A few weeks ago, Sage and I met up for his spring break. After the biting coldness of our last bike trip in Salida, Colorado, when we rode a part of the Great Divide (a story I wrote up for issue 12 of the Bikepacking Journal), we decided to kick back in the (relative) warmth of Santa Fe, New Mexico, where we used to live.
On this occasion, however, we’d forgo out tent, as friends John and Sarah had offered us a house sitting gig in their wonderful home, providing us with a perfect nest.
Mostly, we:
- 1/ Raced the Traxxas Slash RC car around the nearby dirt pump track.
- 2/ Frisbeed in the parks that we used to frequent when Sage was 7.
- 3/ Rode our solo bikes to and from the above locations.
- 4/ Scooted about on the Xtracycle RFA e-cargo bike to see friends.
- 5/ Hung out at the wonderful Tourist Santa Fe, where we procured pre-loved outdoor goodies like a Moraknov knife for Sage.
- 6/ Ran a mile every morning, in preparation for Sage’s school pentathlon.
- 7/ Played Minecraft and watched The Completely Made Up Adventures of Dick Turpin, which is kind of a cross between Monty Python and Blackadder.
We also went hiking with Zac, Lark and Bridger up and down Sun Mountain (a hike I’d never done before), and met up with them all in the park to show off Sage’s new Traxxas Slash. Other than that, we sampled a twenty-year-old Ellsworth full-suspension tandem (thanks Tim!) and ate haystack fries and split pea soup at our favourite restaurant, Counter Culture. What’s more, Sage wore the silver and turquoise bolo tie my dad gifted him from England – which was, in fact, bought in Santa Fe fifty years prior! Shorts over leggings, reflective vest, helmet, and Bolo Tie. What a look!
All in all, we had a wonderful time together. It was super fun just hanging out, re-exploring old haunts, and wandering down memory lane. As for camping… rather than locking ourselves into a big bikepacking trip, we figured we’d see how the weather panned out. Thankfully, it warmed right up and the sun peeked through, after some flighty first days of snow flurries and dark clouds. The local overnighter on the nearby Caja del Rio, shared with Eric, Acazia, Fiona, Sawyer, and four-legged Soba, was a real treat… like the scoop of ice cream on a delicious week of cheesecake!
Sage, his bolo tie, high viz vest, and his Surly Bridge Club (size small), clad in Oveja Negra bags and finished with my old Nitto M-18 rack. What a look!
Classic Santa Fe…
Our modes of transport included the Xtracycle RAF, and his Bridge Club.
Zak and his family, ‘that’ Elsworth tandem (circa 2003), and my beloved Jones LWB, which I retrieved from my storage locker.
E-bikes are great for: zipping around town with your frisbee and remote control car.
Tourist Santa Fe, a trove of curated gear, new and old alike.
Sage, Fiona, Sawyer, Soba, some marshmallows, and our steeds. What a wonderful campout!
I was stoked that Sage rode all the way out and back from town on our campout, a first for him on a fully laden bike!
This one always makes me well up with happiness…
Thank you Eric for the video in the last slide, it captures the happiness I feel when I’m adventuring with Sage. And, thanks for putting together this super fun story on Instagram, too, which you can enjoy in the link below.
If you want to read more rounded words about our week together, cbeck out the piece I wrote on Bikepacking.com!
And, here’s a gallery of a few more pics…
More images from out campout on the Caja del Rio.
Jones LWB, Rohloff hub, OMM basket, Carradice Super C!
Traxxas Slash, 1:10, 4WD, 2S!
Not sure about the specifics… but I’m a sucker for old cars!
The Route
I didn’t record the route, but I think the track below is pretty accurate. It’s a classic overnighter. Most of it is family friendly, following bike paths and low traffic roads, with a stretch on a frontage road too. Unfortunately, there’s also short stint on busier Agua Fria, to fill in the missing piece in the Santa Fe River Trail bike path. Fingers crossed the bike path is connected one day!
That’s it for now. Thanks for reading, any questions, fire away!
