Bicycling is my secret love.  It is not my only love, but fits right in with all the others.  It gets me outdoors to explore.

in Tijeras Canyon

For the last year my only bike has been the Landis-Trek team Madone.  It has been an absolute beauty.  I’ve had a lot of bikes before but this one is the best.  It’s comfortable, completely intuitive to ride, and infinitely trustworthy.  No flex in the frame.  It is always perfect to ride.

I even like the Bontrager saddle that came with it. Just ride.

I’ve been riding along the river trail and connecting ones such as Diversion and Paseo del Norte.  These trails are great for relaxing cruising, recovery and discovery.  And then I’ve been riding the foothill finger climbs which give me an amazing workout.   Today on the solstice I decided to head back out Tijeras and see what life was looking like on the east side of the mountains.

“Monticello: Nature and Neighbors living Together” which is nice to say, but how else would we live?

I’ve been taking a lot of rides and focusing on being there 100%.  But today with the camera back in my pocket my eyes opened up again to the landscape around me.   Photography is kind of like writing an essay or letter to a friend.  It helps you engage in the process of paying closer attention to the way you observe and approach the world.  You end up realizing the depth of what is around us is extraordinary and nuanced.  Even on a blustery and bleak winter day.

I find all the landscapes here captivating but there is something about being close to the mountains in the high country that is most entrapping.  Perhaps it is the austerity of the clear blue sky and windswept rolling terrain.  The best thing about living here is the sheer variety, from lush riparian habitat along the Rio Grande through the delicate desert to the alpine mountains, and everything in between.  I love to linger.  Take time to see!  Biking is a great way to be a small part of the big scene, this beautiful composition of living land.

This one bike takes me everywhere.  I rode it downtown, along the river, through the university campus, in neighborhoods rich and poor, on the bike path, over dirt roads, in the countryside, through the canyon, up the climbs, across the mesas, by the foothills.  Albuquerque is a great place to ride a bike throughout all seasons for all reasons.  Now my love is not so secret.