The Sandias from La Cueva Picnic Area.
The May weather has weirded up on us here in Dog Country. The folks up Santa Fe way got a shit-pot full of hail the other day, and yesterday we enjoyed the sort of winds that ordinarily are restricted to Wyoming. Plus rain.
But nobody in his right mind who lives in a desert bitches about rain. This adage may or may not apply to me.
Going up. …
I got a nice little ride in Monday on the Rivendell Joe Appaloosa, grunting my way up to La Cueva Picnic Area off Tramway.
Tuesday looked ugly, and I had a bunch of things to do, so I went for a short run early before the winds got busy.
But as it turns out I might have been better served by riding yesterday, ’cause today is one gray, chilly, breezy sumbitch.
Maybe I’ll deploy a cyclo-cross bike and chase myself around Piedra Lisa for a bit.
Or maybe I’ll just stay inside and try to make me some hay while the sun ain’t shining.
Tags: Joe Appaloosa, Piedra Lisa, Sandia Mountains
May 18, 2016 at 10:56 am |
Whew. When you titled it Sandia Blues, I wondered if SNL had going on a Riffing rampage. Just the weather, eh?
May 18, 2016 at 5:16 pm |
Yeah, just another example of the headline writer’s art of misdirection. It’s like kung fu. You’re looking over thataway and the sumbitch sneaks up on you from the other side.
May 18, 2016 at 11:02 am |
Gorgeous photos…
May 18, 2016 at 5:16 pm |
Thanks, Sharon. Wish I could take the credit, but it’s all due to geography, meteorology and Canon.
May 18, 2016 at 11:22 am |
Been eyeing the Joe A over on the Riv website. The fork’s crown is gorgeous. That handle bar look cool too, but is comfy?
~doug moore
May 18, 2016 at 5:18 pm |
The crown is something, for sure. The whole bike is beautiful. Rivendell really pays attention to presentation.
And yeah, the bar is comfy, especially off road. It takes a bit of getting used to, and I dropped it down quite a piece, but then I’m used to riding a Jones H-bar. They’re more alike than they are different.
May 18, 2016 at 2:21 pm |
Nice pictures, again! The weather here has also been strange. Normally we would have 80 to 90 degrees, light or no wind, and no rain right up to the summer monsoon season starting in early July. I have counted up to 93 rain free days in years past. Not this year. Damn winds started in March and haven’t quit. The jet stream continues to bring one storm after another into our little patch of paradise.
May 18, 2016 at 5:20 pm |
The wind I can do without, Pat. Dust and pollen in the eyes and snout do not a happy Mad Dog make. And we need a whole lot more moisture in these parts. Khal can tell you what happens when things dry out around here. Sha-boom, sha-boom, etc.
May 18, 2016 at 8:50 pm |
ah, yes.
http://labikes.blogspot.com/2011/06/las-conchas-fire-this-ones-upwind-again.html
May 19, 2016 at 4:07 pm |
That was a mess Khal! Smoke like that gets one thinking about moving into town. But then, we were in town and still got evacuated twice for this one. 2011 was not a good year for fire. When this one blew out we had 94 degrees, 5% humidity, red flag warning, with gusts to 60 mph.
http://wildfiretoday.com/2011/06/15/monument-fire-in-arizona-burns-or-damages-40-homes/
May 18, 2016 at 8:28 pm |
I’m a bit envious you got to ride a Joe A. can we expect a review?
May 19, 2016 at 7:00 am |
Yes indeed, Ryan … I’m wrapping the review for Adventure Cyclist magazine as we speak.
May 18, 2016 at 8:37 pm |
Rivendell Appaloosa? A video or a post post detailing all your bikes could be interesting.
May 19, 2016 at 7:02 am |
Oh, man, Rick, that would take years and cost thousands of lives. I think there are 14 bikes in the garage at the moment. Plus four loaners for review in Adventure Cyclist. I’ve actually run out of hooks to hang them on and a couple are inside the house, which annoys Herself no end.
May 19, 2016 at 7:49 am |
Shit, and I’m only up to seven and Herself, Bombtown Version, is getting annoyed, i.e., “how can a person with only one ass ride seven bicycles?”
They just don’t understand…
May 19, 2016 at 1:49 am |
Shit news about Guy Clark. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VbB5TRLF9mo
May 19, 2016 at 5:31 am |
A friend once told me they weren’t familiar with Guy Clark. I asked if he knew Jerry Jeff Walker. He said, of course, everyone knows Jerry Jeff. He was quite surprised to learn Guy Clark wrote many of the songs for which Jerry Jeff is famous. Years ago he said writing songs is not rocket science, more like heart surgery. Sad loss…what a talent.
May 19, 2016 at 7:00 am |
Bad news indeed. Jerry Jeff introduced me to Guy Clark waaaaay back in the day. JJW’s version of “Desperados Waiting for a Train” remains the gold standard.
May 20, 2016 at 1:19 am |
I have to respectfully disagree, I prefer the Guy Clark original
May 19, 2016 at 7:51 am |
http://www.cnn.com/2016/05/17/entertainment/guy-clark-singer-songwriter-obit/
bummer