Traffic was light on the bosque trail today.
A fella can only take so much news: payoffs to North Korea, measles making a comeback, and the relentless, all-hacks-on-deck pimping of Marvel’s “Avengers” finale.
AIn’t none of that shit goin’ on down to the bosque. So that’s where I went.
It was a beautiful day for averting one’s eyes from the ongoing collapse of civilization, with temps in the 60s and 70s, blue skies, and only the slightest wind.
Aboard the Rivendell Sam Hillborne I plunged down the usual route — Tramway, Roy, 4th, Guadalupe Trail and Alameda — to the bosque. But instead of hanging a left on the Paseo del Norte bike path and starting the 1,000-foot climb back to El Rancho Pendejo, as I had planned, I kept rolling.
Just past I-40 I picked up Mountain through Old Town, then headed for home via the North Diversion Channel Trail, Bear Arroyo-Osuna, Manitoba, and like that there.
It made for a pleasant, low-traffic 40-miler. And I had enough left in the tank to air the cats and mow the lawn when I got home.
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- Look, ma, no hands.
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- Photo op south of I-40.
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- I never threatened the Tramway speed limit. But somebody did. The tribal cops had him pulled over a little further down the road.
Tags: Paseo del Bosque, Sam Hillborne
Mad Blog Media 
April 25, 2019 at 6:07 pm |
Must be nice to be a househusband. I got my kicks on the K1100RS back and forth to the salt mines. Just got home. It will have to do.For now.
April 25, 2019 at 6:13 pm |
It’s kinda weird. Haven’t heard a peep from the Adventure Cyclists lately, and I don’t have another BRAIN ’toon due until May 17. So, yeah, definitely slacking here.
You guys deep in mud season up there?
April 25, 2019 at 6:22 pm |
I don’t know. It was fine on Saturday. Sunday I did a road ride up Hyde Park. Then it was back to the salt mines and home late several days due to the usual crash and burn on NM 502 due to the rain coupled to incompetence. Maybe I’ll get the Stumpy out tomorrow.
April 25, 2019 at 6:26 pm |
PO’G: Celebrate and rejoice in “The Sabbatical” (TM) and congrats on a 40 miler today…..plus the lawn mowing. Cardio and whole-body…..1000 foot climb……you Da Man!!! El Patron, eh?!!!!
I help coach a NICA high school MTB team here in the Bibleburg area…..you might want to consider doing something similar there for getting kids on road/gravel/touring bikes. ???
Ride on! 🙂
April 25, 2019 at 6:34 pm |
I need to start sitting in on the BikeABQ meetings. I had been thinking about hitting this month’s session but Herself and I were drafted to oversee the neighbors’ rug monkeys that night.
Can you believe people will leave me in charge of their children? Me neither. The squirts don’t see an authority figure — they see a big, ugly, bald, wrinkly kid with a beard.
April 25, 2019 at 6:40 pm |
I beleive it. And, why should you act your age?
April 25, 2019 at 7:57 pm |
No reason to start now, eh? ‘Sides, I’m still a teenager deep down, as long as I don’t look into any mirrors.
April 25, 2019 at 10:46 pm |
Yeah, I know. I tell College Daughter that I still feel 16 (actual mileage add about 45). Wise Ass Daughter sez, “no dad, more like 12”. The apple really don’t fall far from the tree. Damn I’m lucky.
April 26, 2019 at 1:30 am |
I think it’s HERSELF they are hiring to look after rug-rats. They know how well she keeps you under control, so they figure actual children should be a walk-in-the-park!
April 26, 2019 at 7:42 am |
Yeah, she was babysitting three kids, for sure. Vanessa and I were making a mess doing art prints on paper towels with markers and slices of watermelon and apple, and Natalie was being a runny-nosed whirling dervish in one of her sister’s dresses.
April 26, 2019 at 12:36 am |
Another vote for house-husband! Here in Italy I’m a casalingo which always makes the women ooh and ahh when they hear a marito does the grocery shopping, house cleaning, etc. for his moglie.
Plenty of cycling time too, though here in Napoli there’s only a couple of rides one can do with a reasonable chance of coming back alive. But we’ll be ditching these MTB’s and heading north to open the Piedmont Cycling Resort in barely two weeks. It’ll be great to climb on a drop-bar bike again 🙂
April 26, 2019 at 7:53 am |
That resort is gonna look awfully good after playing scooter tag in Napoli, eh?
April 26, 2019 at 9:29 am |
Don’t you know it! Don’t get me wrong, this period in Napoli has been amazing, but just like living in Rome…it’s not something I’d ever want to make permanent.
Duking out with traffic will fade from memory (s it did with Rome) but I’ll never be able to look at a pizza the same way again. It’s like arancini and cannoli in Sicily, risotto in Piemonte, fresh-egg pasta with Ragu Bolognese in Emilia-Romagna…..I better stop now, dinner is still hours from now.
April 26, 2019 at 1:01 am |
Hauled out the lawnmower today & set the blade height to winter. After doing my lawns & 3 of the neighbours pavements I could feel my back complaining.
I do like the latest Semi-Rad.
https://semi-rad.com/2019/04/remember-when-we-were-young/
April 26, 2019 at 6:47 am |
Me too, Hurben. I’m 72 and having a GREAT time! 🙂
Your sandal lines starting to fade yet or is it still too early in the Fall?
April 26, 2019 at 3:58 pm |
Still looking sharp, JD. I’m managing to get a couple of maintenance days a week in
April 26, 2019 at 7:47 am |
“From the correct angle, grey hair and wrinkled skin can look far more like a privilege than an indignity.” That’s a keeper right there.
That’s a good piece. I’ll have to keep an eye on this dude.
April 26, 2019 at 6:07 pm |
Brendan is a good & very talented wordsmith. I have several of his books & years ago he posted that he had a few spare copies of “60 Metres to anywhere” & who wanted one?
I emailed him & nominated my buddy John down in Christchurch, because, also a cyclist & fellow combat veteran, climbed with us & was there when two of our friends had a mishap & fell to their deaths plus has lived through 2 earthquakes & this latest atrocity, just an all round good person & everything that I’m not
I get a call a few weeks later from John asking why has this Brendan dude sent me this autographed book?
I offered to reimburse Brendan the postage but he wouldn’t hear of it.
April 26, 2019 at 7:36 pm |
Hurben: Methinks thou dost protesteth too much. You come across as a very good person.
April 26, 2019 at 8:13 am |
Once I was young and stupid. Now, I am old and stupid. I can’t remember what happened in between.
April 26, 2019 at 8:50 am |
When do they issue the wisdom? Did I miss a meeting?
April 26, 2019 at 7:20 am |
The Sam lends itself to some comfy miles aboard eh? With a trace of snow forecast for tomorrow there won’t be much cycling for us in Michigan. Well…those of us who refuse to kit up for the arctic anyway. The only way I might achieve sandal tan lines this year might be if I paint em on.
April 26, 2019 at 8:04 am |
It’s a great country bike, for sure. Says so right on the seat tube. The long slog home made me think a little bit about weight, probably because I’ve spent the past couple of weeks playing around with the lighter bikes in the fleet.
The Sam goes about 34 pounds in its present configuration, with racks and fenders, and the Co-Motion goes 32 without. I need to man up and keep riding the stout machinery.
May 2, 2019 at 8:59 am |
Wayy’d aaah minute!….What are those pedals!?