tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5643852581860455142024-03-14T02:13:14.285-06:00High Desert Dirt<b>running, biking, and the outdoors in
santa fe & northern new mexico</b>Desert Dirthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12413559978573420359noreply@blogger.comBlogger342125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-564385258186045514.post-69968356363751415542023-11-29T16:35:00.009-07:002023-12-01T14:12:26.880-07:00New Area Trails - Santa Fe<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; text-align: left;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi5lAKaA7czksM0t90gfFnIdQDRkeyMGRK5jBNKCrJiTQbiHMnWgwXT6lp4IUTt-URawS7QRy1DzWtYZ2W1Za5d7xX-4gERJAOE7j0ypusy7B4Y35h3UeaDXn8kj2nupYknqX7eHj2FXm46L0kZlX77f8UrdOsSQ9XK6s5YQ7FaapB5T9BU6VhGSbBlTfs/s4032/IMG_6266.jpg" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi5lAKaA7czksM0t90gfFnIdQDRkeyMGRK5jBNKCrJiTQbiHMnWgwXT6lp4IUTt-URawS7QRy1DzWtYZ2W1Za5d7xX-4gERJAOE7j0ypusy7B4Y35h3UeaDXn8kj2nupYknqX7eHj2FXm46L0kZlX77f8UrdOsSQ9XK6s5YQ7FaapB5T9BU6VhGSbBlTfs/w300-h400/IMG_6266.jpg" width="300" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Shaggy Peak Overlook </td></tr></tbody></table><p style="text-align: left;">...[we're gonna just roll on back like we never left]...</p><p style="text-align: left;">Been a fair amount of new terrain popping up the last several years. Most of it planned and permitted, some of it rogue. All the new pathways are lovely and well built, with an eye toward graceful bends and loops as well as shedding water. </p><p style="text-align: left;">I could choose to write about the best one but I won't because few seem to know about it just yet and I kinda prefer it that way. Instead I'll note the new tracks south of the Santa Fe Watershed, up Forest Rd 79, through the village of Canada de Los Alamos. The drive is shorter than to Galisteo, Glorieta, or Pecos, though the road and wayfinding are more difficult (vehicles with clearance recommended). </p><p style="text-align: left;">The really keen thing about this area is its isolation. It just won't be the first choice for most (or 2nd or 3rd) to seek out mileage or a weekend ride, certainly not for visitors due to navigational challenges, and similarly unlikely for runners or most hikers due to its distance from town and lack of a creek or water way. A note to always assume that quiet places like this are beyond cell reception, which is mostly true here except on high points and along some ridgelines. </p><p style="text-align: left;"></p><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZ9kFbd0j6jXK04HlGr_l8bOsFrlx66Y11FpyYBGLPBC1O-BRwPgkQxJwbsshieKCX3-3avB53S0am-JUOjkgi3dv0KK8IzdOrzIDs_BicaIdL2UwDVfkJ0aIzeOFQX_5xPzi11G_RVl9ossrB2durcsgqf-d5q_ccO4PYo1_YnKQ9gje7UzHeQ07H8GA/s4032/IMG_6263.jpg" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZ9kFbd0j6jXK04HlGr_l8bOsFrlx66Y11FpyYBGLPBC1O-BRwPgkQxJwbsshieKCX3-3avB53S0am-JUOjkgi3dv0KK8IzdOrzIDs_BicaIdL2UwDVfkJ0aIzeOFQX_5xPzi11G_RVl9ossrB2durcsgqf-d5q_ccO4PYo1_YnKQ9gje7UzHeQ07H8GA/w300-h400/IMG_6263.jpg" width="300" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">fucking run away</td></tr></tbody></table><p></p><p style="text-align: left;">The Forest Service worked with a few local outdoors groups to lay down <a href="https://www.santafenewmexican.com/news/local_news/ca-ada-de-los-alamos-residents-decry-new-forest-trails/article_3265d090-7b6e-11ee-8dc1-a745c48eefce.html" target="_blank">4mi of new trail</a>. Some of this connects and runs along decades-old access and wood cutting roads, to the east the network will connect down and into <a href="https://www.blogger.com/blog/post/edit/564385258186045514/7813020369465676775" target="_blank">Apache Canyon</a>. Sorta fun and dramatic until you have to haul yourself and your rig outta there. While the isolation can be rather peaceful it also can get uncomfortable if you lose your bearings or find that you're turned around somehow. Just has a different feel than the Winsor watershed - best illustrated by the ghost house which I came upon on maybe my third exploration of the area. Nothing spooky or demonic-adjacent here, nope. Curiosity drew me closer to inspect - because WTF? - however I found it to be just one of those places with dark unhappy vibes and I set to mashing pedals to quickly get the fuck outta there.</p><p style="text-align: left;">As so often happens, I scurried directly up what happened to be a leg-bursting ravine ascent. All hexes and cursed intentions confirmed. Should you find yourself at the top of cursed ascent, you'll want to bear to rider's right for a bit more hike-a-bike but also a linkup to a winding (new) mile descent of singletrack which is really first rate stuff.</p><p></p><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhtsfkptMQiQ3lc8wyarpNYpK9oBKrY_6Yo4idMZgUYIod4rhno8tRHOTvf9Pa8P2rJK4cCFTNxRvnafN4ZNsRqGWN8BLcU4eUBgEJjzs_AOHQ5AVXPYfwV6fS7HEv_8PJIE3dFjWlCDvG-DA_uEcfUfnwz-eKhqZlW1uAGWiARaQyKNt1s7r3VHvPcN1s/s4032/IMG_6264.jpg" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhtsfkptMQiQ3lc8wyarpNYpK9oBKrY_6Yo4idMZgUYIod4rhno8tRHOTvf9Pa8P2rJK4cCFTNxRvnafN4ZNsRqGWN8BLcU4eUBgEJjzs_AOHQ5AVXPYfwV6fS7HEv_8PJIE3dFjWlCDvG-DA_uEcfUfnwz-eKhqZlW1uAGWiARaQyKNt1s7r3VHvPcN1s/w300-h400/IMG_6264.jpg" width="300" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Cursed Ascent</td></tr></tbody></table><br />Riding options generally run north-south from the main parking(ish) area. There's not a good way to describe this since nothing is signed but you head up the FS 79 for a few miles (~15min from the forest service gate/signage) and this is just beyond the second of two wood-cut access roads on the right. Trail runs along and below the east side of the road. Bien aventuras perdidas. <div><br /><p></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><span style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><a href="https://www.santafenewmexican.com/news/local_news/ca-ada-de-los-alamos-residents-decry-new-forest-trails/article_3265d090-7b6e-11ee-8dc1-a745c48eefce.html" target="_blank"><img border="0" data-original-height="2733" data-original-width="2813" height="389" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgl9GoiCUH8xvOToWLaCMFNRQMkQxGiH0iZkwb8aJ0oOUNK0UWWJqOgEqniDzzfrgWO-Eu1UZVQ3qAW9mc8VzazFp_nB0OqLnVbVdRgPuGoPQhhWTvLUDWOXTAG48YvdkUHRTD_3Zj1Ow9O5FX98aMWDuMVxtCmwnKsRRGNwJa0ciEM62z-IgJi3QQFr68/w400-h389/IMG_6279.jpg" width="400" /></a></span></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://www.santafenewmexican.com/news/local_news/ca-ada-de-los-alamos-residents-decry-new-forest-trails/article_3265d090-7b6e-11ee-8dc1-a745c48eefce.html" target="_blank">First ballot Hall of Fame caterpillar</a></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiTitMJ_4UDHsVZ4-vIypZEzm3-q3HRIyK2FZyS8e_j3sJx1iw4zXi8WMmmxak_qAh_6VXNUqV9Jt3edOMWHQHgaM1YuoyNhfaFSVfzuMotGqN5MCrWcKjx7QzMv_rQPAeuwHe7hcVCgfdKI_wNDpMntYhZdT_83FyiMd_wQNtKbcFXLYV2eduT9L930Bs/s4032/IMG_6281.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiTitMJ_4UDHsVZ4-vIypZEzm3-q3HRIyK2FZyS8e_j3sJx1iw4zXi8WMmmxak_qAh_6VXNUqV9Jt3edOMWHQHgaM1YuoyNhfaFSVfzuMotGqN5MCrWcKjx7QzMv_rQPAeuwHe7hcVCgfdKI_wNDpMntYhZdT_83FyiMd_wQNtKbcFXLYV2eduT9L930Bs/w400-h300/IMG_6281.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">fucking run away</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><p style="text-align: left;"> <b style="background-color: #fefdfa; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;"><i>Related Posts:</i></b></p><p style="text-align: left;"> - <a href="https://www.blogger.com/blog/post/edit/564385258186045514/8857973472626950087" target="_blank">Adventure on the Winsor Trail</a></p><p style="text-align: left;"> - <a href="https://www.blogger.com/blog/post/edit/564385258186045514/7813020369465676775" target="_blank">Apache Canyon Trail</a></p><p style="text-align: left;"> - <a href="https://highdesertdirt.blogspot.com/2010/12/glorieta-baldy.html" target="_blank">Glorieta Baldy</a></p></div>Desert Dirthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12413559978573420359noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-564385258186045514.post-78351732921834508432019-11-22T22:00:00.000-07:002019-11-23T00:23:30.647-07:00Santa Fe's Sequoia<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg0j6HycDtdMdzFG4Py2VTIW6-wPvwwgUScQeDDM7t1XhMGt0mdetYDjIt3MnA2rUTCj4qmc2XGSDVdWR4dGakrOaNRenSit500HoR2gChr1EeCFCtDFCeUvWXpVcJwzknABaRzIFBCm_E/s1600/IMG-2801+q.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg0j6HycDtdMdzFG4Py2VTIW6-wPvwwgUScQeDDM7t1XhMGt0mdetYDjIt3MnA2rUTCj4qmc2XGSDVdWR4dGakrOaNRenSit500HoR2gChr1EeCFCtDFCeUvWXpVcJwzknABaRzIFBCm_E/s400/IMG-2801+q.jpg" width="300" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">La Secoya de la Paseo</td></tr>
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I work downtown Santa Fe these days and a new construction development just north of the federal court house caught my attention in that it will be named after a sequoia tree on the property - La Secoya at El Castillo. Well, I had no idea sequoia trees grew in this climate or at this altitude. I was doubtful and almost didn't believe the veracity of the story. Newly armed with where to look as well as direct empirical observation of this marvel of a tree I'd quickly become quite saddened that this woody unicorn was marked to be 'relocated' and quite likely badly damaged and ruined. A treasure so newly discovered, condemned to a dishonorable fate.<br />
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This monument of a tree stands as tall as a mature ponderosa, easily 60ft. Its canopy branches out in a broad and symmetric olive-green triangle, a jurrasic yuletide douglas fir. There's no such thing as uprooting and relocating something so massive - or so I thought. While reading more about this tree I see that the company employed for this relocation project is out of Texas. I'm thinking - they've contracted with an out-of-state vendor to move/kill a giant tree (?) - the cost behind this work can't possibly be justified in the business plan for a senior assisted living center, just doesn't add up.<br />
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There's more. This company out of Texas has moved larger trees - larger sequoia trees. Most recently a 110ft jewel in Boise, Idaho. The process is extravagantly expensive. I'm startled by the need to take on such a cost and equally impressed that a Board or management team has signed off on all of this. A moat is to be dug around the tree, then a steel bracing will be installed at this sub-surface level and the soil mass is then to be bound with burlap material and wire for transport. It's then lifted/floated on several inflatable pods and rolled to its new location, in this case 60ft to the edge of the lot, flush along the north boundary of Paseo de Peralta.<br />
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Over the course of this week I've watched as this process unwound just as the description above. My pessimism also worked and revised toward optimism. The day-to-day has been fascinating. In the long run we all die, however what we do while living will be the measure of our worth.<br />
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<i><b>Related Posts</b></i>:<br />
- <a href="https://highdesertdirt.blogspot.com/2018/07/where-to-hike-when-new-mexico-forests.html" target="_blank">Where to Hike During the Fire Closure (2018)</a><br />
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<br />Desert Dirthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12413559978573420359noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-564385258186045514.post-43492381107603813942019-10-31T06:00:00.003-06:002023-11-29T18:29:04.840-07:00Super Scary Camping Story - Halloween 2019I gotta spooky camping story from this summer that fits well with the Halloween holiday this week, and it goes like thissss:<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjClBAaxv8BbvnI22BjHFivnEPfW5fbx3rhRLic5wbR9C3HvE0aHTYdtdbHisPRD0oN2zgTFeylxUqX2S8SkkPAWkOjHO5PVBpsPLBEQCMGdpvkF6d8N-jBGPRoeF0FfG27len-GCDgn-Q/s1600/spooky+forest.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="272" data-original-width="185" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjClBAaxv8BbvnI22BjHFivnEPfW5fbx3rhRLic5wbR9C3HvE0aHTYdtdbHisPRD0oN2zgTFeylxUqX2S8SkkPAWkOjHO5PVBpsPLBEQCMGdpvkF6d8N-jBGPRoeF0FfG27len-GCDgn-Q/s400/spooky+forest.jpg" width="271" /></a></div>
The boy and I were out roaming and hiking along the banks of the Rio before dusk - admiring the massive cottonwoods, complaining about the thickets of willows and tamarisk, marveling at the swooping bats (go bats!). Later we were trying to skip rocks when a large splashing sound in the water caught me unaware, visibly flinching at the sound. Surprised because I hadn't seen any campers in this area, no cars at the pull-in, i'd thought we were alone. Then another loud splash from somewhere around the bend of the river. Definitely not a fish or a bird, this was a very large rock splashing into the river and I didn't care for the unease of this unusual interruption.<br />
