Santa Fe & Taos, New Mexico

We spent 4 days in the Santa Fe area, and drove up to Taos on one of those days.  For Taos, I think I should invoke the policy of, if you can't say anything nice...  On the other hand, Santa Fe was a real treat.  It is the first stop in our travels that felt like it could be in a foreign country.  Building codes going back to 1912 have restricted the allowable styles of architecture in the historic districts to various versions of the pueblo style.  The result is a town that is surely unlike anywhere else in the U.S.  Although the town is certainly scenic, I didn't take any photos of downtown.  I guess I was just too busy enjoying the moment.

Our first night here; walking through town while the bells of St. Francis Cathedral announce the evening's Mass, then dinner at the rooftop patio of the Coyote Cafe under the full moon.

We biked for two days.  Santa Fe could give Portland a bit of schooling when it comes to having excellent mountain bike trails close to town.  The first trail system we rode, the Dale-Ball trails, were inside the city limits and just a few minutes drive from downtown.  There are plenty of other close by trails that can be combined with the Dale-Ball system to make some truly epic riding days.

Here are a few photos of pointy things on the trails...

After 4 states, and unknown miles, about 15 of these small thorns brought my bike to a halt.

We've been using Continental Tires set up as tubeless with Stan's sealant.  I pulled a bunch of these same thorns from our other tires and they sealed up with no problem; probably not enough sealant in this particular tire.  In any case, no harm done and the bikes are ready to go again.  It may however, be awhile, as we are headed to Texas and don't expect to be riding much.