We enjoyed our day off in Santa Fe. None of you are expected to feel sympathy for three grown men who abandon families, jobs and other responsibilities for 18 days days of motorcycle riding. Nonetheless, nine straight days of packing, unpacking and riding takes its toll. Saturday in Santa Fe recharged our batteries.
Our eleventh day on the road started, as usual, with packing our bikes, downing a full American breakfast and poring over maps to determine our day's route.
We decided to ride to Los Alamos and then on to Taos.
The ride to Los Alamos started with about 20 miles of interstate, which, due to the great scenery, was better than usual. Once off the interstate we took Highway 502, which provided a fabulous twisty mountain ride that took us through the White Rock Canyon and Pajarito Plateau into Los Alamos.
Los Alamos is home to the Los Alamos National Laboratory, which was created to manage the Manhattan Project, the research and development project that produced the world's first atomic weapons.
Other than the great ride there, we hoped to visit the Bradbury Science Museum and the Los Alamos Historical Museum. Unfortunately, our Sunday morning visit to Los Alamos meant that most places in town, including museums, were closed. So we stopped at Starnucks to sit out in the 72 degree sunshine and enjoy a cup of joe.
While at Starbucks, we met Jim Burkhardt, a native of Knoxville, Tennessee, who has worked for 12 years at the Los Alamos National Laboratory. He was also out on a Sunday morning motorcycle ride. He previously worked in Oak Ridge, Tennessee, at the Oak Ridge National Laboratory. He still has a lot of family in Tennessee and hopes to move back.
From Los Alamos we traveled along the Rio Grande Gorge on route to Taos, New Mexico.
In Taos we had lunch, checked into a hotel, and hit the road for more riding - an 80 mile mountain loop that took us back to Taos. That ride took us over Bobcat Pass, a 9,800 foot pass in the Sangre de Cristo Mountains. We saw snow along the roadside. Much of the route was through high plains - flat expanses surrounded by mountains at over 8,000 feet of elevation. The descent was a twisty, downhill joyride through the Carson National Forest.
Riding along White Rock Canyon
Los Alamos
Jim Burkhardt.
Downtown Taos
Riding along the Rio Grande Gorge
The Rio Grande Gorge
The Sangre de Cristo Mountains
Ranger station at the Carson National Forest
And now, a couple of flashbacks to Saturday in Santa Fe:
Jim took this wonderful picture of a wedding
party after the nuptials were held in downtown Santa Fe on Saturday
afternoon.
The best meal of Biking Bad 2014 so far was at La Boca, a Santa Fee tapas restaurant.
The photo shows Bruschetta with crimini mushrooms, cream, and fried egg, topped with truffle oil & reggianito cheese; Tuna Tartare; and golden and red beet salad with goat cheese, watercress, frisee with
sherry shallot vinaigrette.
Today we continue our exploration of northern New Mexico.
Today we continue our exploration of northern New Mexico.