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We go back to camp, eat our sandwiches and chocolate treats, tell stories, settle into the tent and pore over our books. Kid soon falls asleep. I'm dozing off at some point and then *WHAPASH* the splashing once again. It's dark now and I haven't heard any voices, no music, there's no light in the canyon from a fire. Who in the hell is out there and are they here on our side of the river or the far bank? I don't like having neighbors when camping, in general people are not to be trusted. Thinking maybe I imagined the last splash I then hear it again more clearly this time. Who throws rocks into the river at night? Large rocks. We couldn't hardly find proper skipping rocks on the sandy bank during our walking adventure. Dawns on me just then that a simpler explanation could be a beaver - on the Rio though? Has to be, maybe the guy is setup on one of the side-stream meanders and is just out in the current knocking his tail about. By god I'm a John Muir backcountry genius!<br />
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Relief. Beavers are cool, yahoos out lurking in the dark of night are not. I'm lying at ground level in the tent staring into the darkness of our campsite to identify these imaginary rock hurlers and literally right as I solve this first upsetting night-sound there appears in my vision something more unsettling. A silent specter skitters through our campsite - I can barely make it out, it makes no sound - I'm imagining this, my eyes not quite adjusted to the dark after earlier damping my headlamp. No, there's something out there, a black shadow of a thing. Long upright neck, peculiar head, the size of a small dog but seems to move like a crab or scorpion. Just hold up now what in John Muir's madness am I LOOKING AT!? I'm propped on one elbow, neck craning and eyes locked to the foreground just beyond the thin nylon mesh of the tent. Alien-spider-heartattack noiselessly flits back and forth outside the tent, my anxiety races toward panic, then it steps past a cloud-dimmed patch of moon light - the extended neck and odd head, it's a tail. Vaguely visible stripe runs along it. Not an alien river scorpion (holy hell that was confusing and frightening) however skunk is <i>not </i>an improvement on the less-than-great spectrum of possible campsite horrors.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-IWivHtZvtjVWuJwMwVYKX6blfr1-QcAG3zYjk9P4utomO0AaiyNia0o5J2kCcZDIcZy8uWpIaxR-nh8KJ52NjC2_yq2cOz0BGQIhdKm8SS4ULXeGc6uFW2608Fuw8MYAgjPY2OFQJKk/s1600/deadeyes.jpg" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="225" data-original-width="225" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-IWivHtZvtjVWuJwMwVYKX6blfr1-QcAG3zYjk9P4utomO0AaiyNia0o5J2kCcZDIcZy8uWpIaxR-nh8KJ52NjC2_yq2cOz0BGQIhdKm8SS4ULXeGc6uFW2608Fuw8MYAgjPY2OFQJKk/s320/deadeyes.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
I'm now certain this trip will end in magnificent misery. Skunk is sniffing our packs and food bag, it's going to chew through it all, destroy our gear, likely nose its way to the tent and spray us down before all is done. How through the many strange and rapid plot twists did we get to this ordinary but soon to be epic horror show? <div><br /></div><div>Skunk leaves the packs and wanders toward the tent, toward me. The animal was a comfortable 12-15 feet away, this distance now closed to 3ft. Like watching a fool casually play with a gun and no avenue for escape, unpleasantly unreal that it's going to go down like this. Skunk then silently trots to the kid's side of the tent, noses up close, inches from the sleeping six year-old who surely will wake in fright and trigger this DEFCON-1 shitstorm.<br />
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Then - this haunting menace, this ghostly apparition of unwelcome terror - turns uninterested, and vanishes abruptly into the brush and darkness of the surrounding forest.</div><div>
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<i>....Happy Hallows Eve....</i><br />
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<b><i>Related Posts:</i></b><br />
- <a href="https://highdesertdirt.blogspot.com/2015/10/grizzly-ghouls-from-every-tomb.html" target="_blank">Grizzly Ghouls From Every Tomb... (2015)</a><br />
- <a href="http://highdesertdirt.blogspot.com/2014/10/something-wicked-this-way-comes.html" target="_blank">Something Wicked (2014)</a><br />
- <a href="http://highdesertdirt.blogspot.com/2011/10/trick-or-treat.html" target="_blank">Trick-or-Treat (2011)</a><br />
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<br /></div>Desert Dirthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12413559978573420359noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-564385258186045514.post-12114074342164879422019-08-24T07:00:00.000-06:002019-08-25T09:47:14.512-06:00Carpenter's Pikes Peak Record May Fall<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZrsIj6t7nXzH-ezXYYwKNi72Xz3C7w9P_NewbqH8v3aC4_tuxI8GoqVCRR_5MTqrfPfzo2_z5pPTqA6tfScV3EIvisF32ezV6HKsCBcmoYGAFaxXhmtKZ52-RCtPyn2OwSrF7ASeCcFM/s1600/asceentawardsmarathon077.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="787" data-original-width="1024" height="245" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZrsIj6t7nXzH-ezXYYwKNi72Xz3C7w9P_NewbqH8v3aC4_tuxI8GoqVCRR_5MTqrfPfzo2_z5pPTqA6tfScV3EIvisF32ezV6HKsCBcmoYGAFaxXhmtKZ52-RCtPyn2OwSrF7ASeCcFM/s320/asceentawardsmarathon077.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Carpenter - in the switchbacks near the summit</td></tr>
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It's Pikes Peak weekend - not that I'll be in Manitou Springs to run. Pikes is a crazy race and it is <i>the </i>trail running test piece in the central rockies. <a href="https://highdesertdirt.blogspot.com/p/the-tough-guy-list.html" target="_blank">Steve Gachupin</a> and <a href="https://highdesertdirt.blogspot.com/p/the-tough-guy-list.html" target="_blank">Senovio Torres</a> made names for themselves on that climb and held the age-group records for years until Matt Carpenter showed up and cleared the board. His top mark, un-threatened now for more than 25yrs, is 3hr 16.5min.<br />
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This weekend spaniard Kilian Jornet plans to be on the line for Sunday's marathon to challenge this storied mark and hoist his name to the top. Running friends in Colorado have been discussing this topic for weeks, a serious record attempt by a champion runner, this could go. Jornet is the toughest trail runner the world has seen though he generally specializes in grueling all-day distances and technical courses at high degrees of difficulty. Pikes Peak is relatively short and manicured in comparison (26mi w/ 7.6K of climbing and descent).<br />
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The biggest hurdle in a race this short will be familiarity with the trail and whether he can piece together the footing sequences on the ascent to match Carpenter's turn-around time. The top runners will wire these tight sections to memory then surge through during the race to break their chasers. It will be equally necessary for a serious run at the record. Seems very silly to cast doubt on Jornet but I just don't think he can match peak-Carpenter on the climb, I do think he can get it done somehow with a screaming descent, perhaps strong enough to nick 10-20sec from the standard. All very exciting for a niche event that has seen some of the best come and go and gotten nowhere close to Carpenter's mastery of this climb. Toughest trail record their is.<br />
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<i><b>Related Posts:</b></i><br />
- <a href="https://highdesertdirt.blogspot.com/p/the-tough-guy-list.html" target="_blank">The Tough Guy List</a><br />
- <a href="https://highdesertdirt.blogspot.com/2010/12/pikes-peak-ascent-race-report.html" target="_blank">Pikes Ascent - Race Report</a><br />
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<br />Desert Dirthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12413559978573420359noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-564385258186045514.post-84683688994927828582019-06-28T06:30:00.000-06:002019-06-28T09:46:57.971-06:00Early Morning Outings<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjNGgOI1IULuJr9L-iLJH8LNg1vP7e_hB1MuHgjySaT0EdnUByCwR698CozM6yvR2IxrqHN9lneyaJam9nyUKKFWK0r_6Ls1GBT6HtM5FebjBnCH5Wg5-YX2VsKS7Cpc2-EQxcCe2rp4Ho/s1600/St+Johns+Saddle.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjNGgOI1IULuJr9L-iLJH8LNg1vP7e_hB1MuHgjySaT0EdnUByCwR698CozM6yvR2IxrqHN9lneyaJam9nyUKKFWK0r_6Ls1GBT6HtM5FebjBnCH5Wg5-YX2VsKS7Cpc2-EQxcCe2rp4Ho/s400/St+Johns+Saddle.jpg" width="300" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">North Moon Mtn - Picacho to the East</td></tr>
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New running program coming along swell. Re-visiting many old trails and running routes is actually quite nostalgic. In many places there are tree branches and undergrowth that have crowded out sections of trail - I carefully prune parts of it back week-by-week as the miles build. It's all oddly like slow-piloting a time machine (emphasis on <i>slow</i>). A stop action animation film gradually reversing the aging process of both myself and my friendly trails.<br />
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The tendons in my toes and feet are often quite sore from the new work, my shoulders ache from the arm carriage. Quite a mess, but very nice to build back what was once lost. Into the sixth week now and have shed five-lbs (solid 18mos of Dad years), sayanora lethargy and inertia. I enjoy the little is active in the early morning but the birds.<br />
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Excited for what the summer may bring.Desert Dirthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12413559978573420359noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-564385258186045514.post-39996692876030969922019-06-11T12:00:00.000-06:002019-06-11T15:34:18.036-06:00A Return to the Trails<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgrCcacVf7llcByYuq8czgRMtHcS3iMddZ58tVbaOhDmlZDX-o-rpgSaIfKTPDLVNJxjIM4c4mcS7ZEq0BqFiBODJ12mkn_spKipdIfsQKVTIZEnvjfoKf3SP0fLHi8Nbn7WHC-CWHexm0/s1600/DSC_0194.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="900" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgrCcacVf7llcByYuq8czgRMtHcS3iMddZ58tVbaOhDmlZDX-o-rpgSaIfKTPDLVNJxjIM4c4mcS7ZEq0BqFiBODJ12mkn_spKipdIfsQKVTIZEnvjfoKf3SP0fLHi8Nbn7WHC-CWHexm0/s640/DSC_0194.JPG" width="360" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Winsor Trail with eastern sun and cloud</td></tr>
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I've returned to running again. A busy work and family life shifted priorities elsewhere. Work obligations take over for months each Spring and we compounded the bottleneck this year with a second child that arrived in late March. One finds when they're away from activity that it's quite natural to settle into a state of entropy. Injury and time constraints create challenges but at the end of each day it's the inertia of doing nothing that slowly takes hold.<br />
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What is missed most deeply of course is the time spent being outside - that sights and sounds of daily adventure and exploration. I'm prodded along now with some urgency to get moving again because I've reached a hard and awkward inflection point. In my current middle-age and often workaholic state I am now void of fitness to the extent that my clothes strain at the seams, and this is something I just cannot allow. I hold this ace card - which perhaps has let me defer and delay for as long as I have - hundreds of hours of detailed knowledge that by simply lacing my shoes and passing through the front door frame I can rewind most of this entropy to a happy balance.<br />
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And interestingly I find that in my regained alone-time I think about many fascinating things that I frankly must write down (laughing).Desert Dirthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12413559978573420359noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-564385258186045514.post-91276534028839649362018-12-26T06:30:00.000-07:002018-12-26T11:45:55.609-07:00South Mesa - Bandelier National Monument<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjFWJ9sfgohoCma5fGjsSiUvV6yMpq8JNIRW3iWDpXzFrmDIx2vGfxf_Krr-oJCEpGNiUnwrZonCVXfIv-rA2LvIqzR77MJAIT6qB61VtkXW9pXNSGujHE_YPTYGlZh7DWulbqmz_pHIGg/s1600/DSC_0020+%25281%2529.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="900" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjFWJ9sfgohoCma5fGjsSiUvV6yMpq8JNIRW3iWDpXzFrmDIx2vGfxf_Krr-oJCEpGNiUnwrZonCVXfIv-rA2LvIqzR77MJAIT6qB61VtkXW9pXNSGujHE_YPTYGlZh7DWulbqmz_pHIGg/s640/DSC_0020+%25281%2529.JPG" width="360" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The climb to the rim from Frijoles</td></tr>
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The snow and cold may have finally arrived this morning. Not the case the previous two weeks however which provided optimal time to hit the difficult to reach trails. My favorite, and in my opinion the most underrated trails in the area, are at Bandelier.<br />
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I generally sneak in the back at Ponderosa campground. This is because I'm cheap when getting out for a run and don't care to fork-up the $25 gate fee. However I hadn't been out in the canyons for some time and Ponderosa and upper Frijoles were nuked by the <a href="https://highdesertdirt.blogspot.com/2011/07/los-conchas-fire-new-mexico.html" target="_blank">Las Conchas fire</a> and after repeat visits it can be bleak. The visitor's center and south mesa are still forested and serene so I hit it up last weekend while still free of ice and snow.<br />
