Well, it looks I have some catching up to do on this here blog (again), including an especially lovely overnighter last week with Tim, Mehedi and Little Deen, to a once pastoral ghost town in the Jemez mountains above Abiquiu. Plus, a report on some fun hang times in beautiful (and wonderfully warm) Santa Fe with my friends here. I’m very happy to say that this will be my base for the next little bit, now that I’ve found a nook in the National Forest that I can call home, that just a half hour’s pedal from town.

But for now… a brief report on a backcountry loop from Santa Fe to Glorieta Camps that I shared with Tim, connecting all manner of rarely used trails that I either had no idea about, or ones that it’s been years since I’ve ridden them. Perhaps it’s no surprise that they’ve faded from memory given how faint as they are in reality!

All in all, this was an absolutely fabulous ride that’s very backcountry in vibe, covering the full gamut of off road terrain, from wispy deer trails to off-the-bike babyhead scrambles and backcountry chunkatunk.

Yes, a complete delight in delightful company I might add – and pretty epic for an out-the-front-door adventure!

I hope you enjoy it!

The Jones SWB with a 29 x 3.25/2.8 combo is quite the all-rounder. Going (relatively) lean and light for this ride!

Old School Tim carrying out an Old School tyre pressure test. His fully suspension carbon rig with fancy things like Tune hubs weighs in at 25.5lb, plus about the same again for food and water. I didn’t weigh my bike…

The climb that wends straight out of Santa Fe is one of my local favourites, and the backcountry vibes that it leads to east of Atalaya are enchanting.

Note to self. Pack light and be prepared for some steep pushes.

Here’s the reward though… Back in ‘prehistoric times’, as Tim refers to them, he used to ride these very same trails on a rigid 3x ATB. What a legend!

Some blow down at various points in the Santa Fe national forest slows our progress a little and thwarts clean runs.

Given our afternoon start, we settle for a clearing near water in Apache Canyon for our first night out.

The master gizmotologist at work. Note the pocket bellow, USB strip light, titanium grill, and retractable sausage sticks.

Cowboy camping a la Tim the (Puffy) Pumpkin.

Me and my view!

Experimenting with Tim’s Garmin In Reach (which is about the size of a tea bag) to let loved ones know that yes, we are alive.

Other ultralight nerdiness includes Tim’s Mayfly sandals. For those who prefer to shop in independent stores, much of this gear is available in Thayne’s wonderful Tourist outdoor gear emporium – as advertised on my coffee thermos with art by Yeshe, now joined by a now favourite goathead sticker by illustrator Jeff Harman.

Related… Have you tried one of these GSI pot scrapers before? Mind blown! Much better than scrubbing with dirt and pine needles, my usual MO.

Talking of pots… I do like this Tailfin bucket bag. It’s a neat receptacle for keeping everything contained around camp. Yard sales begone!

The NM forest carpet, such a pleasure underfoot and undertyre.

Tim at work filtering stream water with the holy Grayl.

For health reasons, Tim follows an especially strict eating regime. On this trip he brought with him black and white meso to add to his ultralight soups, which he preps himself from dehydrated vegetables. The miso is also great when add to porridge that’s laced with nuts and dehydrated coconut milk. Junk food begone!

What’s in the bag then? Dehydrated goodness, that’s what. Sun-dried tomatoes, corn, onions, pinto beans, and chili.

Another clean living Tim special. Unreal!

And the trail treats keep coming. This Alter Eco100 per cent cacao chocolate isn’t exactly sweet on the taste buds… but it does a fine job as an energy boost.

Back at it in the morning, via West Chile trail and a cairn of quartz chunks.

Go ahead and zoom in on that face! Tim calls this area Happy Valley, for good reason.

There’s lots of potential for side trips and hikes, along (even) lesser travelled trails. Whilst this particular exploration didn’t facilitate a crossing of Grasshopper Canyon, it did reward us with this un-hike-a-bikable rockwall.

Onwards, we make our way down and over the canyon thorough slabby, shrubby desert terrain, picking up a ridgeline trail to Glorieta Camps.

I always appreciate a good rock lean.

What a wonderful view of Shaggy Peak from up here.

My mood board.

Ooof. Time for a catnap.

Back at work with the bellows and the twig fire.

Tim pre-grilled some peppers before we left Santa Fe, so all we needed do was to warm them up on the embers…

Then, it’s rails and trails for our last day.

Climbing back up towards Fangio Mesa, on the west side of the interstate.

The Mexico Viejo Vibes are strong here.

Leaving gravel behind at the top of the mesa, we’re back on NM’s fabled red dirt.

Please transport me here if ever I’m in the doldrums.

We stop for bowl of posole and glass of green juice in Cafe Fina (thank you Tim!), then we’re racing along the Rail Rrail for the last stretch back to Santa Fe.

What a wonderful conduit to the fringes of the city. And what a wonderful trip!!

THE ROUTE

Thanks for putting this one together, Tim!

Given that we didn’t start until the afternoon, we turned this ride into a 3 dayer. But with an earlier start, a relatively big 2 days of saddle time is certainly on the cards. Also, at one point we traced the fenceline of the watershed boundary briefly, which I think is fine, but just be aware that. Otherwise, take the ‘low road’ via Arroyo Hondo. I’m sure this route could be streamlined in places and we may well fine tune it. This said, I certainly enjoyed it as it is.

It’s true.

Also: despite it’s proximity to Santa Fe, this is a challenging ride on many leves. You’ll want to be ready to throw yourself in at the deep end and be ready for a bit of everything. Pack light, as there’s some big pushes on a loaded bike, some chunky trail and doubletrack conditions. Plus, there’s potential headwind on the frontage roads and mesa tops, and you’ll want to pack a water filter with you too.

All pics taken on the little Fuji x100v.

That’s it for now. Thanks for reading. Any questions, pop them in the comments!