July 3, 2021 to July 6, 2021
Police did not take me to prison
ABQ's good people
Saturday morning plan to "spruce up" the filthy interior of the Red Yukon I thought would take an hour. The steering wheel was tacky, the control buttons and handles were filthy and there was dried splashed drink residue splotched front to rear. The spruce up decontamination necessitated four hours of elbow grease and thankfully in the end smelled better, too.
Packed my bicycle and gear in the Red Bus and stopped at AutoZone for a Bluetooth phone adapter, phone mount, license plate bulbs, floor mats and a seat cushion. On the road to Albuquerque!
The 2 ½ hour ride from Taos to ABQ was smooth with the exception of noticable pulsating front brakes. Planned to find a brake specialist on Monday in ABQ to turn the brake rotors.
Joined my college friend for dinner before reaching the hotel and slept like a rock.
Sunday, Independence Day 7/4/2021. Began with a wonderful hike through the Sandia Mtn foothills, followed by an excellent hot hot road ride spin, and then BBQ party with friends. Isolated rain storms over the Sandias produced a double rainbow and brought winds that ended our fireworks display. The ride to the hotel had a new twist where the Red Yukon Bus drove horrible, seemingly stuck in 3rd gear. With the headlights on the right turn signal made the bright lights flash, and the wipers and squirters stopped working.
Monday early morning I enjoyed a hike in the Sandia foothills. Called the dealer and asked if the 15 day 500 mile used car warranty could be used locally or if I needed to limp drive back to Taos for service or refund. I was told to work with local mechanic Frank. He was awesome. Replaced brakes, resurfaced disks and fixed the parking brake. Worked with the dealer to have the repair covered on the warranty. Diagnosed the transmission was stuck in 3rd gear, and set me up to meet with local transmission experts on Tuesday, and told me that the turn signal switch needed replacement.
With time to kill before the transmission service the following day, I drove to the local automotive junk yard. 98F blistering midday sun and armed with my bicycle tools and small Leatherman, I slummed in the junkyard. Cannibalized a used turn signal, some missing door reflectors, a better trailer harness plug, a few rubber cup holder mats and a gas tank cap with an attached plastic retainer cable. Total jackpot at the junkyard!
Took the bounty of junkyard parts and my car stuck in 3rd gear and drove up into the slightly cooler foothills to install the parts. Local hikers and bikers saw me pull up in the limping Yukon, and proceed to dismantle the dashboard and steering column to install the turn signal replacement. I think my activity worried the good people because two ABQ Police Squad vehicles sped up to my location and asked for an explanation. I showed them the purchase papers, receipts and recanted a portion of the bicycle saga and the officers seemed satisfied. Didn't have to go to jail. Finished installing the turn signal stalk, and the car got locked into anti-theft mode. Watched a few YouTube flicks that explained how to clear the alarm, and POOF, the car started with functional turn signals, wipers, squirters and cruise.
Tuesday I met Bob at the transmission shop. They were super busy and squeezed me in late in the day. Read the computer codes and thought it might be a faulty harness. Dropped the transmission pan and it was loaded with brass filings and sludge and was not repairable. Called the dealer who approved payment for a rebuilt transmission. One more ABQ hotel night and the Big Red Bus will be ready to go tomorrow afternoon.
Albuquerque is a big city with beautiful hot weather, blue skies, mountains, the Rio Grande and a diverse population. I've been fortunate to meet the nicest most helpful people. However, they're the first to warn me about skyrocketing crime, homicides, drugs and theft. I am ready to say thank you and goodbye to ABQ and get back to the more humble communities where it's safe to camp and ride bikes. Tomorrow can't arrive too soon.
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Today's ride: 16 miles (26 km)
Total: 583 miles (938 km)
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