Sunday, August 31, 2014

Adventures Day 21 -23

Day 23 Lower Pine Trail from Sedillo hill, NM.
The sign reads "gear grinder" with Sandias in background

 I had never been to this trailhead and the loop I rode (Lower Pine to Pinion to Bear Scat to Pokerchip to Meadow singletrack to Lone Pine to Gear Grinder back to Lower Pine) was almost completely new to me, except a section of the Poker Chip trail.

Click here for an excellent map from FooMTB that I relied on for this ride.

Limestone topography here is a double edged sword. Limestone erodes into rounded spheroids, or blobs that have low friction and are easily dislodged from the soil. On any steep terrain, the trail loses its organic topsoil layer and becomes a minefield of loose balls of limestone. This process no doubt is helped by motorbikes, but this is mostly a feature of the local geology, the steepness of the trail (affecting water scouring of soil), and use. The good news is that few people are to be seen on these trails. The downside of course is that a decent chunk of this ride is not rideable. It becomes a bike push, not a bike ride. In between there are lovely sections of flowing singletrack, but the rock sections are to a mountainbiker what a waterfall is to a river rafter, a portage that needs to be circumvented before the trip can go on. There were many portages on this ride and the push to ride ratio was unfavorable. Some sections were fun to ride without dismounting too often, but I have not pieced them together yet.

Rocky ledges near the trailhead are an omen of things to come


Meadow sections of the trail were inviting, but I should have known better. The Gear Grinder trail really is unrideable. While I was riding/hiking it, I exclaimed (or cursed) out loud for it to end. It did, eventually, at the Lower Pine trail.
Nice meadow section before the pain

A view of Cedro Peak and Sandia Mountain from the Pokerchip trail

 Day 22 Bear Scat Trail to Harry's Trail. This ride was accessed from Juan Tomas Road. The forest service sign to the left of the trail marker says no motor vehicles allowed. Naturally someone scratched that off, and removed another "no motor vehicles" sign on the trail (which I restored). The trail was full of motorbike tracks. Harry's is a very nice trail with a few eroded sections full of limestone boulders to be negotiated.
Bear Scat and Harry's Trail Intersection

Meadow on Harry's Trail
A beautiful meadow, of course filled with wildflowers beckons towards the hills to the North. I took a connector trail that descended towards a neighborhood to the Northwest. I imagine it links with a road near Sedillo hill.  A number of unmarked side trails will have to wait for another day.
East towards the Great Plains from Bear Scat trail near the Juan Tomas Rd Trailhead. 


 Day 21 Yucca Mountain. On this day I did a warm up ride at Gutierrez Canyon with riding partners Sandy and Diane. In order to have 100 unique rides, I followed it up with the southern-most ride north of the freeway. This includes trail 66 and Yucca mountain, a granite knob so-named for a stainless steel yucca sculpture that looks disturbingly like a collection of missiles welcoming travelers on I40 to Albuquerque.
Yucca sculpture on Yucca mountain. I40 in the background

Trail 66 accessible from trail 365 or Camino de la Sierra TH.
 On this day the trails surrounding Yucca mountain were as gorgeous as I'd ever seen them.
South with Yucca Mtn on the right
Looking East


 Wildflowers and new growth gave the area a warm glow at sunset.


On Yucca Mountain

















Thursday, August 28, 2014

Carnuel and Longview

Day 20 Longview Road Trailhead

To get to this site in the East Mountains, drive East on Old Route 66 from Albuquerque, head West on 5 hills, and then left on Longview Rd all the way to the end. The views are indeed magnificent. However, the trails in parts are badly eroded from our recent heavy rains and some sections, especially over loose limestone, were excessively rocky from a combination of erosion and ORV use over the years. I found 6 miles of rideable trails that were not too bad. Still I am sure you'd agree, the scenery on a late summer day is fantastic in this area.
No sign at the Trail head.


View of the Sandias from the East

Simpsons Clouds


Day 19 Carnuel

This site is one of the closest to my house, but I rarely explore here, because the singletrack is mostly lacking. It links with the 4 Hills trails that I featured earlier. There is one word to describe this area: potential. Maybe two words, unmet potential. There is running water, cottonwood trees, and amazing views! But little good singletrack and far too much 4-wheeler erosion.
Trail head off of old 66 with Four hills in the distance


View to the East
Spectacular view to the West

Tuesday, August 26, 2014

Coyote and Embudito Trails

Mountain ride Day 18 Embudito




Embudito Trailhead


The Embudito trailhead in the foothills trail system is probably the most popular place to ride or hike in Albuquerque. Today I saw a grand total of three other riders (compared to zero for yesterday's ride which is typical for non--weekend rides in the East Mountains). I bet the trailhead will be packed this weekend though. Rides here are on the eroded granite substrate making up most of the Sandia foothills. The rides are fast and fun, without excessively steep climbs and little rock to negotiate. Overall an A+ ride. I just don't go here often because I prefer solitude...

Mountain ride Day 17 Coyote
Coyote TH


Coyote Trail to Coyote Split Trail. Rain turned me around on this ride, that plus the fact that it was getting dark. I discovered that rain can make even a blasted out rocky ride like the Coyote trail fun for mountain bikes. In recent summers, erosion from trail bikes, dying trees, and drought have made for a sometimes lunar landscape. Now grass has grown, flowers are springing up, and the trail is nicely packed down, making for good riding and good scenery. The Coyote Split trail is less than a mile long, branching from the main Coyote trail. The split trail is narrow, with sandstone features making for some interesting and slightly technical riding, but mostly super fun.
Turnoff to Coyote Split Trail



Split trail

Monday, August 25, 2014

Ride 16 San Anonito Open Space

Prashanth Setty and I set out to explore the San Antonito Open Space in Cedar Crest today. Its trails are accessible off of Ridge road from North 14 in Cedar Crest.
Here is Prashanth enjoying the singletrack - packed sand with some loose sandstone, in this little-known part of Albuquerque Open Space. The trail that goes to the Northwest extends a good distance along a moderately steep and rocky ridge. Typical New Mexico riding in that the trail was relatively narrow and sometimes indistinct. Not another soul to be seen.

