Biking For Wishes and Quest West: August 1st

August 1st
Spent the morning having coffee and breakfast with friends and then a quick stop at the brewery for one last pint before leaving Weed. My awesome friend Stephanie gave me a ride to the Sacramento airport. Thanks Stephanie!!! We made a stop on the Sacramento river about an hour into the trip to jump in and cool off and it felt great! I was sad to leave the awesome weather, my wonderful friends, delicious water, clean crisp air, and beautiful mountain scenery but was also excited about part two of my bike trip. I had a layover in Phoenix and during landing we passed through a thunderstorm that produced some pretty crazy turbulence. It was actually quite scary and when we landed there was an applause. From there I flew back to Albuquerque and got in around midnight. Got a room at Motel 6 and went straight to bed.
( No photos for today )

August 2nd
My friend Caleb picked me up from the Motel 6 in the morning and we headed back to his house for the day. I got to meet Lauren, Caleb's girlfriend who was in Louisiana when I was last in Albuquerque. Caleb and Lauren were both incredibly nice and hospitable! They let me store my bike and trailer during my trip to Weed as well as fed me many times! Today we had a delicious salmon lunch and steak dinner, both so good! Watched some movies and slept on the air mattress, nice to have a day of relaxation and friends to hang out with before heading back out on the road! Thank you both so much Caleb and Lauren!!!
( No photos for today )

August 3rd

On the road again! After having coffee and breakfast at Caleb and Lauren's Caleb gave me a ride into Santa Fe where he works. I said goodbye and after 16 days off the bike began pedaling. Thanks again for the homemade bread Lauren, it was delicious! I had mixed feelings about getting back to the ride but overall felt pretty good. There was heavy traffic and the shoulder would often drop off or disappear completely. I started the ride out with a big uphill and then most of the day was downhill with a nice tailwind, happy about that! After biking a ways down the interstate I could see a storm approaching and decided to take shelter and have some lunch in Pojoaque Pueblo. I had some of the best tacos I have ever tasted in my life! Sorry, no picture this time but they were amazing, trust me! After the storm passed I biked on to the town of Espanola which had an old west feel to it. I found what I though was an abandoned RV park and set up camp. Saw a sign that said fishing lakes and decided to go check it out. When I got to the lake I met the man running the RV park and paid the $10 fee. I was the only one there and it was very run down with no showers or bathrooms. Not sure what the $10 was for but it was a place to sleep. The two lakes were really nice, I took a rest in the shade and enjoyed the scenery. I eventually headed back to the campsite and met some "interesting" neighbors and then went to sleep with all of my belongings in my tent and my knife nearby. Fell asleep to the sound of screaming junkies and barking dogs, oh so peaceful! haha

Riding down the interstate

Very cool artwork on all of the bridges

Storm approaching

Very cool architecture in this part of New Mexico

The RV Park in Espanola

Nice spot to relax

August 4th
After patching up another flat tire and a quick coffee I left Espanola and started my ride towards Taos. About halfway through the ride I entered the Sangre De Cristo mountain range which was incredibly beautiful! I stopped off at the Rio Grande River several times to take in the amazing scenery. It was very hot out and I had a huge climb before getting into Taos but the scenery made up for it. It was so nice to be back in the woods again instead of the arid desert landscape. When I arrived in Taos I stopped at a Mexican restaurant and had some more delicious tacos. I have been eating really good in New Mexico, loving the food here! After eating a explored town on my bike and then got a phone call from the Weed Chamber of Commerce that they had found me a room donation at the Best Western Kachina Lodge. Thanks for the help Weed Chamber! I biked up the street to the very awesome Kachina Lodge and checked into my room which was super nice! Thanks Best Western Kachina Lodge!!! After a shower I took a look around the Lodge lobby at all of the amazing artwork. Really nice to stay at a place that has an art gallery in the lobby. Next up I headed down to the Taos Plaza for the free Thursday concert, "Taos Plaza Live". I was treated to two really good bands, Bone Orchard and Last To Know. They both were really good but I highly recommend checking out Last To Know if you ever get the opportunity. They were super funky and had everybody dancing having a good time! After the show was over I stopped for a beer and talked with some locals and then headed back to my room for some rest and relaxation.
http://kachinalodge.com/
http://weedchamber.com/

Heading into the Sangre De Cristo's

Rio De Grande

Friendly Rio Grande Gorge Visitor Center

Just south of Taos

Awesome Lodging in Taos!

The Coffee Bar at the Lodge

My very spacious room

Outside of the room

Pool Area

Lounge Area

Art Gallery in Lobby

People getting down to Last To Know

August 5th

Woke up early and headed to the coffee bar at the Kachina Lodge for a complimentary hot breakfast. Everything was very good and they had much more than what you usually get for a continental breakfast. I got packed up and headed over to a bike shop near the town plaza for some more tubes. On my way into Taos I had gotten another flat and was down to my last tube. Due to the flats often being on the valve stem I can't patch them and I am working on trying to fix this issue. I left Taos and biked down a narrow highway with a pretty good amount of traffic. Less than 5 miles into the ride another valve stem broke, aggravating. I biked through Carson National Forest and was very happy to be in the trees! The first 20 miles were an uphill battle climbing to an elevation of 9,101 feet! I believe this may have been the highest spot for my entire journey. The weather was pleasant today in the 80's with the wind mostly at my back. When I reached the summit I biked down the steep windy road and eventually to the town of Eagle Nest. Just before town another valve stem broke and I was now once again down to my last tube. When I arrived in Eagle Nest I made a stop at the Chamber of Commerce who I had spoken with the day before. They had gotten me a donated room at the Econo Lodge and a donated meal at Calamity Janes. I go to meet Laura from the Chamber who I had spoken with and she was very helpful and nice! Thank you so much Laura and the Eagle Nest Chamber of Commerce!!! After a stop for an ice cream cone I headed up the street to the Econo Lodge and checked into my room. I got to meet the owner Robert Curry who was also very nice. Thank so much for the room Econo Lodge!!! After a shower and some relaxation I headed down to Calamity Janes for dinner. The restaurant was connected to an old saloon and was a really fun place to eat and have a beer! The broccoli cheese soup was incredible and I also enjoyed the chicken fried steak and potatoes, yum! Thanks so much Calamity Janes, dinner was great!!! I biked back to the Econo Lodge and relaxed on the porch and watched the sunset and then went back to my room and fell asleep to a movie.
http://eaglenestchamber.org/
http://www.econolodge.com/hotel-eagle_nest-new_mexico-NM135