Bosque Trail take 2

View West of the cotton woods across the Rio Grande River with a volcanic cone (about 20 miles away) in the distance. It was a very clear day.

I am reminded of my son, who when we moved from the Netherlands to New Jersey, would wake in ecstsasy every morning, declaring " it's another beutiful day!" , when I in turn declare it was another beutiful day for a ride in Albuquerque. It all sounds very Mr. Rogerish, but the weather, the climate and even the riding itself is such a contrast to the draining heat, humidity and headwinds of Houston to which I am accustomed, that I have to express my appreciation.

On this ride I did the entire Bosque trail along the river, for a total circuit of 50 miles. Beyond the end of the Bosque Trail, which ends at the zoo, is the Riverside Extension which continues on for another 10 miles along the river, through some industrial areas and loops back to itself.

A bike specific bench along the Bosque trail, the metal bike is permanently attached and there is a lovely bronze sculpture with a poem about riding the Bosque inscribed on it.

Most of the extension trail ran under a tunnel of trees, with the Aquecita (access irrigation ditch) full of water from the river on one side and fields and farms on the other. At one point I distinctly smelled roasting chili peppers, a smell so reminiscent of autumn in New Mexico that I stopped and just spent several minutes inhaling. There was a factory sort of thing along side the trail and I decided and later had my sister confirm that they did indeed roast chili peppers there as well as making chili sauces. The smell reminded me that I needto buy more red and green chili powder while I am here.

The last part of the extension was less interesting as it traveled through mostly industrial areas along side one of the drainage arroyos from the foothills. There was a lot of blooming chamisa, salt bush, sage and snake weed, with an occassional batch of purple mountain asters, but for the most part it was flat, barren and paved with not much to see. The one nice thing, however, was that as I turned around to head back, I realized that it was past noon, and that I had been riding in the heat of the day without feeling overheated, exhausted, headachy or bonking. Another far cry from riding in Houston, where the last part of any longish bike trip, unless you start at the break of day, or it is midwinter, will have you riding in the mid day heat with all that that entails.

I cruised my way back at an easy 15-17 miles per hour, a jump from the previous speed that shows I am getting accustomed to the altitude. Because of the time of day, there were very few roadrunners out, but there were lots of people jogging, riding, walking dogs and children. They were all universally friendly, waved, said hello or just nodded and smiled as I passed. Another Contrast to Houston, where I ride on roads and rarely pass people but am constantly being passed by impatient, honking hostile Houston drivers.

It was a good 50 miles.

View of Sandia Crest from the Bosque bike path.