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I intended to run out to the rim of Alamo Canyon, but didn't bring a map with me and made a fateful left turn that instead brought me out toward the Rio Grande canyon. Still beautiful, and new trails are always a fun adventure, but the ups and downs of fording the easy to navigate Lummis canyon were missed as was the awe of staring down into Alamo (800ft).<br />
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On the trail there was a single pair of hiking tracks which ceased after a couple miles. Still lots of tracks though all were wildlife (!), primarily deer and coyote. Saw an anthill made almost entirely of quartz crystals which fascinated me enough for a closer inspection. On a couple of rest stops to tie my shoe I was astonished to find that the mesa that evening was soundless. Without sound. I could stand there and look around at mountains and canyons and sunset and though craning my neck a bit there was not the smallest mote of movement or sound. After 15-20sec this odd absence would actually begin to bother me and I'd run on, stopping later to confirm that it was not a trick of the imagination. The Caja del Rio drew fairly close, maybe two miles direct, however the yawning Rio Grande canyon loomed below and between. Seems the trail likely descends a break in the mesa down to water's edge at some distant point. At my turn around (45min) the canyon had aligned with my line-of-sight and stretched far to the west with a glint of the pool at Cochiti dam reflecting sparks of white with the fading sun.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjnNKiA8Uvm5WaJ9SWPaJOfZZ-Y8hfcUP9Lv7A2D4UCUG9WUYlA1Y18Ud9CW3FEkEFkcgBmptZZcGiG0zRqK_kXJQKVS8Uv4TQFvpFyJDBDJIUcJAVhL3AUQ8yCbDYg9sbISOmsB3ItGWU/s1600/DSC_0025.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="900" data-original-width="1600" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjnNKiA8Uvm5WaJ9SWPaJOfZZ-Y8hfcUP9Lv7A2D4UCUG9WUYlA1Y18Ud9CW3FEkEFkcgBmptZZcGiG0zRqK_kXJQKVS8Uv4TQFvpFyJDBDJIUcJAVhL3AUQ8yCbDYg9sbISOmsB3ItGWU/s640/DSC_0025.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The Sandia uplift and Rio Grande canyon at center. Does not convey how sharp this view looks in person.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjoNItND1jeWhyAv162H_ZGWGGt0qUAnSFAZMp7qgEAyXVb4Dvu6F4mJU9r2SVoaM8I7ETU-WP-T04r4kc_kZ8M_pcrgaL1xODfE8_VmkVXeIyRIeDGnrbDiYIt77cHEo_TUYX-Tqc9zeE/s1600/DSC_0028.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="900" data-original-width="1600" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjoNItND1jeWhyAv162H_ZGWGGt0qUAnSFAZMp7qgEAyXVb4Dvu6F4mJU9r2SVoaM8I7ETU-WP-T04r4kc_kZ8M_pcrgaL1xODfE8_VmkVXeIyRIeDGnrbDiYIt77cHEo_TUYX-Tqc9zeE/s640/DSC_0028.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Snow on the San Miguels, juniper, cloud, and sunset</td></tr>
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<b><u><i>Note (12/26):</i></u></b> The Monument is closed during the current government shutdown. I'd imagine there's access at Ponderosa and Frey Mesa. Perhaps Upper Frijoles off FR 289. The current snowstorm may make this a moot point for the next several days in any case.<br />
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Trail map, lower Alamo Trail: Bandelier Natl Mnmt < https://www.strava.com/activities/2021098426 ><br />
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<b><i>Related Posts:</i></b><br />
- <a href="https://highdesertdirt.blogspot.com/2015/02/bandelier-celebrates-its-99th-year.html" target="_blank">Bandelier Celebrates 99 Years (Feb 2015)</a><br />
- <a href="https://highdesertdirt.blogspot.com/2012/04/bandelier-national-monument-and-lummis.html" target="_blank">Bandelier and Lummis Canyon (Apr 2012)</a><br />
- <a href="https://highdesertdirt.blogspot.com/2012/04/frijoles-canyon-in-recovery-bandelier.html" target="_blank">Frijoles Canyon in Recovery (Apr 2012)</a><br />
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<br />Desert Dirthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12413559978573420359noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-564385258186045514.post-23551564011524077972018-07-08T14:57:00.004-06:002018-07-09T16:25:39.432-06:00Where to Hike when New Mexico Forests are Closed?<a href="https://sfct.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/06/Dale-Ball-Trails-Map-showing-Closures-June-1-2018.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="693" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEho4D7s5OItLMpBTBIhVhlloFPQZ9eoDiVWT7YNm0ubRwsQy6yjldF4HtubamYsctVNvfN2FBBIv41vaEnEmaNiJs8HFlMEZ5Dvax7evXeGziJIQCuSBLzDO7d2KwS2tYdV44Cha4mhqXU/s400/Dale-Ball-Trails-Map-showing-Closures-June-1-2018.jpg" width="172" /></a>The forests have been closed for the last 5 1/2 weeks due to extreme fire danger, though <a href="https://nmfireinfo.com/2018/07/07/santa-fe-national-forest-opens-monday-july-9/" target="_blank">the Santa Fe National Forest plans to re-open tomorrow (July 9)</a>. The Carson National Forest and most of the Cibola National Forest districts have been closed as well. Where to hike and where to camp when all is shut down? Many hours were spent thinking through this problem and I reason it's a good tool for the next go around to share what I've found.<br />
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One of the premier underrated hiking trails in town is Canyon Road after sundown. No people, few cars, incredible back-lit windows framing rooms awash in color and artistry. Stop for a drink at the bar of your choosing before the return trip. Solitude, beauty, introspection - checks all the boxes. A more practical underrated trail for morning-folk is along the Santa Fe River from Delgado to Palace Ave. This route parallels Canyon a block to the north, is a true trail, and follows the river which often has at least some trace of water and murmuring current (present status: dry). At its mid-point the trail fords a rickety bridge-crossing to the new promenade along Alameda and a footpath will bring you back down along riverside. Stop at the Teahouse on Palace for coffee and pastry (available to go) then slow-walk back via trail or the morning gallery aesthetic on Canyon. We live in a nice town, it's a joy to take in this gem of a loop. Less creative alternatives are <a href="http://highdesertdirt.blogspot.com/2010/11/arroyo-hondo-open-space.html" target="_blank">Arroyo Hondo</a> and <a href="http://highdesertdirt.blogspot.com/2013/03/winter-sunrise-and-la-cieneguilla.html" target="_blank">La Cieneguilla</a>.<br />
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Where to camp? Those besides myself that were sifting available options surely realized this required deeper thinking, namely as to what land is managed by which public agency. Most state parks remained open through the closure, Hyde Park and Fenton Lake excepted. Cerrillos Hills and La Cieneguilla state parks are day-use only. Villanueva state park along the Pecos was on my tick list but availability was limited on weekends. All of the Caja del Rio was closed (National Forest). Chama river, closed (National Forest).<br />
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<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiXY4N5zXIgnwo0E1KJ6c1KzX-0jJLYvp9OHOqbyE4yoxopssxMWBzxavCPu4FzP76I6I7qaV6xrBxzgvC6rA681ghSnAAYDRbDTb28bb_8tO1kYmUu9lfDbhrWhbNZjK0-usYjNS9XT1o/s1600/DSCN4288.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiXY4N5zXIgnwo0E1KJ6c1KzX-0jJLYvp9OHOqbyE4yoxopssxMWBzxavCPu4FzP76I6I7qaV6xrBxzgvC6rA681ghSnAAYDRbDTb28bb_8tO1kYmUu9lfDbhrWhbNZjK0-usYjNS9XT1o/s400/DSCN4288.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Mrs. Dirt, strolling riverside on the footpath</td></tr>
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Bandelier backcountry and wilderness area were closed, though camping remained open at the Juniper and Ponderosa campgrounds. Much of the value of Ponderosa was limited in that the nearby <a href="http://highdesertdirt.blogspot.com/2012/04/frijoles-canyon-in-recovery-bandelier.html" target="_blank">Upper Crossing Trail</a> was closed. BLM is federal land but managed by each state which meant that BLM remained open. Local BLM access includes Diablo Canyon where the camping at the few developed spots was open. Access to the nearby Rio Grande however was closed (National Forest). The Rio Grande Gorge and Rio Grande del Norte National Monument were the most extensive outdoor areas open during the closure (BLM). Wider afield, the wilderness areas west of Albuquerque remained open as did the Sabinoso wilderness east of Vegas. Pecos, San Pedro Parks, and Sandia wilderness areas were all shuttered for the reason that all three are within the boundaries of either the Santa Fe or Cibola National Forests.<br />
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My last note here really ought to reinforce the underlying point of all this: Don't use fire in the forests. Don't scavenge for wood, don't pack in logs, don't burn things when surrounded by thousands of acres of latent fuel. Campfires in the backcountry are unnecessary and harbor the potential for catastrophic damage to the forests and watersheds. Be a good steward, change your habits if you haven't already.<br />
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<b><i>Related Posts:</i></b><br />
- <a href="https://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=564385258186045514#editor/target=post;postID=5708578902329705942;onPublishedMenu=allposts;onClosedMenu=allposts;postNum=1;src=postname" target="_blank">The Borrego Fire: Nambe Creek - TR 160</a><br />
- <a href="http://highdesertdirt.blogspot.com/2012/07/scouting-new-mexico-running-trails-by.html" target="_blank">Scouting New Mexico Running Trails by Plane</a><br />
- <a href="http://highdesertdirt.blogspot.com/2013/06/santa-fe-forest-closed-for-fire-season.html" target="_blank">Santa Fe Forest Closed for Fire Season (c. 2013)</a><br />
- <a href="https://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=564385258186045514#editor/target=post;postID=9166434204470925870;onPublishedMenu=allposts;onClosedMenu=allposts;postNum=35;src=postname" target="_blank">The Santa Fe River Trail</a><br />
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<br />Desert Dirthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12413559978573420359noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-564385258186045514.post-34439070848240586592018-01-15T18:21:00.002-07:002018-01-15T18:21:50.976-07:002018 New Mexico Outdoors Calendar<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiRWl94zeCCeFJSmMknun6oSKIA6udidiMEudSoxXScVmgo6ILcs9BBBbora2d8oBf9wcdJdjHiPkwKf4uWUnxU5QgCNvY7OIHYA0nLia8O-F857d7LIYyoe-PbBuvyksZxODwt5Cr58Xw/s1600/west+rim+trail.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="637" data-original-width="359" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiRWl94zeCCeFJSmMknun6oSKIA6udidiMEudSoxXScVmgo6ILcs9BBBbora2d8oBf9wcdJdjHiPkwKf4uWUnxU5QgCNvY7OIHYA0nLia8O-F857d7LIYyoe-PbBuvyksZxODwt5Cr58Xw/s320/west+rim+trail.jpg" width="180" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">West Rim Trail</td></tr>
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The calendar has flipped and the <a href="http://highdesertdirt.blogspot.com/p/santa-fe-and-new-mexico-trail-running.html" target="_blank">2018 Event & Outdoors Calendar</a> has now been brought up-to-date (see Tab at page top^). Most of the year's early season events have been pushed back in hopes of snow, we'll see if the storms are late to arrive or pass us by.<br />
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The <a href="http://www.usatf.org/Events---Calendar/2018/USATF-Indoor-Track---Field-Championships.aspx" target="_blank">U.S. Indoor Track & Field Championships</a> is back for another go at the Abq Convention Center. Love this event so much. One season-changer finds the fledgling Outside Bike & Brew event here in Santa Fe jumping from May into early September.<br />
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Big additions to the calendar or events that have ceased operations? None that come directly to mind. Announcements or listings welcome at highdesertdirt at gmail dot com.<br />
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<b><i>Related Posts:</i></b><br />
- <a href="http://highdesertdirt.blogspot.com/p/santa-fe-and-new-mexico-trail-running.html" target="_blank">2018 Outdoors Calendar</a><br />
- <a href="http://highdesertdirt.blogspot.com/p/17-race-calendar.html" target="_blank">2017 Outdoors Calendar</a><br />
- <a href="http://highdesertdirt.blogspot.com/p/2016-new-mexico-trail-running-and.html" target="_blank">2016 Outdoors Calendar</a><br />
- <a href="http://highdesertdirt.blogspot.com/p/15-race-calendar.html" target="_blank">2015 Outdoors Calendar</a><br />
- <a href="http://highdesertdirt.blogspot.com/p/blog-page_10.html" target="_blank">2013/2014 Outdoors Calendar</a>Desert Dirthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12413559978573420359noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-564385258186045514.post-30819358325468413282017-11-29T06:00:00.000-07:002017-11-29T10:51:17.886-07:00The Nascent Rio Grande Trail Project<a href="http://www.riograndetrailnm.com/" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="915" data-original-width="683" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgsM2NO_4uJkdpmsXpfx_wRWW_XEpQ_ci2qAPThw9Snu9gSXxo38Eu5NfT4_r37bF8FDmjemVksQwhnXRx19CO2xpXigbRdZym3qzlA6nZvI8HkWrqDABWeKxttv5Q4uBe66H0a9rIXaZM/s320/RGT.jpg" width="238" /></a>In an effort to design and build-out a statewide recreation trail with the vision and function of similar trails in neighboring states - i.e. The Colorado Trail, The Arizona Trail, Continental Divide Trail - state lawmakers established a <a href="http://www.riograndetrailnm.com/" target="_blank"><i>Rio Grande Trail</i> </a>commission during the 2015 legislative session. The broad outline here would be for a multi-purpose rec trail running north-south along the Rio from Colorado to Texas.<br />
