Stayed local on the weekend, and one of the high points was following the wheel of a neighbor, who’s a veteran of the LT100 and former top 20 finisher.  Trails are just awesome now and my ankle is much better.  A good confidence builder. Winter is coming, later this week they say….

the cajun

won't be long before the trees start to fall in this burn.

that is all......

As my ankle continues to heal up, I’ve been riding, but avoiding technical stuff.  Have had some fun exploration in the old mining district up in the Jemez.  There is some steep, steep climbing, but not much tech, so it’s been good to maintain fitness, while enjoying the great fall weather.

Wonder who lived here?

Some nice ST leading to the old cabin.

Little-used singletrack.

Ash flow Tuff? Heart of the Jemez.

Abandoned mine. I'm guessing a really deep shaft based on the size of the tailings pile.

An unknown miner?

Only completed half my mission.  A great ride was had, but I went home empty handed.  Maybe next year……

Dixon's sold out. Bummer.

I’ll remember the past summer as that of home improvement projects. We completed a remodel of the guest bath, along with hanging six new 6-panel pine doors.  Most recently, we did a xeriscape of our side yard, which turned out great, and we’ve been spending a ton of time out there with the XM going, enjoying the mountain views.  Saw a great concert at Sandia last night with Taj Mahal and Bonnie Raitt.  Great music and great musicians, all.

Biking has been great too, but interestingly, I’ve put in far more miles on the road bike the past few months than on the mountain bike.  For me, at this time of year, that’s unusual.  I’ve also been missing my favorite riding companion, as Ann has been suffering chronic hand and wrist pain, and that’s prevented her from riding much.  We’re praying the doc can get to the cause of this problem when she sees him later this week.

Some random shots……..

Morning coffee with mom and dad.

Some casual cruising through Mesilla.

The xeriscape project.

Forest thinning along FR106 in the Manzanitas performed by prison crews. Since KAFB wouldn't allow the FS to do any work on the withdrawal lands, they did this break all along FR 106. All the singletrack on this side of the withdrawal was untouched and is in good shape. Can't say the same for the ST on the other side of the withdrawal where the fire burned.

The flagstone path and patio turned out great, I think.

A generous offer from friends to use their house in Angel Fire for the weekend was the ticket away from sweltering Albuquerque heat, and the ticket to ride some high country singletrack.  First thing Saturday, we hit up one of my favorite loops in the area, the Valle Escondido.  It climbs from the Valle, just outside Taos, via FR 70, Elliott Barker Trail, and Trail 164 (South Boundary), to Osha Summit.  At the summit you have the option to head down Jarocito Trail, or continue on #164.  We opted for #164 this time since that first section to Garcia Park is such a hoot.  Then at Garcia, it’s a rippin, fun decent back to the start in Valle Escondido.  Perfect weather, epic trails, and riding with my best friend; what could be better?  Afterward, put steaks, veges, and fresh pineapple on the grill and enjoyed a tasty dinner on the deck at our home for the weekend.    More riding Sunday morning on the very fun greenbelt trails, then it was time to head home.  At less than 3 hours from home, this is a great destination.  Higher resolution photos are on the sidebar flickr links.

Entering Osha Park near Elliott Barker Intersection

Near Elliott Barker, Trail 164 (South Boundary) Intersection

The big climbing is done.

Corner Park

Nice Aspen Grove on Trail 164.

Ann rolling into Quintana Pass.

A reward from the deck.

Stopped by my old hood on the east side of the Sandias.  I still consider this a neighborhood ride as it’s so close. Never many riders to be found here as it’s a tough climb full of rocks and roots.  There’s  just enough flowy, fun trail to keep you interested.  I got 5K climbing in over 32 miles.  Fun to get back up there.

You know summer is winding down when the asters bloom.

one of many chunky sections

Oso Corridor has some nice flowy sections

as I neared the ski area on 10K trail, the grass was waist high in places

nice to be at the top finally

New bearings pressed into the Shimano BB cups left, and the locked up, pitted, grit filled OEM bearing on right.

Upgraded the bottom bracket bearings on Ann’s Titus this week, and it was a fairly simple procedure. They spin like butter, but also have a stiffer feel than the OEM bearings.  I’ve had several sets of Shimano external BB bearings go bad and the reason is they are junk, and are only sealed on one side.  I thought about going back to a square taper or octalink setup as they work so well, but I found a bearing updgrade from Enduroseals for cheap, and thought I’d try that first.  You can buy the special tool they offer for removing/installing the bearings from the cups, but I had great success with my home brewed set up and knocked out the old bearings with a parallel drift tap, and pressed the new ones in with a press of large diameter washers, and a perfect sized socket that contacts only the outer race and a threaded spindle with wing nut.  I suppose you could also use a vice with wooden blocks, and they are definitely easier to press in than headset cups.  The other nice thing about the Enduroseals bearings is they do not use the cheap, plastic shim that Shimano uses on their inner race to acheive the necessary 24 mm diameter for the crank spindle.  The upgraded bearings have an inner race that perfectly mates the crank.  Overall, an inexpensive, and easy upgrade and another great product from Enduroseals.

note the Cliff bar for scale.  Also a familiar concept for chain tensioning. (pontoon track on a “floating Cat excavator).