After struggling a little yesterday, I was worried about today. I needn’t have worried. It was a breeze. I didn’t really stop until I was 50 miles in, partly because it was SOOOO COLD! I saw it get as low as 33.7°F (1°C)! I was really hoping it would go below freezing, so I could brag about how I froze in the middle of summer, but it stopped at 33.7°. Surprisingly, I stayed reasonably warm – even my feet (with Keen Commuter sandals). But I didn’t want to stop and cool down.
I rolled into Taos pretty early, and checked into a local icon: The Kachina Lodge. It has seen better days (especially the rooms), but they’re working on restoring it, and I love it anyway.
For those who don’t know, I grew up in Taos. I left in the mid-1970s (to live with my dad in Georgetown, Colorado), but Taos has always been, and will always be, extremely important in my life. In terms of cycling, my love for this started here, when my mom got me a 10-speed department store bike, and I could suddenly go anywhere. There is a straight line between that day and this one.
But this is the first time since the 1970s that I’ve been here on a bicycle. I know all of the streets within a mile of the center of town as if I rode them yesterday, and rolling down these roads brings back sublime memories of my childhood on a bicycle.
Another thing that I love about New Mexico is the food, which is unlike the food anywhere else. Normally, I don’t eat meat, but I don’t avoid it in Taos. The food is so important to my appreciation of the culture that I put aside my desire to avoid meat while I am here, and I have zero qualms with that decision.
I am taking a few days to visit friends and family, so I won’t be riding again until Sunday.
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