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There's a lot of private holdings in this alignment as well as significant Pueblo land throughout the valley so the expectation I'm guessing is that this will be a decades long effort which will likely have several gaps among long sections of contiguous trail over public land. This would still be a very favorable outcome compared with current status. The project also adjoins state and county resources to the small volunteer groups that build trail (generally mtb riders and hikers).<br />
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Currently there's a block of federal funding directed toward gathering public opinion, rec-user preferences, and other ideas for how people envision use of such a trail system as well as stuff that would add or detract from the trail experience. A very cool website has been setup for this purpose, a <a href="http://voh.riograndetrailnm.com/" target="_blank">Virtual Open House</a>, where you can read more about the <i>RGT</i> big picture and contribute your own ideas and opinion toward what this thing ought to look like. The ending date is December 11th.<br />
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Go there and add your voice to this beauty of a project.<br />
<a href="http://voh.riograndetrailnm.com/" target="_blank">Rio Grande Trail - Virtual Open House</a> (until Dec 11, 2017)<br />
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<a href="http://www.riograndetrailnm.com/" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="108" data-original-width="331" height="104" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjrLh1tomSUq5gGMz-cqfqs5jIsd2xEwZtrcf5ED9BKnQgpGzmueYhwk2Bj-8HzMVK5pM05dBbE1oCSTPo82a2HTC3R-nHYHihHOxKipDMqwrZEg_c-n5NFCoq-F4SJA6kMUx9-kGdiDik/s320/rgt.2.png" width="320" /></a></div>
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<b><i>Related Posts:</i></b><br />
- <a href="http://highdesertdirt.blogspot.com/2017/02/west-rim-trail-taos-nm.html" target="_blank">West Rim Trail - Taos, NM</a><br />
- <a href="http://highdesertdirt.blogspot.com/2016/08/acequia-trail-underpass-groundbreaking.html" target="_blank">Acequia Trail Underpass Groundbreaking</a><br />
- <a href="http://highdesertdirt.blogspot.com/2012/04/bandelier-national-monument-and-lummis.html" target="_blank">Bandelier National Monument and Lummis Canyon</a><br />
<br />Desert Dirthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12413559978573420359noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-564385258186045514.post-9736395489947765782017-11-20T07:00:00.000-07:002017-11-20T10:11:44.894-07:00UNM Lobos Top the NCAA XC Podium for a 2nd Time<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiydk2HB2DTVL_NFnKwNA8Is0sfHjHBhK7zidfbzdLJsBYSYwucCpVQyDaBeM2np9K2yKFj3FNP3Y_K7b98b5nnou3TEMLWnngeSVHn-DLWm39x0j2xx770KoeEMP8Y9bGFPJiMBriXB1c/s1600/lobos.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1143" data-original-width="1600" height="285" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiydk2HB2DTVL_NFnKwNA8Is0sfHjHBhK7zidfbzdLJsBYSYwucCpVQyDaBeM2np9K2yKFj3FNP3Y_K7b98b5nnou3TEMLWnngeSVHn-DLWm39x0j2xx770KoeEMP8Y9bGFPJiMBriXB1c/s400/lobos.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Lobos champion 7; Prouse, Kurgat, Kelati, Buck, Casey, <br />
Negròn Texidor, Wright</td></tr>
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The UNM Women rolled to both the National NCAA XC team and individual titles this past weekend. Ednah Kurgat claimed the individual crown, All-American honors to the team's first four runners. The team title is the Lobo's 2nd in 3 years, and 3rd podium finish in the last 4 years, and collectively totals 8 top-ten finishes over the last 10 years. <br />
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The team was ranked 2nd going into championship weekend behind Colorado. The title hinged on the effort of their fifth scoring runner, Alondra Negròn Texidor, who crossed the line in 85th place securing the winning margin.<br />
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<a href="http://golobos.com/news/2017/11/18/unm-womens-cross-country-wins-2017-ncaa-title.aspx">UNM Women's Cross Country Wins 2017 NCAA Title</a><br />
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1. UNM Lobos (ranked 2nd nationally): 90 points<br />
2. San Francisco (ranked 3rd nationally): 105 pts <br />
3. Colorado Buffs (top ranked): 139 pts<br />
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Read all about it! We win our second <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/NCAAXC?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#NCAAXC</a> title in the last three years behind individual champ Ednah Kurgat and four total All-Americans! <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/GoLobos?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#GoLobos</a> <a href="https://t.co/JF4TrV7Yri">https://t.co/JF4TrV7Yri</a></div>
— New Mexico XC/T&F (@UNMLoboXCTF) <a href="https://twitter.com/UNMLoboXCTF/status/931955791644516358?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">November 18, 2017</a></blockquote>
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<b><i>Related Posts:</i></b><br />
- <a href="http://highdesertdirt.blogspot.com/2016/12/lobo-cross-country-continues-elite-run.html" target="_blank">Lobo Cross Country Continues Elite Run at NCAAs (Nov. '16)</a><br />
- <a href="http://highdesertdirt.blogspot.com/2016/06/new-mexicos-newest-olympic-hopeful.html" target="_blank">New Mexico's Newest Olympic Hopeful (Jun. '16)</a><br />
<span style="background-color: white; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 14px;"> - </span><a href="http://highdesertdirt.blogspot.com/2013/03/unm-lobos-crushing-it.html" target="_blank">UNM Lobos Crushing It (Mar. 13)</a>Desert Dirthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12413559978573420359noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-564385258186045514.post-48638420088159803252017-11-10T12:00:00.000-07:002017-11-29T10:08:17.147-07:00Trail Access Finally Comes to Glorieta<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://santafefattiresociety.org/" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="160" data-original-width="355" height="144" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhCQJZqXWvLs7PJ7e3Fr5eogicGeX1b5TbZ8h7wqnBUb4U-RH9AqT9rOUmc_-yKvBKVzjV-p_4Ma6twVKxu1jy7oemECEm5aPBb_IQ29FiZskxSm_OmTHCALFCKO2GIX92J9qkZ7GvcKtU/s320/SFFTS+logo.png" width="320" /></a></div>
Long talked about and now finally in motion, the Glorieta Camps trails (formerly the Baptist Conference Center) will soon be available to public access via a newly constructed trail routing around the Campus to the southeast.<br />
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Working in tandem with Glorieta Camps, Santa Fe County, and IMBA, the Santa Fe Fat Tire Society has the lead on this project and is asking for trail work volunteers as well as contributions to fund the work, setting a goal of $2,500 (nearly half funded as of Nov 10). - <a href="https://win.imba.com/digin?chapter=225655" target="_blank">Contribute Here</a> -<br />
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Continuing work on the access trail is scheduled for this Sun Nov 12, 9am SHARP at the Glorieta Camps main gate. <br />
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<i>..."We'll be working on building more of the Glorieta Access trail. We got over 1/2 of the initial section built 2 weeks ago and will be working on the rest. We'll work until around noon, have some lunch, and then ride the great trails at GC. Another sunny day, with a high forecast for mid-50's. SFFTS will provide all the tools needed for the trail work."</i></blockquote>
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<br /><iframe allowtransparency="true" frameborder="0" height="339" scrolling="no" src="https://www.facebook.com/plugins/post.php?href=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.facebook.com%2Fsantafefattiresociety%2Fposts%2F1824906557522577&width=500" style="border: none; overflow: hidden;" width="500"></iframe></center>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhNOP2MSTCEdtzH17umD00zJDJsZO9l9NF333KknfzSQvaZti9gpF4cvhe8jGfIOMaYRhCAN-IPmQVe2Z0_JS0rt6YztSYGnuj4v7jrQkQfdseF1kZZzhnswaNYLcLws5NjkEBVcfe8X3Y/s1600/GT+Access+Map.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="502" data-original-width="506" height="396" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhNOP2MSTCEdtzH17umD00zJDJsZO9l9NF333KknfzSQvaZti9gpF4cvhe8jGfIOMaYRhCAN-IPmQVe2Z0_JS0rt6YztSYGnuj4v7jrQkQfdseF1kZZzhnswaNYLcLws5NjkEBVcfe8X3Y/s400/GT+Access+Map.png" width="400" /></a></div>
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A map of the Glorieta system via <a href="https://labs.strava.com/heatmap/#12.70/-105.74144/35.59872/hot/all" target="_blank">Strava heatmap</a>. Glorieta Camps at the center there with various trails branching out and up. The orange route tracing a north-south boundary to the east is the road up to the fire lookout and to access the descents.<br />
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<a href="https://labs.strava.com/heatmap/#12.70/-105.74144/35.59872/hot/all" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="769" data-original-width="1294" height="379" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiAidJuCkMY1kEZagqJQupG0try6br0vyqEEWLUqtmWqG-LWi4EctcapzjTH26azrGoWxyK94pUW_eUzhW_To6h4X1-K313qp4oL6MCaGyArbLk9ZFA4lRGNfppApZnUr0G38rcOwOPDs8/s640/Untitled.png" width="640" /></a></div>
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<b><u>UPDATE</u>:</b> The funding for this trail project came through in a big way: $3,045 in total which exceeds the goal amount by +25% and was the top funded project of the 68 proposed projects of this year's <i><a href="https://win.imba.com/digin?chapter=225655" target="_blank">IMBA Dig In</a></i> campaign. Very well done to the good folks at <a href="http://santafefattiresociety.org/" target="_blank">SFFTSociety</a>.<br />
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<b><i>Related Posts:</i></b><br />
- <a href="http://highdesertdirt.blogspot.com/2014/09/drink-beer-support-local-trails.html" target="_blank">Drink Beer: Support Local Trails</a><br />
- <a href="http://highdesertdirt.blogspot.com/2015/05/the-santa-fe-watershed-associations-new.html" target="_blank">Santa Fe Watershed Assoc's new Arroyo Project</a><br />
- <a href="http://highdesertdirt.blogspot.com/2015/12/local-outdoor-charitable-organizations.html" target="_blank">Local Outdoor Charitable Organizations Need Your Support</a><br />
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<br />Desert Dirthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12413559978573420359noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-564385258186045514.post-62208502780118879802017-10-26T06:00:00.000-06:002017-11-28T15:42:55.475-07:00Building a BusinessIt's been quite a long year. I look up...and it's October. In fairness this is likely the best month to stir from one's desk and find waiting there outside the nearby window panes.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjWVXsi6qRLRwdWbdvt9r6ILEHtTz2r0AnKspFxONM1QvVHmtZ9cA8LrzzZPzOFJvkOAms_fDaWNz7acZiTKu2EbUqXNT6TgLFsacJIeLq0Icbd60J709Ci-mueAAEnyWLsiBb78eAj3_A/s1600/Picacho+Santa+Fe.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="901" data-original-width="1600" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjWVXsi6qRLRwdWbdvt9r6ILEHtTz2r0AnKspFxONM1QvVHmtZ9cA8LrzzZPzOFJvkOAms_fDaWNz7acZiTKu2EbUqXNT6TgLFsacJIeLq0Icbd60J709Ci-mueAAEnyWLsiBb78eAj3_A/s400/Picacho+Santa+Fe.jpg" width="400" /></a>So what the hell have I been up to? I spent my year planning for and setting up a stand-alone <a href="https://www.linkedin.com/company/18199010/" target="_blank">CPA practice</a>. As of mid-August I had officially opened my doors for business, offices downtown, trying to make everything function properly and perform a dozen different tasks each day including retaining critical clients and proposing for and on-boarding equally critical clients. All of this required working every weekend since January and beginning most of my days at an embarrassingly early hour that at first was justified as a necessity to get me caught up on the present week, but which strung out endlessly over most of the last nine months. On Monday I completed my last major project and sat down to rest.<br />
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I'm very fortunate to have an understanding wife who encouraged me along the way. Always my strongest supporter. Her professional achievements provided equal cover for me to take this risk. I'm similarly blessed with an often alarming reserve of stamina and endurance to grind through setbacks and challenges and near-nervous breakdowns. I needed all of it, the tanks were emptied. My plan today is to leave the office early, not just before 630pm but before 300pm(!!). I'll lace up my shoes and go for a run in the intoxicating light and stern autumn breezes of an October afternoon, lose myself in aimless thought and the rewards of honest efforts.
