The annual turkey day ride was a bit chilly but at least we got 4 people to show up. Friday, was a nice hike up at Elena Gallegos with Ann and our canine companions. The season's first snow made it quite pleasant. Saturday, Ann and I started out together in the north foothills and the trails were fantastic with the moisture received over the holiday. Ann stayed in the north foothills while I added in the south section to complete over four hours of riding time. The Garmin battery crapped out on me, but I know from experience that this route is in the 35 to 40 mile length. Sunday, we hit the north foothills again, and ran into Jeni on the trail going alongside Simm's Park. The three of us then continued on up to the wilderness boundary at Pino. Fun ride, and Jeni is looking strong on that singlespeed which is no surprise considering her coach! It was a good day to wrap up the long weekend. Thanksgiving is my favorite holiday, I think. I find it so much more relaxing than the others, and I'm thankful for being able to spend time with family and friends.

Interesting day Sunday with Ann. Stayed in the east mountains again and just enjoyed a few hours on the trails together. Ran into Donnie and Jens of BWR on the Cajun. They were doing a Cedtero loop. Then ran into Wenona and another BWR clad rider as they were starting out for an afternoon loop. Then most interstingly, the vehicle parked next to ours at Mars Ct. had Federal tags and see the picture for who it was. When we were loading up our bikes, a rather young looking guy comes pedaling up on a FS rig and throws his stuff in the Fed rig. Turns out it was the Base Commander, out on his day off, looking at the withdrawal area by mountain bike. He was specifically looking at another parcel of the Withdrawal, that he was questioned about at the public meeting, that he hopes he can tack onto the other 400 acres they plan to return to the USFS, to keep more trails intact. Say what you will about KAFB, the withdrawal, the beauracracy, etc., but the Commander scored big points in my book as he was out there on his day off, looking at the lay of the land, so he better understands the concerns of citizens. He spent a bit of time showing me maps and air photos too. Of course, it's going to be a long time before anything is official, and I'm thinking the Forest Service has more potential to foul things up than the military at this point, but the ball continues to roll. If we don't get some moisture this winter, we won't be riding the east mountains come Spring due to fire danger. It's always somethin'

Good week for riding. Got beat up on some fingers climbs on the roadie Tuesday evening, took the SS out for a romp in the foothills Wednesday night, spun the legs out Thursday, then Friday was a day off, so I hit up Tunnel, Otero, David area on the singlespeed for a nice 31.7 miles and 3,600 feet of climbing. If I had plotted heart rate data, you'd see that I wasn't able to get the HR into zones 4&5, indicating tired legs, but still managed a pretty reasonable pace considering. With the price of gas these days, and so many fun local trails, I've been staying close to home rather than making road trips. Road ride today, then back on the SS again tomorrow. East mountains are extremely dry, and even the few reliable water sources I know of up there are dry now, and the wildlife is getting stressed. Found a squirrel digging way down into the mud trying to get moisture. I've said it before, but pray for rain and snow this year.

Man, I can't believe the year has gone by so quickly. Seems like it was just recently that I posted about last years annual trail work day.

We had another fine day for doing maintenance on our adopted trail. It always amazes me how much work gets done with only 11 or 12 people! Our trail is really looking good these days, despite the terribly dry conditions. We need some moisture badly this winter.

Riding was also good this weekend. I did some exploring in the east mountains Sunday. Found some dynamite stuff that I'd never been on. Amazing numbers of trails up here. Pace was leisurely so I could find the forgotten trails. Amazing too how much more wildlife I see when I'm on the singlespeed, rolling quietly along.

Took the SS out Saturday for a 35-mile, 4K climbing, mini epic in the Otero/David Canyon area. A stellar day and if I hadn't run out of time, I would have ridden longer, as I felt just great. Met up with some folks from British Columbia toward the end of the ride and showed them a few fun trails. Guy was a good rider at over 50, and a veteran of the BC Bike Race. Sounds like a blast in an awesome venue.

Ann was still sick Sunday so I did a fun recovery day, and goofed off out at WM on the singlespeed. Haven't been out here for well over a year. Great place. Got to try out my new mini tripod for some pics, but my cam is pretty lame so it doesn't do anything justice. Got really tired legs this evening after 8 straight days of riding. Need to take a day or two off so I don't end up sick too. Great times in Nuevo Mexico!