Friday, October 31, 2014

Something Wicked This Way Comes


HAPPY HALLOWED EVE.....


Best holiday of the year, on a Friday no less. Free frights and restless sleep provided via this list of scary-as-hell stories from reader submissions over at Jezebel.com (h/t to the Desert Babe). Happy spooky reading...


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Friday, October 17, 2014

Arroyo Washout

Two foot+ drop in the arroyo floor at the St Francis Dr. crossing
My weekend run was along the Arroyo Chamiso. I'd seen in passing that the arroyo channel was destroyed near the house and I wanted to tour the rest of the carnage. Storms like the one that produced this flood happen every couple years but they're always a source of awe and excitement.

Massive scouring and drops in some areas; other areas collecting the tons of displaced sand resulting in rises of several feet. Debris in trees at levels above shoulder-height. Amazing stuff.

On the return trip I stumbled on two young graffiti artists in the culvert of the Old Pecos Trail crossing. They called me sir. I critiqued their work and ran on. Good kids.


Storm debris at the bridge along Gail Ryba suggests the flood level was above the bridge deck

Heavy debris (entire chamisa bushes) wrapped on railroad pylons up to 6ft in height

Helpful sign along Gail Ryba:  Don't enter the arroyo when flooding
An up-arroyo property armored with willow and cottonwood plantings. Erosion minimal.
A recent Dia de los Muertos themed piece near the museums


Related Posts:
 - RAIN! - NM River Levels Spike 30x Avg Flows (2013)
 - Come Hell or High Water - Monsoon Season (2013)
 - Floods Ravage Bandelier and Cochiti Canyons (2011)
 - Santa Fe's Arroyo Systems

Wednesday, October 15, 2014

Santa Fe's First Snow of the Season - 2014

Aspen Vista Trail Oct 13, 2014 - courtesy of NM Bike N Sport
This year's first snow fell lightly on the high peaks along during Friday and Saturday's storm. Perhaps only just cold enough in the high-country for snow though nearly as cold here in town.

Accumulation was not obvious from lower elevations other than early morning views of Santa Fe Baldy. As always, the excitement of first winter marks the abrupt end for peak aspen colors. As such, the bad tempers the good, or good tempers good if you're a snow-hound.

We've been making note of the first fall for the last few years. In some cases I've noted the first fall in town rather than at 12,000 feet. If you're mobile it's all the same - pre-winter has made its mark. One added mark that parallels the snow gauges - HDD notched its four year anniversary on Oct. 1.

Yay snow!

Related Posts:
 - Santa Fe's First Snow 2013 - Oct. 12th
 - Santa Fe's First Snow 2012 - Nov. 16th
 - Santa Fe's First Snow 2011 - Sep. 10th
 - Santa Fe's First Snow 2010 - Nov. 10th
 - High Desert Dirt Turns Three

Thursday, October 9, 2014

Urban MTB Downhill - Taxco, Mexico

On the heels of Macaskill's new cycling vid atop a remote island (The Ridge), thought I'd contrast that ride with this incredible technical descent through the narrow urban alleys of southern Mexico. The rider is Australian Kelly McGarry, a runner-up at the RedBull Rampage a year or two ago. The folks that dreamed up this course ought to get a medal for straight-up genius.



Related Posts:
 - Winter MTB Descent of the Rio en Medio
 - Ski Commuting British Columbia (JP Auclair 1977-2014)
 - Macaskill MTB - The Ridge

Wednesday, October 8, 2014

Macaskill Cycling Zen

A new Danny Macaskill video is out - a cutmedia production entitled The Ridge. Danny of course, doing sick things with his bike, navigating the Isle of Skye and some stomach-turning ridgeline exposure. Not a week old the video unsurprisingly has millions of views.

He exploded on the outdoors scene a few years back with his biking mastery in Way Back Home. His kit is now fully commercialized and pinned with logos. Good for you Danny.


Related Posts:
 - Art Filled Sky
 - Ski Commuting British Columbia (JP Auclair 1977-2014)
 - Macaskill - Way Back Home

Wednesday, October 1, 2014

Acequia Trail Underpass - Queued Up

Last week's Santa Fe Reporter was the bike issue. Terrific read. Everything bikes and trails and bike shops. Lotta great stuff including a piece about the west section of the Railyard and its old derelict caboose, (a personal favorite of mine). Embedded in the article was mention of $3.8 million in Federal transportation funding that very recently became available for construction of the often discussed Acequia Trail Underpass connecting the Railyard to the Baca Street District.

This was the first I'd seen or heard of this new money. After a quick search I found a Julie Ann Grimm piece, also in the Reporter, confirming the new funding. It means that ground breaking on the new underpass/trail connector is a go, possibly in the spring or summer of next year. Planning and designs for the project have long been in place and the public comment process was completed this spring (underpass preferred to overpass). The remaining hold-up was funding, or rather, a priority mis-match in spending this great sum for the benefit of a critical yet relatively low-demand section of the trail network. The city will need to come up with $500,000 to cover remaining project costs, and this funding happens to be immediately available due to a June City Council decision to defer construction on the Alameda Underpass (Santa Fe River Trail) and instead re-allocate the $1.9 million in bond funds for that project across several smaller projects.

Coincidentally, one recipient project of the re-allocated funding will be the western-most terminus of the Acequia Trail, the connector that will feed into the Santa Fe River Trail from South Meadows Rd to ~San Felipe Rd and Agua Fria. This portion of the River Trail is an orphan section built-out last year with available federal funds targeted for The Camino Real de Tierra Adentro. This western end of the River Trail falls within the National Parks Service alignment of the historic Camino Real, and the federal dollars became available before the County could work on the surrounding parts of the trail network. An additional recipient project of the new funding will be the planned spur from the Camino Real section to the soccer fields at the Municipal Rec Complex along Caja del Rio Rd. The tunnel under NM 599 is already there, built along with the road. I've been through it but it's literally choked under several feet of tumble weeds. I imagine this new money will be used to clear out the weeds and chamisas along the trail itself, and add a few signs so you know where the hell you're at and where you're going.

Conceptual designs of the new underpass - from above and at path level.

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View Acequia Trail - Santa Fe, NM in a larger map


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