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Personal news: Recently opened my own CPA practice after parting with prior firm of 9+yrs. Massive workload first 2mos but I'm up & running.</div>
— santafeCPA (@SantaFe_CPA) <a href="https://twitter.com/SantaFe_CPA/status/923298153033433088?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">October 25, 2017</a></blockquote>
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<br />Desert Dirthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12413559978573420359noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-564385258186045514.post-29977937586754904272017-02-28T22:00:00.000-07:002018-01-06T08:26:42.498-07:00Overnight in Canyon Country Without a Tent<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQLzui3A_fetvDsneh7HBTSnpoH8ia2KXrsN6O6RFW_GsjTxsbnZBQJaEJ4T0_FdZTzff6pfFbG08hy3NSgJYkCZ_mqC9NiMtvWhyphenhyphenkUP2iIuzmAO-LANSlWMhH-3knEaKJ09f6t3nAw_0/s1600/rain+clouds.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQLzui3A_fetvDsneh7HBTSnpoH8ia2KXrsN6O6RFW_GsjTxsbnZBQJaEJ4T0_FdZTzff6pfFbG08hy3NSgJYkCZ_mqC9NiMtvWhyphenhyphenkUP2iIuzmAO-LANSlWMhH-3knEaKJ09f6t3nAw_0/s400/rain+clouds.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Rain clouds above Grand Junction </td></tr>
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I'm going to tell an old story of mine that comes to mind in random ways from time to time. The story is of a camping trip out near Grand Junction, CO, over a decade ago. I'd flown out from Pittsburgh where the wife and I were in full degree-pursuit mode, to join a few rowdy old friends in a float down the Westwater portion of the Colorado river.<br />
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I remember being unusually excited to be back in Colorado and drank waaaay too much on our three days on the river. Or maybe only just enough depending on one's perspective. One guy had converted the handle and motor of a chainsaw so as to attach a blender for margaritas. There was much fun had with this. On day two we spotted a dead calf floating in the water which set off a mad paddle-race between the two boats, a roaring frenzy of booze fueled mayhem to claim first rights to the floater. One oarsman was gamely trying to lasso the soggy fatality with a tie-rope. Somebody won and afterward we floated along cheering and taking grizzly photos of ourselves with the bloated little guy, his sad cow tongue lolling out of his mouth in all of them. Smelled like rotting death.<br />
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All told an out-sized level of fun was had as is the nature of most river trips, though pointedly none of these bright episodes carried the memory that remained over the years. After our days on the river I had the boys drop me off in the Junction where I'd planned to rent a bicycle and trek out into the trails outside of town for two days of solo camping. Figured I could find a way to the airport to catch my flight back east a few days later though that is its own fraught story of adventure that <a href="http://highdesertdirt.blogspot.com/2014/03/the-passing-of-friend.html" target="_blank">Colin</a> loved to hear re-told in subsequent years.<br />
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Bike camping went well. Found the trailhead, found a campsite, stashed my gear, then got right down to the basics of riding and exploring for the better part of two days, stopping occasionally to read in the shade of a rock and sip on cold beers from my bottomless pack. The holy trinity.<br />
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My campsite was set away from the trails. I didn't want anyone to come along and decide to take my stuff while i was off exploring, particularly since everything I had with me was needed. No spare items were packed not even a tent since we shared one along the river. For this reason I also chose my campsite because there was a sliver of a rock shelter there in the form of a very tight space under a ledge. This was not an alcove or a cave but a patio sized capstone of desert rock with most of the underlying layer of sediment eroded away. The plan wasn't to actually sleep in there, only that it was insurance and peace of mind if weather were to blow in. On the second night weather did blow in.<br />
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Clouds arrived, then the the wind, then the evening darkness, and finally intermittent rain showers. Time to wedge myself into the claustrophobic peace-of-mind shelter. I found that I could lie in there with space between my body and the rock above but I couldn't roll over. It was not comfortable but it was dry. Entombed. The wind was howling and some of the more ferocious gusts would sometimes startle me awake. To my right there was a small gap in the rock that allowed a portrait view out to the shadows of trees and rock and occasional starlight above, and I stared out and thought of things and let my mind wander freely as I'd done for several days. And then I casually observed that with large wind bursts the capstone above would sway and teeter in a slow and incredulous fashion.<br />
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Initially this didn't fuel much alarm. I'd been on a couple dozen desert trips in my life, this one alone was on day five. Rocks don't just fall over out in the canyons and this one wasn't going to either. This rock in particular was keeping me dry. But nothing about this was normal and as I drifted in and out of sleep my wandering thoughts contorted and grew dark with the many unhappy things that could happen if the stone were to give way. Nobody on the planet knew where to find me. Unlikely anyone that happened along the trail would hear me and I'd only seen a handful of people in two days time anyhow. Maybe I could dig out, how long would that take? What if my arm was pinned? Before long I'd fallen deeply asleep until at some point I'd grown uncomfortable and rolled over. I woke with my shoulder wedged against the rock, remembered where I was and why I was there, and was very suddenly chilled by the horror of it all.<br />
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'<i>jesus.</i>.. <i>don't touch the f'n slab for chrissake. Be calm, everything is just fine, go back to sleep, seriously though don't touch the rock in any unnecessary way</i>'.<br />
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Later it happens again. It takes far longer this time to walk back the panic. The wind is really thrashing the trees and whipping sand at this point and I'm not getting much rest. I am disturbed. I'm having trouble reasoning with myself because my thinking is trending toward the irrational. Paranoia rises and falls in racing thought. I manage sleep once more, then toss and hit the stone with my shoulder for a third time - all remaining self-control comes undone. I go mad. Scrambling from the space and crying out in blind terror I'm certain that I've tempted fate a minute too long and will be crushed in this final moment of delayed hubris.<br />
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Breathing. Darkness. Wind.<br />
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Nothing happens. Nothing will happen. Nothing has changed in the camp in two days time and it's entirely likely that nothing had changed in this small area in the last several centuries. In the brief span of 2-3 otherwise ordinary and unremarkable hours, nothingness somehow begets madness.<br />
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From thirty feet away I sat with my back against a large block of crimson rock and stare at the shadows and trees and the rock shelter. Calm now but making an effort to breath evenly, collecting my nerves. Sleeping-bag pulled up to my chest. Eyes blink with fatigue, staring. Wind driven raindrops rap and drum, slowly dampening both hair and shoulder. I try to talk myself into settling back into the shelter, out from the rain.<br />
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<b><i>Related Posts:</i></b><br />
- <a href="http://highdesertdirt.blogspot.com/2014/12/adventure-on-winsor-trail.html" target="_blank">Story Time: Cycling Winsor Trail Minus Shoes</a><br />
- <a href="http://highdesertdirt.blogspot.com/2015/02/nambe-creek-tr-160.html" target="_blank">Story Time: Trail Running with Cows in Upper Nambe Creek</a><br />
- <a href="http://highdesertdirt.blogspot.com/2016/08/what-its-like-to-be-parent-with-helpful.html" target="_blank">Story Time: Parenthood with New Orleans Street Party Comparison</a><br />
- <a href="http://highdesertdirt.blogspot.com/2015/05/when-awesome-run-gets-awesomer.html" target="_blank">Story Time: Running, Beer, and Men in Cocktail Dresses</a><br />
<br />Desert Dirthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12413559978573420359noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-564385258186045514.post-16087273843764976162017-02-04T06:30:00.001-07:002023-11-29T18:22:13.919-07:00West Rim Trail - Taos, NM<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjK-iF-m4YhJshkiqkoWBTEf7GOAkBULOjTUHYEUn2P97TtYhOpH90A6I4ON6It2Ag-8XePmgBIzXt7gJoSe9T_O5cLAb7lMiBt4vtxz9QC24yZ8uOwUrhjAax1cK8HzKTVOMNzELx-oNk/s1600/tgbridge.jpg" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjK-iF-m4YhJshkiqkoWBTEf7GOAkBULOjTUHYEUn2P97TtYhOpH90A6I4ON6It2Ag-8XePmgBIzXt7gJoSe9T_O5cLAb7lMiBt4vtxz9QC24yZ8uOwUrhjAax1cK8HzKTVOMNzELx-oNk/w382-h640/tgbridge.jpg" width="382" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Taos Gorge Bridge</td></tr>
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We spent our Thanksgiving in Taos this November, a marvelous place to be for a few days and it generally helps us rest and re-set for the chaotically busy month of December. Terrific museums and restaurants for such a small town (recommended: <i>The Love Apple, Blumenschein, Fechin House</i>), plenty of trails and wide open spaces.<br />
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I got out for a few miles on the West Rim Trail. Views are really something out there, unparalleled honestly. The trail itself is decent though wouldn't have near the draw without the dramatic scenery. Big crowds and groups of people near the Taos Gorge Bridge which then thin out abruptly to maybe a half dozen hikers strung out over the remaining miles of trail. The full layout stretches 9.5mi one way ending near the Orilla Verde Rec Area, by Pilar.<br />
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It just so happened that I had been reading of the <a href="http://magazine.wildlife.state.nm.us/thriving-rio-grande-gorge/" target="_blank">Rocky Mountain Sheep herds</a> in the Gorge. Two herds were introduced in 2006-2007 and have been growing and doing quite well for themselves, no small feat in a very challenging state to grow wildlife stock. I knew nothing of this until reading of it, and you know, this is great news. Made me happy. I then saw a few dozen of the animals grazing the east rim during my run which was all very exciting as one can imagine. They were bunched right along the rim's edge and I made an attempt to take pictures though my photos didn't quite capture the moment.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi8VxvsZiZgsvgs42GBFz4MHaIgMAow4IKQB3u0WdNbweeXdwsw-z2O-FzvXMx0Z2YONULnJ4yBDXRC_6hCTCwZmW3JDbe0JgoWkMETZM51tYvnRb8Gzr7dWlu_uCwCAzb28XIz65H4tMY/s1600/gorge.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi8VxvsZiZgsvgs42GBFz4MHaIgMAow4IKQB3u0WdNbweeXdwsw-z2O-FzvXMx0Z2YONULnJ4yBDXRC_6hCTCwZmW3JDbe0JgoWkMETZM51tYvnRb8Gzr7dWlu_uCwCAzb28XIz65H4tMY/s640/gorge.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The Gorge looking south</td></tr>
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Another Taos favorite of mine is the Devisidero Trail which is set southeast of town near Ranchos de Taos. A 5-6 mile loop, though very steep with a similar profile to the summit of <a href="http://highdesertdirt.blogspot.com/2012/04/atalaya-mountain-and-spring-snowstorms.html" target="_blank">Atalaya Mountain</a>. Just across the road from the Devisidero trailhead there's access to the famed South Boundary Trail. <br />
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<u><i>Above</i></u>: The view looking east, Pueblo Peak and the white cap of <a href="http://highdesertdirt.blogspot.com/2012/02/wheeler-peak-taos-nm.html" target="_blank">Wheeler</a>. There's sheep over there on the canyon rim eating their weeds but you'll have to take me at my word since they don't show up in the photo. Click thru for a larger image.<br />
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<b><i>Related Posts:</i></b><br />
- <a href="http://highdesertdirt.blogspot.com/2012/02/wheeler-peak-taos-nm.html" target="_blank">Wheeler Peak, Taos NM</a><br />
- <a href="http://highdesertdirt.blogspot.com/2012/04/additions-to-new-mexicos-wilderness.html" target="_blank">Additions to New Mexico's Wilderness: Columbine-Hondo</a><br />
- <a href="http://highdesertdirt.blogspot.com/2012/03/enchanted-forest-ski-trails-red-river.html" target="_blank">Enchanted Forest Ski Trails - Red River, NM</a><br />
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<br />Desert Dirthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12413559978573420359noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-564385258186045514.post-57409032785224791072017-01-13T18:54:00.000-07:002017-02-07T18:38:47.183-07:00Great Men Departed - 2016<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhTvIaIitMm_K3Pz1RraOHS_uCnn2yNanNG7GCqqWFCuxoMKwqCc4BA8ur4aCmcRCsCUAlxIJf7n3vtEeq4MUK_lpku8MzUycxjHBHIejJa5rnNpkoZ4Sps72B6_OfaetX_vtIfBv1_w4k/s1600/alire.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhTvIaIitMm_K3Pz1RraOHS_uCnn2yNanNG7GCqqWFCuxoMKwqCc4BA8ur4aCmcRCsCUAlxIJf7n3vtEeq4MUK_lpku8MzUycxjHBHIejJa5rnNpkoZ4Sps72B6_OfaetX_vtIfBv1_w4k/s320/alire.png" width="278" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Coach John Alire (1977) - an accurate portrayal of <br />
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The year just ended was a somber one for Santa Fe's running community due to the passing of two giants: John Alire (1930-2016) passed in May; Dan Maas (1970-2016) left us in September. The trails and outdoors community also lost Dale Ball (1924-2016) who passed in February.<br />
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Alire coached the fabled Santa Fe High Cross Country team for more than two decades, 1973-1996. His teams won <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Santa_Fe_High_School_(New_Mexico)#Athletics" target="_blank">a combined twelve state titles</a> in this span and he coached four individual champions - Graham ('79), Bigbee ('81), Romero ('87), O'Shea ('91). The 1977 boys team finished the season ranked 3rd nationally by Harrier Magazine, the 1978 boys team won the AAU national championship which happened to be hosted in Albuquerque, and the 1986 girls team won another AAU title in San Francisco. For these successes specifically he was recognized with a mention in <a href="http://www.si.com/vault/1979/03/12/823436/faces-in-the-crowd" target="_blank">Sports Illustrated</a>. I was fortunate to run for him in my formative years just before he left coaching. Alire was an impressive man and I admired him greatly. He will be missed.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">1992 Oly Trials - Dan running third, blue vest</td></tr>
