On a beautiful October afternoon with the temperature a perfect 75 degrees, Mai and I rode the paved multi use path that follows the Rio Grande through Albuquerque for sixteen miles.  The river trail is routed underneath roads with motorized traffic, so riding the trail provides for a consistent flow of smooth pedaling motion away from any stress, fumes, and noise generated by busy streets.

This ride brings a smile across one’s face

Open trail along the colorful cottonwood groves bending by the river

Rio Grande and Sandia Mountains from the I-40 Trail bridge

This trail provides a low impact transportation corridor that interlinks many disparate parts of the city.  Users of the trail share a sense of close companionship and connectivity as we soak up the infinite good that constantly emanates from the world.  Everyone enjoys having good transportation choices that enable a lower impact way of life.  Business people especially appreciate efficiency, and oh what a lean operation a bicycle is with very little waste.  It feels good to act affirmatively by taking travel options that replenish our energy, regenerate our spirits and inspire our minds.

trail and trees

first we saw two Sandhill Cranes

then we saw four Cranes

they move by an unknown choreography

It was good to be so close to the chortle of gray Cranes feeding in freshly cut fields

With the green belt of fields and forest along the river the Cranes seems to have an easy time finding food here.  It seems good habitat for people as well.  There is a poetic beauty in unifying the practical, such as transportation, with a pleasure, such as bicycling while simultaneously synching up with the bigger world of the blue green planet that surrounds us.

going places together

The trail is interlinked with surface streets (through little exit paths, designed like a walking/bicycling expressway, so cool and empowering for human powered movers) and other multi use paths to provide access to many attractions, places of commerce, schools, and employment centers in the city.  It is a great way to get to where you want to go.  And also a great way to make a trip a destination in itself.  A wonderful incentive to get out and ride.

enjoying the ride

I-40 Trail

river, mountains, bikes

The I-40 Trail multi use path bridge was dedicated in 2010 according to the plaque.  For me this part of the built environment shines and inspires with the wisdom manifest here.  Now if people want to walk and bike they have the infrastructure to do it.  It makes me feel a little more at home in this place when I see values that are important to me expressed in how we live and use the world.  I look at this and it says yes we are trying.  Let’s go!