I took over 200 photos today with my seven year old Canon A530 and most of those ended up being photographs of infrastructure.  I’m creating a new category on the blog called “bike sense = design + education” to help convey a better sense of the challenges bicyclists face on the roadways to help us evaluate and analyze riding situations so every road user can think critically and employ best judgment to make safer decisions.  But first here’s my post on today’s ride around the Crest through Placitas with a full ascent to the top.

Yeah! After I post pics like this with skin glowing dermatologists send me “future customer’ mailings.  Let’s see, today I weigh probably 81kgs.  I took a couple days off this week.  That was terrible!  Today is the first day of training 2015.

The Sandia’s look so rugged from Placitas. I would live here but Mai says we don’t have a million dollars

Off the Sandia Pueblo road (aka 313) toward Bernaillo. I love horses. Buffalo and horses. Elk and Cranes.  And pizza.

From Bernalillo the climb to the top of the Crest gains over a mile of vertical elevation.  That’s a lot!  Although I miss the camaraderie of group rides I also enjoy following my whims and just exploring.  And taking my time doing it.  Luckily this counts as “base” training.  I had a big pocket full of food including orange, apple, golden raisins, almonds, a sprig of salt over it all.  Water.

the funky intersection of diversion trail and I-40 trail. When they finish the I-40 trail that will be a gem to get across town in a non-motorized fashion.  I like the contrast of beginning the ride in the city, chilling out through town, then pulling out into the country side, up the grand mountain, then winding around the back way home again.  Nice mix.

looking up toward San Ysidro from the Crest.

looking west from the Crest with Sandia Casino and golf in foreground, river in middle, and Mt. Taylor (San Mateo Mtns) on horizon.

Sangre de Cristo with their white caps above Santa Fe. After tonight’s storm we may see a lot more white. It’s pretty.

I am grateful my legs, lungs and heart work together to let me make today’s ride.  When I get home and look up at the crest of the Sandia Mtns and recall what it felt like to be on top up there earlier in the day it gives me a fine satisfaction.  I’m alive in this wonderful world.