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Danny Maas was a state champion runner for Santa Fe Prep in the 1980's and later for Adams State College in Alamosa where he was won multiple national championships and eventually <a href="http://highdesertdirt.blogspot.com/p/the-tough-guy-list.html#Maas" target="_blank">broke four minutes</a> in the mile. He still holds the Adams State record in the 1500m. Dan strung together three consecutive titles at the La Luz Trail Run, the last Santa Fean and norteño <a href="http://highdesertdirt.blogspot.com/p/the-tough-guy-list.html#Maas" target="_blank">to win the race</a>. He later competed in two Olympic Trials in the 1500m ('92 and '96), making the finals in the former (8th, 3.39.68). Notably, he is described as being so genuine among friends and so skilled and accomplished in his profession that he is more widely known for these reasons than his success as an athlete. The guy <a href="http://www.santafenewmexican.com/news/local_news/prep-graduate-maas-remembered-as-talented-runner-resourceful-educator/article_2ec848e5-d400-5465-b0e8-7cdd5785c296.html" target="_blank">was a legend</a>. <br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Dale Ball</td></tr>
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Dale Ball brought the vision, design, steered the funding, management, and finally the building efforts of his eponymous trail east of town. The Dale Ball Trail system is now an iconic piece of Santa Fe. His efforts established <a href="http://www.sfreporter.com/santafe/article-7253-trail-blazer.html" target="_blank">legal public access </a>along nearly the full length of the Santa Fe foothills. That he had the skill and drive to link together more than a dozen parcels of land in the highest valued real estate in town is extraordinary. He then established a land trust, <a href="http://highdesertdirt.blogspot.com/2014/09/drink-beer-support-local-trails.html" target="_blank">the Santa Fe Conservation Trust</a>, to manage this conserved tract of land (and the trails now bound to it) and others like it.<br />
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The accomplishments of these three men will stand on their own for decades to come.<br />
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<a href="http://www.legacy.com/obituaries/santafenewmexican/obituary.aspx?pid=180139131" target="_blank">John E. Alire - Obituary</a><br />
<a href="http://www.legacy.com/obituaries/santafenewmexican/obituary.aspx?pid=181333028" target="_blank">Daniel R. Maas - Obituary</a><br />
<a href="http://www.legacy.com/obituaries/abqjournal/obituary.aspx?pid=177795468" target="_blank">Dale Ball - Obituary</a><br />
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<b><i>Related Posts:</i></b><br />
- <a href="http://highdesertdirt.blogspot.com/2012/05/new-mexicos-four-minute-milers.html" target="_blank">New Mexico's Four Minute Milers</a><br />
- <a href="http://highdesertdirt.blogspot.com/2011/12/la-piedra-trail-dale-ball.html" target="_blank">The New <i>La Piedra Trail</i> - Dale Ball</a><br />
- <a href="http://highdesertdirt.blogspot.co.uk/2012/04/micah-true-life-well-lived.html" target="_blank">Micah True (1953-2012)</a><br />
- <a href="http://highdesertdirt.blogspot.com/p/the-tough-guy-list.html" target="_blank">The Tough Guy List</a><br />
- <a href="http://highdesertdirt.blogspot.com/2014/03/the-passing-of-friend.html" target="_blank">The Passing of a Friend - Colin Sutton (1975-2014)</a><br />
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<br />Desert Dirthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12413559978573420359noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-564385258186045514.post-84339851596295024402017-01-06T06:00:00.000-07:002017-01-09T08:47:11.806-07:002017 New Mexico Outdoors Calendar<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Galisteo Basin</td></tr>
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The <a href="http://highdesertdirt.blogspot.com/p/santa-fe-and-new-mexico-trail-running.html" target="_blank">2017 Race/Outdoors Calendar</a> has been brought up-to-date (see Tab at top of page ^). The one significant addition for the current year is the return of the U.S. Indoor Track & Field Championships to Albuquerque. U.S. pros had a huge haul of Olympic hardware across <a href="http://highdesertdirt.blogspot.com/2016/06/new-mexicos-newest-olympic-hopeful.html" target="_blank">several distance events in Rio</a> and will no doubt be gunning for more at this summer's World Champs. U.S. Indoors is the season's first shakeout at the elite level.<br />
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Deserving of a highlight - two additions to last year's outdoors calendar that stood out as welcome events to the area race scene were <a href="http://highdesertdirt.blogspot.com/2016/09/new-fall-trail-races-ultra-santa-fe-and.html" target="_blank">Ultra Santa Fe</a> and the <a href="http://highdesertdirt.blogspot.com/2016/09/new-fall-trail-races-ultra-santa-fe-and.html" target="_blank">Bull of the Woods Trail Run</a> in Taos. If you couldn't make either event last year you ought to make plans to do so this Fall.<br />
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At least one event falls off the calendar, the Ragnar Relays in Angel Fire does not look like it's returning in 2017. An entertaining writeup <a href="https://www.outsideonline.com/2145486/people-who-say-running-fun-are-lying-you" target="_blank">in Outside</a> published recently comes to mind. I didn't run at Angel Fire either year however the website was on the receiving end of several emails about promoting and volunteering for the event.<br />
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Two great events that always come and go before I can get my bearings set for the new year are the <b><i>Chama Chile Ski Classic</i></b> and <b><i>Santa Fe WinterFest</i></b> (beer!). Fast approaching as I type.<br />
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<b><i>Related Posts:</i></b><br />
- <a href="http://highdesertdirt.blogspot.com/p/santa-fe-and-new-mexico-trail-running.html">2017 Outdoors Calendar</a><br />
- <a href="http://highdesertdirt.blogspot.com/p/2016-new-mexico-trail-running-and.html" target="_blank">2016 Outdoors Calendar</a><br />
- <a href="http://highdesertdirt.blogspot.com/p/15-race-calendar.html" target="_blank">2015 Outdoors Calendar</a><br />
- <a href="http://highdesertdirt.blogspot.com/p/blog-page_10.html" target="_blank">2013/2014 Outdoors Calendar</a><br />
<br />Desert Dirthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12413559978573420359noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-564385258186045514.post-40540940316847440892017-01-04T06:00:00.000-07:002018-07-08T14:25:22.251-06:00Improvements to the Santa Fe River Trail - Jan 2017<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The work looking west</td></tr>
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Construction on the city's pedestrian <a href="http://highdesertdirt.blogspot.com/2016/08/acequia-trail-underpass-groundbreaking.html">underpass along the Acequia Trail</a> has paused for the winter months (resuming in April). However, new improvements have begun on widening the portion of the Santa Fe River Trail along Alameda (east of St. Francis Dr) from sidewalk width (5ft) to pedestrian/bikeway specifications of approximately 10-12ft.<br />
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The improvements convert the existing sidewalk into a city trail that allows room for people and bikes passing in opposing directions. This section of the River Trail along Alameda will soon resemble an extension of the newer sections of trail west of St Francis Dr. that wind down past Alto Park and through to Frenchy's Field.<br />
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I'm uncertain if plans are to widen and improve all the walkway east to the DeFouri St Bridge? which has itself been scheduled for improvement for years now. One person I spoke with made mention that the trail alignment could cross the river via one of the footbridges and continue east on the south bank. We should see in a few months time.<br />
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<b><i><u>Update</u></i></b>: A recent article on this trail work ran in the <a href="http://www.santafenewmexican.com/news/local_news/city-officials-split-over-alameda-sidewalk-redesign/article_76812d7d-c1f1-5acd-ad03-e87fc054724f.html" target="_blank">SFNMexican</a> this week - just four days after this post was published. One of our City Councilors (Lindell, Dist 1) was publicly complaining about tearing out a working sidewalk and replacing it with something new. <a href="https://twitter.com/danieljchacon" target="_blank">Dan Chacon</a> wrote the article, and included loads of detail on why the Councilor was misinformed on the source of funding (not city funds, but <a href="http://highdesertdirt.blogspot.com/p/local-trail-improvements.html" target="_blank">voter approved bond funds</a> specifically for improvement of trail infrastructure. The dollars involved include matching federal funds that came in at near 1-to-1), as well as why the improvements were included in the city's approved Transportation and Bicycling Master Plan years ago. He also noted that Lindell literally voted to approve the work. Dan does great work and his attention to detail is admirable.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The new trail/bikeway looking east toward the mountains. </td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgHiF8Q5lxtngK1gKyNXGu6eWH7qHLcmwwg6ADhCyAau_FVgHPX0ZeG6qpmD-ughRb0ZXGRsvocXoSORLnu587pjMz7qCf4UPnxLdh4N3aRF-nfFAuVGNEwwRiDiN-IYDX2QVeZ_I33hC8/s1600/sfrtrail+2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgHiF8Q5lxtngK1gKyNXGu6eWH7qHLcmwwg6ADhCyAau_FVgHPX0ZeG6qpmD-ughRb0ZXGRsvocXoSORLnu587pjMz7qCf4UPnxLdh4N3aRF-nfFAuVGNEwwRiDiN-IYDX2QVeZ_I33hC8/s640/sfrtrail+2.jpg" width="360" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Lone bicyclist shows the scale of old pathway</td></tr>
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<b><i>Related Posts:</i></b><br />
- <a href="http://highdesertdirt.blogspot.com/2016/08/acequia-trail-underpass-groundbreaking.html" target="_blank">Acequia Underpass Groundbreaking</a> (Aug '16)<br />
- <a href="http://highdesertdirt.blogspot.com/2016/09/santa-fe-trail-building-projects-lurch.html" target="_blank">Santa Fe Trail Projects Update</a> (Sep '16)<br />
- <a href="http://highdesertdirt.blogspot.com/p/local-trail-improvements.html" target="_blank">Trail Improvements Page</a>
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Desert Dirthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12413559978573420359noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-564385258186045514.post-86973456392420792412016-12-03T17:20:00.002-07:002016-12-03T17:33:11.489-07:00Lobo Cross Country Continues Elite Run at NCAAs<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_uDhK6_M_tgSh8fYBsgSM5EY9gCWoNLqzXsp0fmoQVJFDU1CQofVUu1slDQkdIrBhyKPfIv2d0vhZ6qHkvbXhTkHQki7Hr_R19C5xC7dBC6u64NrOXcqraF6UlOvBKVyckCTaYHDhD90/s1600/unm.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_uDhK6_M_tgSh8fYBsgSM5EY9gCWoNLqzXsp0fmoQVJFDU1CQofVUu1slDQkdIrBhyKPfIv2d0vhZ6qHkvbXhTkHQki7Hr_R19C5xC7dBC6u64NrOXcqraF6UlOvBKVyckCTaYHDhD90/s400/unm.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">UNM Lobos - Defending NCAA Champions</td></tr>
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The UNM Women's Cross Country Team ended their season two weekends past with another top ten national finish (<a href="http://www.rtspt.com/events/ncaa/d1xc16/mp" target="_blank">7th place, 310 pts</a>). The team entered the NCAA National Meet as the defending champions, seeded 6th. Their result marks the eighth straight top ten NCAA finish for Coach Joe Franklin's program which goes along with nine straight Conference championships. It's a real treat to have a national class program in our backyard considering the international champions that have come to New Mexico to train since the 80's.<br />
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Alice Wright (Jr.) and Calli Thackery (Sr.) achieved All American honors (top 40 finish). Home state athletes included 5th scorer Natasha Bernal (So. - La Cueva HS) and 6th runner Kendall Kelly (So. - Bosque School).<br />
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The Team's 2017 season has begun with a promising start, receiving a commitment from one of the top rated high school runners in the country - Footlocker Champion <a href="http://www.flotrack.org/article/48040-foot-locker-champ-weini-kelati-commits-to-new-mexico" target="_blank">Weini Kelati</a> out of Virginia.<br />
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Blessed to announce my commitment to the University of New Mexico to further my academic and athletic career! <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/golobos?src=hash">#golobos</a> <a href="https://t.co/H6HM9Xrril">pic.twitter.com/H6HM9Xrril</a></div>
— weini kelati (@KelatiWeini) <a href="https://twitter.com/KelatiWeini/status/794376780392042496">November 4, 2016</a></blockquote>
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<b><i>Related Posts:</i></b><br />
- <a href="http://highdesertdirt.blogspot.com/2013/12/fallwinter-cross-country-season.html" target="_blank">Cross Country 2013: UNM Runs 10th at NCAA</a><br />
- <a href="http://highdesertdirt.blogspot.com/2013/03/us-men-snare-silver-at-world-cross.html" target="_blank">US Men Claim Silver at World Cross (2013)</a><br />
- <a href="http://highdesertdirt.blogspot.com/2016/06/new-mexicos-newest-olympic-hopeful.html" target="_blank">New Mexico's Newest Olympic Hopeful (2016)</a><br />
<br />Desert Dirthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12413559978573420359noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-564385258186045514.post-82389747856412538852016-11-18T06:00:00.000-07:002016-11-23T11:34:02.763-07:00Norteños at the New York City Marathon<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiokaMVjzsegVt6mJPZEw_5vkO_MTMWJQtJorwq2W7T3Jv3bkJwer5HuCTZrstXUcwfi_1rHsJr4VK1Ka9d8orV_7yYBmtD6uWYPExv9Q6jf_cwKRNxMGt_iXQxa4PNQowF4DrtC6kwkkA/s1600/PatrickSmythLoRes.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiokaMVjzsegVt6mJPZEw_5vkO_MTMWJQtJorwq2W7T3Jv3bkJwer5HuCTZrstXUcwfi_1rHsJr4VK1Ka9d8orV_7yYBmtD6uWYPExv9Q6jf_cwKRNxMGt_iXQxa4PNQowF4DrtC6kwkkA/s400/PatrickSmythLoRes.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Smyth - US Mountain Running Champ</td></tr>
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The New York Marathon kinda got lost in the madness that was the World Series and election combo last week.<br />
