US 550 is a major regional highway.

The scenery was boring and progress was painfully slow going uphill into the wind for the first 10 miles. So slow that I wondered if I would run out of daylight today. My outlook improved during the long descent to the NM 4 turnoff at the village of San Ysidro. It helped that US 550 turned more north, giving me a bit of a tailwind. NM 4 goes mostly northeast, giving me a useful tailwind for the remainder of the day.

US 550 is busy, wide, and kind of boring.

Today I passed through 3 Indian reservations. First was the Pueblo of Santa Ana. I never saw their main pueblo which is southeast of Bernalillo. I don't know why some pueblos still use Spanish names.

The Santa Ana tribe speaks the eastern dialect of the Keres language. Only 479 people live in the 114 square mile reservation. The tribe is prosperous thanks to a large casino, two championship golf courses, and proximity to Albuquerque and I-25. Median household income is $45,000 and only 5% of the population lives in poverty.

The Zia tribe also speaks the eastern Keres dialect. The Zia reservation is 27.3 square miles with 646 residents. Median household income is $37,583.

Only 13,000 people speak Keres but it was one of seven languages featured in an uplifting Coca Cola TV commercial during Super Bowl 2014.

The main Zia pueblo is miles away from US 550. It seems that most Indian communities are intentionally away from the highway.

The Zia are most famous for the Zia sun symbol which is on the New Mexico flag. The Zia seem proud that white people have adopted their sun symbol.

The Zia sun symbol is on the New Mexico flag. It's always red. The billboard's red ink has faded.

After turning on NM 4 I pedaled through a small Zia community called San Ysidro. No services except a Trading Post at the intersection. The town has impressive red cliffs to the north, but is in relatively barren high desert. The valley's intermittent stream doesn't provide much water.

San Ysidro Catholic Church. In the village of San Ysidro in the Zia Pueblo.

The third reservation today is the Jemez (pronounced hay-MEZ) reservation, home of the people who call themselves Walatowa. They speak a dialect of the Tewa language called Tanoan which has no written form. They are renowned runners, like the Tarahumara Indians in Mexico. The Jemez pueblo has little water and is more densely populated than the other reservations. 1953 people in 2 square miles. The median household income is only $28,889.

A billboard proclaims that the Jemez people are the aboriginal inhabitants of the Jemez Valley and Valles Caldera. The tribe now has the lowest and most barren part of the valley. White people own the higher and more forested portion of the Jemez valley. And the Valles Caldera area is now a National Preserve, Los Alamos National Laboratory, and the city of Los Alamos.

A billboard says the Jemez tribe are the aboriginal inhabitants of the Jemez Valley and Valles Caldera.

Today was mostly sunny with a high of 90F/32C. I expected to climb into cooler temperatures but it stayed warm pretty much all day. Most of the climbing was at the end of the day.

The Jemez mountains finally come into view.

NM4 passes through the edge of the main Jemez Pueblo community. I didn't wander through the town but I saw the tribal government center/court, city hall, school, and health center. A rare opportunity to see a pueblo from a highway.

NM 4 passes still more red rocks after the Jemez Pueblo, but now much closer to the highway.

Leaving the reservation just as forest begins.

I left the Jemez reservation just as I climbed into the forested region. I'm sure it's not a coincidence that the Jemez tribe was relocated to the arid valley below the forest.

More red rocks ahead as I climb into the Jemez mountains.

The climb on NM 4 had been quite gentle so far. Upstream along a small river. But now the grade is much steeper. It feels like a mountain climb now.

Traffic was fairly light once I got past the populated pueblo. Much of the traffic was obviously tourists like me.

The Jemez river appears after I get close to the red rocks.

The scenery is great. A stream is now occasionally visible and the landscape gets steadily greener as I climb.

I only stopped to take pictures at Jemez Springs. I didn't soak at one of the bath houses because I want to soak at a different hot spring upstream.

Just past Jemez Springs is Jemez State Historic Site. I debated stopping to see the ruins up close, but decided there just isn't enough daylight. So I took a photo from outside the fence. The tall stone ruin is a church that was built in 1621-1622. The stone ruins in the foreground are somewhat older, part of an Indian pueblo.

Beyond the historic site NM 4 enters Jemez National Recreation Area. It has many campgrounds, picnic areas, trails, and interpretive signs.

I didn't go into Jemez State Historic site. The tall stone structure is a church built in 1621. The stone ruins in the foreground are older.

NM 4 has several interesting attractions while climbing the Jemez mountains. I stopped briefly at Soda Dam to take a picture. A mineral spring has built a huge tufa dam on the Jemez river. It's a popular swimming hole but I only took a photo from the roadside.

Soda Dam, where an ancient mineral spring created a travertine dam on the Jemez river.

The next attraction is Battleship Rock which was a disappointment. It's a prominent rock but I don't see the resemblance to a battleship. It was created by the most recent eruption of Valles Caldera 60,000 years ago. A shady creekside BLM picnic area is at the base of the rock.

The grade increases to about 6% after Battleship Rock. I'm definitely climbing the mountains now! But after 2 miles I stopped at the big unmarked turnout for the Spence hot spring trailhead. A heavily developed 0.6 mile trail descends to cross the river, then climbs steeply to the hot spring.

Footbridge on the trail to Spence warm spring.

Spence warm spring. The main pool was only 91F. It used to be warmer.

I soaked at the hot spring for about 45 minutes, but it's not as hot as it once was. It was a warm sunny day but the main pool was only 91.5F. I soaked in the cave which was 94F. I enjoyed the contrast of being in forest after traveling through high desert.

The grade was relentless after the Spence Hot Spring stop. Only 2 miles from the trailhead to La Cueva Lodge, but it was all 7-8% grade and I was exhausted when I started.

I arrived at La Cueva Lodge at 5:45 PM and got my reserved room. $190 for 2 nights. 7700 feet elevation but the temperature was still 74F when I arrived. The lodge is nearly vacant tonight. The other guests are here to fish. The lodge is rustic. No TV but there is a stream just behind my room. It's in a steep forested canyon. Few places in New Mexico are this shady.

When making the reservation I was told that they have a food truck but it wasn't open tonight. They promised it would be open tomorrow night. I bought dinner at the store and heated it in the microwave in my room. I also bought supplies for the next 2 breakfasts because the lodge doesn't provide breakfast and the store doesn't open until 8:30 AM.

Today was almost entirely uphill. La Cueva Lodge is 2640 feet higher than Bernalillo. I enjoyed climbing into forest and having many scenic stops along the way.

Distance: 52.4 mi. (83.8 km)
Ascent/Descent: +3254/-610 ft. (+986/-185 m)
Average Speed: 7.6 mph (12.2 km/h)
Hiking: 1.5 mi. (2.4 km)

Today's ride: 52 miles (84 km)
Total: 81 miles (130 km)

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