Day 15 - Saturday, May 26th - Rest Day in Santa Fe, NM

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This week of the tour was a short one with only five riding days. In that time we rode 400 miles with nearly 12,000 feet of elevation gain.  In total we are at 935 miles and nearly 37,000 feet, 27% and 34% respectively, of the tour totals.

The elevation in Santa Fe is only 250 feet lower than when we started the week in Flagstaff, AZ. This week we will see a greater change as the elevation in Abilene is some 5400 feet lower than Santa Fe. I keep telling myself it is all down hill from here, but he next riding week is a long one with nine riding days, 686 miles and a bit over 13,000 feet of elevation gain before we get to Abilene, Kansas, the city of our next rest day on June 5th. 

 We will reach several tour milestones in the next riding week 
  • passing the 1,000 mile mark (roughly one third of the way) - Sunday
  • Highest elevation on the tour at 7,570 feet in the Glorieta Pass. - Sunday
  • Third state line crossing into Texas and Central Tine Zone - Tuesday
  • Fourth state line crossing into Oklahoma - Wednesday
  • Fifth state line crossing into Kansas - Thursday
  • passing the 1,500 miles mark - Sunday (June 3rd)
Our stops along the way are:
  • Las Vegas, NM - Sunday
  • Tucumcari, NM - Monday
  • Dalhart, TX - Tuesday
  • Guymon, OK - Wednesday
  • Liberal, KS - Thursday
  • Dodge City, KS - Friday
  • Great Bend, KS - Saturday
  • McPherson, KS - Sunday
  • Abilene, KS - Monday
Barry, Chris, Terry and myself went into Old Santa Fe today for a bit of sightseeing, a stop at the bike shop and some lunch at the Palacio Cafe. This happened to be the day of the Third Annual Lowrider Car Show on the Plaza. The show brings together lowrider and classic car fans from New Mexico, Colorado and Texas. The downtown Santa Fe 'cruise line' was shut down in the early 2000's and the car show was put together by Carloz Munoz, the owner of Munoz Customs and the New Mexico Department of Cultural Affairs, to bring the car culture back to Santa Fe.

Here are some pictures from the Plaza area and the Car Show which was pretty impressive.




When the chapel was completed in 1878, there was no way to access the choir loft. Carpenters were consulted and any solution they came up interfered with the seating in the chapel. The legend is that the Sisters of the Chapel made a Novena to St Joseph, the patron saint of carpenters. On the ninth and last day of prayer, a man appeared on a donkey with a toolbox looking for work. Some nine months later he had completed an elegant spiral staircase, the design of which was innovative for the time. It contains two 360 degree turns as it rises to the choir loft with no visible means of support. No nails were used, only wooden pegs. The man disappeared without pay or thanks and some contend that it was St Joseph himself who answered the Sisters prayers.









A very accurate description of the lowrider cruising culture, but it also works for
my climbing strategy.  Lowest gear possible and slow speed.

Sneak Peek at Tomorrow

73 miles and 3800 feet of elevation will get us to Las Vegas, NM and we will cross the 1,000 mile mark on the tour.  We will only spend about five miles of this leg on I-25 as we head southeast towards San Jose, NM before turning northeast. 

Las Vegas is the county seat of San Miquel county and has a population of about 13,300. It was established in 1835 when a group of settlers were given a land grant by the Mexican government. It was laid out in traditional Spanish Colonial Style where a central plaza is surrounded by buildings that could serve as fortifications if attacked. Like Albuquerque, this portion became Old town and New town was constructed by the railroad to the east in 1880. During the railroad era, Las Vegas boomed and quickly became one of the largest cities in the American southwest and had its share individuals with dubious characters including Doc Holliday, Jesse James, Wyatt Earp and Billy the Kid. Since the decline of the railroad industry in the 1950’s the population has been fairly constant and the two towns have been combined.



Location: Santa Fe, NM, USA

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