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It was a fine race up front and a fantastic race for American athletes. US finishers took six of the first eleven places on the men's side, including former La Cueva High standout and UNM alum Shadrack Biwott in 5th (2:12:01), and Santa Fe based pro <a href="https://twitter.com/patrickgsmyth" target="_blank">Patrick Smyth</a> in 10th (2:16:34).<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjO3FwwBnkqY-iyvz8adz2sL0d3HZq-0PPcC5xulRN3WJc71gE8-h0oKsPUS_XE30iIIhTWzsmZrhafXzbcsphl8IY3utr_Z-eo2a-L2BHVNQF8Gh10U3iYz-IigbxCGnMy7rjwLDyJjo0/s1600/biwott.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjO3FwwBnkqY-iyvz8adz2sL0d3HZq-0PPcC5xulRN3WJc71gE8-h0oKsPUS_XE30iIIhTWzsmZrhafXzbcsphl8IY3utr_Z-eo2a-L2BHVNQF8Gh10U3iYz-IigbxCGnMy7rjwLDyJjo0/s320/biwott.jpg" width="213" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Biwott at NYC</td></tr>
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Pat ran a minute faster at February's Olympic Marathon Trials, <a href="http://highdesertdirt.blogspot.com/2016/02/new-mexicans-at-olympic-trials-marathon.html" target="_blank">finishing 8th </a>- 3 secs back of 7th place Shadrack Biwott. Seems to be a thing with these two. I'd think Shadrack ought to probably spring for the tab if they ever hang out. For what's its worth I raced Pat back in May and he got the best of me. We squared-up with a few hundred other runners at the <a href="http://highdesertdirt.blogspot.com/p/santa-fe-and-new-mexico-trail-running.html" target="_blank">Jemez Mountain Trail Run</a> and the dude put me in his wake by an hour+ over a 13mi course. I'm going with a strategy of patience and I think I'll close the gap over another 15yrs when he doesn't see me coming.<br />
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On the women's side the Americans fared quite well again with three in the top ten, but I was mostly focused on gold medal triathlete and <a href="http://www.wsj.com/articles/gwen-jorgensen-from-accountant-to-no-1-triathlete-1406071915" target="_blank">CPA Gwen Jorgensen</a> in her first attempt at the distance. She faded to 14th overall, 6th American (2:41:01), however I'm going to imagine she had the tax liability on her winnings calc'ed out before crossing the line and that counts for something in my book.<br />
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<u>Additional notes and connections</u>: Molly Huddle finished 3rd overall (2:28:13), notable here because she was a college teammate of Smyth's at Notre Dame. Prior to Biwott's 5th place finish, fellow Oregon alum Ken Martin ran to a <a href="https://www.athlinks.com/Events/56534/Courses/84343/" target="_blank">2nd place finish</a> in 1989 (2:09:38). <a href="https://www.santafestriders.org/Newsletters/1989%20MileMarkers/12.Milemarkers.1989.Dec.pdf" target="_blank">Ken lived and trained</a> in Santa Fe in the year(s) leading up to that performance. The best finish at NYC by a New Mexican local was of course <a href="http://highdesertdirt.blogspot.com/p/the-tough-guy-list.html" target="_blank">Tony Sandoval</a>, (2:12:12) for 6th overall in 1981. Tony passed over both Oregon and Notre Dame to run for Stanford.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Ken Martin in '89 besting Italy's Olympic gold medalist, Bordin</td></tr>
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<b><a href="http://bleacherreport.com/articles/2674366-new-york-marathon-results-2016-mens-and-womens-top-finishers" target="_blank">NYC Results - 2016</a></b><br />
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<b><i>Related Posts:</i></b><br />
- <a href="http://highdesertdirt.blogspot.com/2013/06/new-yorks-incredible-high-line-park.html" target="_blank">New York's Incredible High Line Park </a>(2013)<br />
- <a href="http://highdesertdirt.blogspot.com/2011/11/new-york-marathon-2011-race-report.html" target="_blank">NYC Marathon - Race Report </a>(2011)<br />
- <a href="http://highdesertdirt.blogspot.com/2016/02/new-mexicans-at-olympic-trials-marathon.html" target="_blank">New Mexicans at the Olympic Trials Marathon </a>(2016)<br />
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<br />Desert Dirthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12413559978573420359noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-564385258186045514.post-10459644737000023512016-11-16T06:00:00.000-07:002016-11-16T16:17:18.929-07:00Santa Fe's First Snow of the Season - 2016<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhfBkpbPsf80ft4dNHN4zBjmPoWJTkVVrqm-WHO5ipRjtlvbEaW-nG1ZnNK-jtTHs-4po9hC34FPVmCZbhr6O6B1msNHRbmOIIaHM5-2RVq_QUJWcIySVZMg2HKncnqi5kUicC_z9omVXM/s1600/snownov.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhfBkpbPsf80ft4dNHN4zBjmPoWJTkVVrqm-WHO5ipRjtlvbEaW-nG1ZnNK-jtTHs-4po9hC34FPVmCZbhr6O6B1msNHRbmOIIaHM5-2RVq_QUJWcIySVZMg2HKncnqi5kUicC_z9omVXM/s400/snownov.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Aspen Vista Trail - Sun. Nov 6 <br />
<i><span style="font-size: xx-small;">courtesy Eric Peters</span></i></td></tr>
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<span style="background-color: #fefdfa; color: #333333; font-family: "arial" , "tahoma" , "helvetica" , "freesans" , sans-serif; font-size: 13px;">The season's first snow arrived on the peaks </span><span style="background-color: #fefdfa; color: #333333; font-family: "arial" , "tahoma" , "helvetica" , "freesans" , sans-serif; font-size: 13px;">one weekend past</span><span style="background-color: #fefdfa; color: #333333; font-family: "arial" , "tahoma" , "helvetica" , "freesans" , sans-serif; font-size: 13px;">. Last year myself and the family were out of state at a wedding and this year I was in baseball euphoria after the Cubs win, but let's not let a timing issue keep us from adding the new data to the list. </span><br />
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<span style="background-color: #fefdfa; color: #333333; font-family: "arial" , "tahoma" , "helvetica" , "freesans" , sans-serif; font-size: 13px;">We've tracked the mountains' first snow fall each year back to 2010. This year's snow fell in the high-country on Sat. and Sun. of our last weather event (Nov 5th and 6th). From the many images of folks up running, biking, and skiing it looked like accumulations of up to 6"- 8" </span><br />
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<span style="background-color: #fefdfa; color: #333333; font-family: "arial" , "tahoma" , "helvetica" , "freesans" , sans-serif; font-size: 13px;">The date of this year's first snow is on the later end of our trend the last seven years. Weather reports are predicting a dry El Nino winter and my hope is that these calls are based in nonsense and professional incompetence. </span><br />
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<span style="background-color: #fefdfa; color: #333333; font-family: "arial" , "tahoma" , "helvetica" , "freesans" , sans-serif; font-size: 13px;">Moar snow plz. </span><br />
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<b style="background-color: #fefdfa; color: #333333; font-family: arial, tahoma, helvetica, freesans, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;"><i>Related Posts:</i></b><br />
<i style="background-color: #fefdfa; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;"> -<b> </b></i><a href="http://highdesertdirt.blogspot.com/2015/11/santa-fes-first-snow-of-season-2015.html" style="background-color: #fefdfa; color: #7d1752; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank">Santa Fe's First Snow 201</a>5<span style="background-color: #fefdfa; color: #333333; font-family: "arial" , "tahoma" , "helvetica" , "freesans" , sans-serif; font-size: 13px;"> - Oct. 21st</span><br />
<i style="background-color: #fefdfa; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;"> -<b> </b></i><a href="http://highdesertdirt.blogspot.com/2014/10/santa-fes-first-snow-of-season-2014.html" style="background-color: #fefdfa; color: #7d1752; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank">SFe's First Snow 2014</a><span style="background-color: #fefdfa; color: #333333; font-family: "arial" , "tahoma" , "helvetica" , "freesans" , sans-serif; font-size: 13px;"> - Oct. 21st</span><br />
<b style="background-color: #fefdfa; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; font-style: italic;"> </b><span style="background-color: #fefdfa; color: #333333; font-family: "arial" , "tahoma" , "helvetica" , "freesans" , sans-serif; font-size: 13px;">- </span><a href="http://highdesertdirt.blogspot.com/2013/09/santa-fes-first-snow-of-season-2013.html" style="background-color: #fefdfa; color: #7d1752; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank">SFe's First Snow 2013</a><span style="background-color: #fefdfa; color: #333333; font-family: "arial" , "tahoma" , "helvetica" , "freesans" , sans-serif; font-size: 13px;"> - Oct. 12th</span><br />
<span style="background-color: #fefdfa; color: #333333; font-family: "arial" , "tahoma" , "helvetica" , "freesans" , sans-serif; font-size: 13px;"> - </span><a href="http://highdesertdirt.blogspot.com/2012/12/santa-fes-first-snow-of-year-2012.html" style="background-color: #fefdfa; color: #7d1752; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank">SFe's First Snow 2012</a><span style="background-color: #fefdfa; color: #333333; font-family: "arial" , "tahoma" , "helvetica" , "freesans" , sans-serif; font-size: 13px;"> - Nov. 16th</span><br />
<span style="background-color: #fefdfa; color: #333333; font-family: "arial" , "tahoma" , "helvetica" , "freesans" , sans-serif; font-size: 13px;"> - </span><a href="http://highdesertdirt.blogspot.com/2011/09/santa-fes-first-snow-of-season.html" style="background-color: #fefdfa; color: #7d1752; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank">SFe's First Snow 2011</a><span style="background-color: #fefdfa; color: #333333; font-family: "arial" , "tahoma" , "helvetica" , "freesans" , sans-serif; font-size: 13px;"> - Sep. 10th</span><br />
<span style="background-color: #fefdfa; color: #333333; font-family: "arial" , "tahoma" , "helvetica" , "freesans" , sans-serif; font-size: 13px;"> - </span><a href="http://highdesertdirt.blogspot.com/2010/11/santa-fes-first-snow.html" style="background-color: #fefdfa; color: #7d1752; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank">SFe's First Snow 2010</a><span style="background-color: #fefdfa; color: #333333; font-family: "arial" , "tahoma" , "helvetica" , "freesans" , sans-serif; font-size: 13px;"> - Nov. 10th </span>Desert Dirthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12413559978573420359noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-564385258186045514.post-41469356314235528542016-09-25T16:12:00.002-06:002017-02-20T10:07:35.395-07:00Santa Fe Trail-Building Projects Lurch Forward<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6CBNZEexbUWAcYAoKBX5rEdNDD8MavBD3wrGtBsPOiEp-AR1wVda4mXjnbNLaBKTQBJ_O76Ii5Xp0iu7EvwZbVJO-zG8WJ0D_B7zrzRmGGusYOKvFPok1Kc-wn_6zHAn1AIMSzMewzG0/s1600/acequia.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="270" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6CBNZEexbUWAcYAoKBX5rEdNDD8MavBD3wrGtBsPOiEp-AR1wVda4mXjnbNLaBKTQBJ_O76Ii5Xp0iu7EvwZbVJO-zG8WJ0D_B7zrzRmGGusYOKvFPok1Kc-wn_6zHAn1AIMSzMewzG0/s400/acequia.jpg" width="480" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Drilling equipment setting the bracing for the new underpass</td></tr>
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Work on the <a href="http://highdesertdirt.blogspot.com/2015/09/acequia-trail-underpass-scheduled-for.html" target="_blank">Acequia Trail Underpass</a> began in earnest this weekend. Equipment has been hauled to the site and orange barrels are in place for the start of weekday traffic. This is a major piece of our new urban trail/pedestrian/cycling infrastructure which will surely incite cries of commuter agony for the next six months followed by decades of value, appreciation, and laudatory expressions of foresight and vision from future generations of Santa Feans.<br />
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This project and other have been held up all year due to City budget deliberations despite segregated allocation of funds between park and trail bond receipts and the city's general fund. Don't get me going on this topic, point being the new work is rolling now since a lot of the scheduled projects have completed the required planning and public input stages, committee approval, bidding, etc.<br />
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Vital Consulting Group, Inc. begins mobilizing for the project. Work starts Sept. 25, 2016 and is expected to last through spring 2017. <a href="https://t.co/px0vfcO2sj">pic.twitter.com/px0vfcO2sj</a></div>
— AcequiaUnderpass (@AcequiaUnderpas) <a href="https://twitter.com/AcequiaUnderpas/status/779085235484893185">September 22, 2016</a></blockquote>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgWVC3NY_j5tMTs8O1MV6N13bA7Kwo4mjCTa0fJgdlKDjRTXH6MQYECiPTJ6JuW-AaDeBmWgc6WtXm6KEe0m0oMDa4d7XV6N8hMVZnKQNkTKtlJpfEbyiZSH0K09gIQoKfsuL82WiV7M4s/s1600/footbridge.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgWVC3NY_j5tMTs8O1MV6N13bA7Kwo4mjCTa0fJgdlKDjRTXH6MQYECiPTJ6JuW-AaDeBmWgc6WtXm6KEe0m0oMDa4d7XV6N8hMVZnKQNkTKtlJpfEbyiZSH0K09gIQoKfsuL82WiV7M4s/s400/footbridge.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://www.sfct.org/trails" target="_blank">Santa Fe Conservation Trust</a> volunteers at work on the new footbridge<br />
at Camino de las Animas</td></tr>
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Smaller less visible projects that have been completed in the meantime include a new extension of the Acequia Trail at Harrison Rd and La Cieneguita St; A new footbridge over the ditch at Camino de las Animas (useful connector east onto Agua Fria and Canyon Rds; old bridge was <i>all peligroso</i>); <a href="http://www.sfct.org/trails/sfct-trail-events-in-2016/dale-ball-connector-to-cerro-gordo-trailhead" target="_blank">Engineering and trail work</a> on the unofficial north/south footpath in the Santa Fe Canyon Preserve; and the new work on the far east end of the River Trail - replacing and installing sidewalk along Alameda up to Patrick Smith Park.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgNwKj77XYNoCZpwD-DwPF3NAvHsByRaAFjwvXSVm9IttoPNz5Vve-61jGtLaWNsGFKaG3za2qPrbc66uADTxkKCvK9OUJRlnu7Rw1jv-0VIQ9_azZ9pDr48fzUX3HTVC4L8iCCMfwKMaA/s1600/reservoir+trail.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgNwKj77XYNoCZpwD-DwPF3NAvHsByRaAFjwvXSVm9IttoPNz5Vve-61jGtLaWNsGFKaG3za2qPrbc66uADTxkKCvK9OUJRlnu7Rw1jv-0VIQ9_azZ9pDr48fzUX3HTVC4L8iCCMfwKMaA/s640/reservoir+trail.jpg" width="350" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The new footpath extension at Santa Fe Canyon Preserve. <br />
Not yet officially completed or opened to public use.</td></tr>
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There has also been several additions of bike lanes on city and county roads including Old Santa Fe Trail south of St. John's College through to El Gancho Way; New lanes on Siringo Dr. from St Francis Dr. to Llano St.<br />
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Major projects and additions anticipated for 2017 include the Pen Rd section of the Rail Trail (thru to Alta Vista), and the 15mi El Camino Real Trail along Buckman Rd from the Rio Grande to Caja del Rio Rd west of town. This second project is being managed by BLM and the National Park Service thankfully, removed from dependence on the City and it's various governing committees.<br />