Saturday, August 23, 2014

Wilderness First Aid course for the New Mexico Wilderness Alliance

The New Mexico Wilderness Alliance and the UNM Austere and Mountain Medicine joined forces this week for a Wilderness First Aid Class




Trevor teaching Tina and other New Mexico Wilderness Alliance staff members:


NMWA staff participating in patient scenario:
Angel survived, thankfully.

Above: Trevor teaching the use of tourniquets in the Albuquerque Foothills Open Space
Below: Me teaching splinting and joint immobilization
 Discussing anaphylaxis and the use of epi-pens:


Cervical spine immobilization with a SAM splint:

 Trevor showing how to transport a patient:



We had a successful event to be followed by additional wilderness medicine training. For further reading, here is an excellent wilderness blog authored by NMWA's communications coordinator (pictured above).


Four Hills, San Pedro Creek, Gutierrez Open Space

Day 15 Four Hills (Manzano Open Space). Although the Albuquerque Foothills get all the attention, across Interstate 40, the Four Hills area has a pretty big slice of open space, extending to Carnuel to the North and to the Kirtland AFB to the South. It is a little disconcerting to know that nukes are stored in the AFB bunkers, but the terrain here is surprisingly pretty:


Day 14 Exploring the Arroyo - San Pedro Creek from Golden Open Space

There are some rideable trails that extend from the Golden Open Space into San Pedro Creek. This area is State and BLM land. Some trails have clearly been used on occasion by mountain bikes and
horses and hikers.







Perhaps the arroyo is not the safest place to be on a rainy day - it rained on my way out - but it makes for rare conditions allowing easy travel on the sandy soil. I saw evidence of mule deer, coyote, and maybe elk. No people. 








Exploring Gutierrez Canyon - Day 12 and Day 13

Gutierrez Canyon Open Space is a gem that offers two loops. None of the individual trails area named, and the bigger loop goes outside the open space through a Cedar Crest neighborhood.

Here is the view of Cedar Crest with the sun coming over the Sandias near sunset:

Tuesday, August 19, 2014

New Mexico Rides 10 and 11

For the 100 rides in 100 days project, I am not taking any days off. So when I work a 12 hour day shift, my riding opportunities are limited. For Day 10, I rode on the sandy washes and doubletrack near the Sandoval Regional Medical Center in Rio Rancho.


The dirt road apparently has a name on Google maps: Cartegena Road.

It was surprisingly pretty terrain and rideable despite the sandy substrate.

On Day 11, I just explored  the Capulin Snowplay Area near the Sandia Ski Area.
Te elevation starts at 8700 feet and goes up from there, so the riding could not be any different from the previous days ride.



These trails are made to be bombed down, not ridden up, so I spent much time pushing my bike. I was rewarded with great aspen views.
The trail meets up with the 10K trail, where I paused at 9800 feet elevation before crossing the road and beginning my descent on the 10K south and cross country ski trails that lead to the 9 mile picnic area.
Next time, I would definitely ascend on the South side of the road and return on the North.
Both ways are steep, but options exist to make the ascent more gradual on the South side.

Sunday, August 17, 2014

Mountain Bike New Mexico - Rides Days 7-9

Day 7 - Albuquerque Public School Mud Spring Trail. Permission is required for this ride. Call the number listed on the photo if you want to visit.


Wildlife on this ride included a miniature horned lizard.


Quite frankly this ride is better hiked than ridden, because most of the connector trails - like a beautiful one to the Faulty trail - go into designated Wilderness areas (no bikes allowed, really.)


This ride was followed by another entry into the National Forest (non-Wilderness and bikes allowed) from Ranch Rd off of North 14 in Cedar Crest - The trail enters off of Pinyon Road. Permission is technically required to enter this way too, and access is easier from the Cienega horse bypass trail and Cienega parking areas. Those spots are currently closed for forest thinning but will be the topic of future posts. This area links to the Faulty trail by way of the Armijo trail. A variety of unnamed trails also exist in this area which is nice for exploration and solitude.




Day 8 - Back to Golden Open Space with friends. Golden is flanked by BLM land in tan and State land in blue. It is surrounded by private holdings and is located just to the West of the Cibola National Forest.


Warm day and humid, since it had just rained. But an excellent day to ride in a special location with friends. (Forgive the sweat on the camera lens)




Spectacular light on the sandstone formations and sparse vegetation.


Factoid - Golden Open Space was one of the first Albuquerque open space areas set aside, in 1964!


We were able to complete a loop by riding in the rain saturated arroyo, making this ride technically different from the one posted earlier. The arroyo and the trails showed evidence of much recent erosion from our monsoon rains. Not safe in or near a rainstorm, certainly! However, on this day, it was a real treat to ride in the arroyo through sandstone formations.

Day 9 - Gutierrez Open Space, this is a 700+ acre set aside natural area, which is also part of the Albuquerque Open Space network.


These are excellent, excellent, excellent trails. I visited this area to day with Matt DiFrancesca, visiting emergency medicine medical student and wilderness medicine instructor.






We accessed Gutierrez Open space from Gutierrez Canyon road, off of Old 66 near Tijeras New Mexico. Click below for directions and a map.

Smiles abound on one of the nicest sections of singletrack in the Albuquerque area, and one of the best singletrack descents! We'll be back to this area for sure.