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<tr><td style="padding-right: 25px;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjrf3q1qE2UWaKVlbAoCqTTPPc7ywUBPvP5y405mSkNJrcq8QHPWpMWhbRD-kpmqsaYcOzg6_I0lg_ELXekGKRiQUku2DEJgBLrvuEXh7ga-3dKx1yKriqwlYU8OlNDw6bB_BwtVivzlIk/s1600/bike+lane2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; display: inline !important; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjrf3q1qE2UWaKVlbAoCqTTPPc7ywUBPvP5y405mSkNJrcq8QHPWpMWhbRD-kpmqsaYcOzg6_I0lg_ELXekGKRiQUku2DEJgBLrvuEXh7ga-3dKx1yKriqwlYU8OlNDw6bB_BwtVivzlIk/s400/bike+lane2.jpg" width="212" /></a></td>
<td style="padding-left: 25px;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgF5jGtK-6pmkQau8aFWORB6PsTTjuH69u8en-GbUX_hOYkci6AtfQRC1URCNxt6zF9Ynjn6VV6ZTBuZNj7TdqPFoiDD0cBb5FQt36eQ8219FPX9wDO4rJjChekGArFJ1Ua1QWwwYS1CR0/s1600/harrison.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgF5jGtK-6pmkQau8aFWORB6PsTTjuH69u8en-GbUX_hOYkci6AtfQRC1URCNxt6zF9Ynjn6VV6ZTBuZNj7TdqPFoiDD0cBb5FQt36eQ8219FPX9wDO4rJjChekGArFJ1Ua1QWwwYS1CR0/s400/harrison.jpg" width="225" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td><span style="font-size: x-small;">New bike lane off Old Las </span><br />
<span style="font-size: x-small;">Vegas Highway</span></td>
<td><span style="font-size: x-small;">The Harrison Rd connector </span><br />
<span style="font-size: x-small;">near Rufina; Acequia Trail</span></td></tr>
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<b><i>Related Posts:</i></b><br />
- <a href="http://highdesertdirt.blogspot.com/2016/08/acequia-trail-underpass-groundbreaking.html" target="_blank">Acequia Trail Underpass Groundbreaking/Announcement</a> (Aug '16)<br />
- <a href="http://highdesertdirt.blogspot.com/2015/09/acequia-trail-underpass-scheduled-for.html" target="_blank">Acequia Trail Underpass GreenLit</a> (Aug '15)<br />
- <a href="http://highdesertdirt.blogspot.com/2012/06/arroyo-chamisos-underpass-nears.html" target="_blank">Arroyo Chamisos Underpass</a> (2012)<br />
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<br />Desert Dirthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12413559978573420359noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-564385258186045514.post-90881085299470475142016-09-05T15:11:00.001-06:002016-09-05T15:11:32.689-06:00New Fall Trail Races - Ultra Santa Fe and Bull of the Woods<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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There are a couple of new trail races on the schedule this Fall with a lot of potential:<br />
- The inaugural Ultra Santa Fe at the ski basin (Sep 10th), and<br />
- The inaugural Bull of the Woods Trail Run up in Taos Ski Valley (Sep 17th).<br />
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<b>Ultra </b><b>Santa Fe - 13mi/50km/50mi, Sep 10, 2016</b><br />
Santa Fe's first organized ultra at both 50k and 50mi distances. Race directors Peter Olson and Taylor Pardue have done a ton of work and promotion to launch this new race. The courses are terrific (including the first rate maps setup on the race website), starting/finishing at the ski area lodge and descending the network of forest service trails on to Dale Ball in town (great race viewing, cheering, and cow-belling) before circling back up the mountain.<br />
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As of this writing there are 66 entries to the ultra distances and another 75 at the half marathon distance. This is going to be the new area test-piece, and the scheduling ties in beautifully to <a href="http://highdesertdirt.blogspot.com/p/santa-fe-and-new-mexico-trail-running.html" target="_blank">the fall trail racing calendar</a>: it's one week before the Bull of the Woods Trail Run and Buffalo Thunder Half (Sep17), three weeks before Big Tesuque (Oct 2), and five weeks before Pajarito and Duke City (Oct 17).<br />
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More details and registration info at the <a href="http://www.ultrasantafe.com/" target="_blank">event website here</a>.<br />
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<a href="http://www.sfreporter.com/santafe/article-12169-the-long-run.html" target="_blank">SF Reporter write-up - 6/29/16</a><br />
<a href="http://www.santafenewmexican.com/outdoors/happy-trails-area-s-first-ultra-marathon-coming-to-santa/article_b7e6cce1-c544-5446-88bc-7bb7abdc61d8.html" target="_blank">SF New Mexican write-up - 9/1/16</a><br />
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<b>Bull of the Woods Trail Run - 8mi, Sep 17, 2016</b><br />A couple of local trail runners in Taos have managed to get approval at the Northside@Taos Ski Valley trail system to stage an 8 mile high altitude race. The mostly singletrack course runs between 10,000-11,000 feet elevation with magnificent views of Gold Hill, Kachina Peak, and Lobo Peak. The expectation is that in years to come the race will be expanded into offering longer distances, and perhaps a combination run with the Taos Ski Valley Up-&-Over, and potentially part of a Northern New Mexico trail race series!<br />
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More details and registration info at the <a href="http://www.bullofthewoodsrun.com/" target="_blank">event website here</a>.</div>
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<b><i>Related Posts</i></b>:</div>
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- <a href="http://highdesertdirt.blogspot.com/2015/03/plaza2peak-sun-april-12th.html" target="_blank">Inaugural Plaza2Peak (2015)</a></div>
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- <a href="http://highdesertdirt.blogspot.com/2016/06/our-wild-friends.html" target="_blank">Our Wild (Trail) Friends (2016)</a></div>
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- <a href="http://highdesertdirt.blogspot.com/2015/10/ravens-ridge-pecos-wilderness-boundary.html" target="_blank">Ravens Ridge - Pecos Wilderness Boundary (2015)</a></div>
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- <a href="http://highdesertdirt.blogspot.com/p/santa-fe-and-new-mexico-trail-running.html" target="_blank">2016 Outdoor Event Calendar</a></div>
Desert Dirthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12413559978573420359noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-564385258186045514.post-11476548324573791442016-08-15T06:00:00.000-06:002016-09-25T15:18:34.911-06:00Acequia Trail Underpass GroundBreaking<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgHfMTBfoOcMXxG0FUOo-fS2RD4Ntbqmyn3z7t3geKOOtmL4tt5sF3UoXEHUt0dAIx1-w9fdNnkzuHf7-mlZKBSHlFexylixmxdL9P0xLSIc-1F2mgxt4l8x0labHVRLYslseT0y2CGUwg/s1600/underpass-grounbreaking-08-17-16.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="205" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgHfMTBfoOcMXxG0FUOo-fS2RD4Ntbqmyn3z7t3geKOOtmL4tt5sF3UoXEHUt0dAIx1-w9fdNnkzuHf7-mlZKBSHlFexylixmxdL9P0xLSIc-1F2mgxt4l8x0labHVRLYslseT0y2CGUwg/s400/underpass-grounbreaking-08-17-16.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
After many <a href="http://highdesertdirt.blogspot.com/2016/02/delays-in-pending-santa-fe-trail.html" target="_blank">months of delays </a>the groundbreaking for the new bike and pedestrian tunnel linking the Railyard to the west Acequia Trail is set for this <a href="http://santafempo.org/wp-content/uploads/2016/08/underpass-grounbreaking-08-17-16.pdf" target="_blank">Wednesday, Aug 17th</a> (Turns out it was a groundbreaking in name only - instead it was a formal announcement of groundbreaking planned for mid-September!). Construction is expected to take 6 months from beginning to end though some of this will be prep and landscape work rather than road closures.<br />
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Approximately <a href="http://highdesertdirt.blogspot.com/2015/09/acequia-trail-underpass-scheduled-for.html" target="_blank">85% of the funding</a> for this project source from a Federal Non-Motorized Transportation grant, the remainder from 2012 City Parks and Trails bonds. This won't keep un-informed and uninterested folks all over town from complaining about prioritizing spending. The project also spent many many years in planning, committees, and public meetings but this won't keep the same people from belly-aching about design or the need for an overpass or unrelated hang-ups, etcetera, etc., ad infinitum. Bottom line is that all of this new and sorely needed infrastructure is going to change the town for the better, tying together adjacent neighborhoods, increasing land values and incentivizing private investment, and increasing foot traffic for local businesses.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhq58ucwtjDmDBSGu1Lhvhzmz47KUir754QS1VmHNVbhF5w7AAgJxAGs895vE7RC6_2B16qsDkAyalwnU5NIYvCyXp4GGP_tG_VzlOkgOaN4UuejMDTc56jQEzxx4W7Q0UiuPH-X2LQ-co/s1600/tunnel3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhq58ucwtjDmDBSGu1Lhvhzmz47KUir754QS1VmHNVbhF5w7AAgJxAGs895vE7RC6_2B16qsDkAyalwnU5NIYvCyXp4GGP_tG_VzlOkgOaN4UuejMDTc56jQEzxx4W7Q0UiuPH-X2LQ-co/s640/tunnel3.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Acequia Trail Tunnel - Schematic drawings</td></tr>
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A related project that will likely arrive on the heels of the new underpass is the re-work of the Rail Trail segment along Pen Rd and the Rail Runner Station between Cordova and Alta Vista. Trees will be added as will improved road crossings and safety medians. Planning is complete and funding has been allocated from previous bond sales. This whole area will be spruced up and looking fine.<br />
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Groundbreaking Celebration: <a href="http://santafempo.org/wp-content/uploads/2016/08/underpass-grounbreaking-08-17-16.pdf" target="_blank">Wednesday Aug 17th, 4pm</a><br />
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<b><i>Related Posts:</i></b><br />
<b style="font-style: italic;"> </b>- <a href="http://highdesertdirt.blogspot.com/2016/02/delays-in-pending-santa-fe-trail.html" target="_blank">Delays in Pending Trail Projects</a> (2016)<br />
- <a href="http://highdesertdirt.blogspot.com/2015/09/acequia-trail-underpass-scheduled-for.html" target="_blank">Acequia Trail Underpass Scheduled for this Fall</a> (2015)<br />
- <a href="http://highdesertdirt.blogspot.com/2012/06/arroyo-chamisos-underpass-nears.html" target="_blank">Arroyo Chamisos Underpass Nears Completion</a> (2012)Desert Dirthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12413559978573420359noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-564385258186045514.post-23587697293881446712016-08-05T06:00:00.000-06:002017-03-01T05:34:45.941-07:00What It's Like to be a Parent - With Helpful Comparison to New Orleans Party<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjkrGomUBkibYFA-YTLwqBKD8ltSBxdOtO8TYd8B_0GJRal44hMX8N8jEj_BCnhPbHrlbm-uRbb7WjbEHgxVuDgElGmzIXbWMH3mJCz18akS887vnb76dzdTAGGD423kw_W2Ra6s5X2XCI/s1600/hike.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="315" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjkrGomUBkibYFA-YTLwqBKD8ltSBxdOtO8TYd8B_0GJRal44hMX8N8jEj_BCnhPbHrlbm-uRbb7WjbEHgxVuDgElGmzIXbWMH3mJCz18akS887vnb76dzdTAGGD423kw_W2Ra6s5X2XCI/s320/hike.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Important Dad skill: Crossing creeks with both coffee and kid</td></tr>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">I traveled down to New Orleans recently for some wedding festivities. The friends and I brought the ruckus, rolling the celebrations out late over two nights, even high-stepping our own cocktail fueled street parade through the French Quarter complete with marching band and police escort. We went big even by our own historical standards, by accountants' standards we would have been off the charts. Straight up partied our asses off, committed fully to the task at hand. Flawless execution. The 7,000+ ft drop in altitude for myself only provided an even larger tank of fuel then normal to burn through.
<br />Now, on my return home, not even one full week later I’m out on an evening mtb ride with a friend (also an accountant I should add). It is hot as holy hell. No wind or breeze to speak of, I’m literally thanking my good judgment for filling two water bottles before heading out of the house (usually take just one). I’m sweating sheets during the ride and this requires me to stop on several occasions to clear my eyes because I’m blinded. We are not even in the hills - no climbing, just zipping around Galisteo and pedaling madly up/down the southern stretches of the Rail Trail in Eldorado. We grab a beer after the ride and I’m definitely more filthy than average because I'm annoyingly conscious that my entire upper body is coated in a film of sweat and dust and I feel it when I move, minor actions like talking and smiling and swiveling my head. Thirty minutes later I pull into the house just in time for the 3yr old's bedtime so I walk in the door and directly into his room where I sit with him until he’s asleep. We both fall asleep of course - me in the rocking chair, layered in sweat and dust baked in by sun, he in his nearly outgrown toddler's bed. I was at the office all day and was spent. I wake up super early a.m. and on autopilot drag my broken old-man body out of that freaking chair and sleepwalk straight into the shower because I literally feel several degrees worse at this moment than I did on either of the late unsteady mornings in New Orleans the week before.
<br />I feel that this story very elegantly illustrates what it’s like to be a parent and I wanted to share my pain with other people. Being a parent is super-fun though there's lots of discomfort and confusion and small humiliations of unusually high frequency and the occasional absence of beds or any type of necessary self-planning. <br />
<span style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.6667px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">P.S. New Orleans is a riot and you should go there. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.6667px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><b><i>Related Posts:</i></b></span><br /><span style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.6667px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> - <a href="http://highdesertdirt.blogspot.com/2014/12/adventure-on-winsor-trail.html" target="_blank">Adventure on the Winsor Trail (Sep 2014)</a></span><br /><span style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.6667px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> - <a href="http://highdesertdirt.blogspot.com/2015/08/greatest-dad-wins.html" target="_blank">Greatest Dad Wins (Apr 2015)</a></span><br /> - <a href="http://highdesertdirt.blogspot.com/2015/04/fat-man.html" target="_blank">Fat Man (Apr 2015)</a><br /><span style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.6667px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></span></div>
Desert Dirthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12413559978573420359noreply@blogger.com0