Thinking of Santa Fe

Went out for a ride today and my mind was going in a million different directions. I read the blogs of all the XC10 riders this morning - yesterday was the Turquoise highway, the ride from Albuquerque to Santa Fe. This is not the longest day of the ride but it is mostly uphill and winds its way through some very pretty country. Last year we had cold and mist that wanted to be rain and it seemed like a long day. The bloggers all reported a beautiful day, warm and sunny and they loved the high desert scenery and the quirky little towns along the way. And I also remember our rest day in Santa Fe which I spent mostly with my daughter and granddaughter who drove up from Albuquerque for the visit. It was really a great day off from the cycling. But at the same time I'm remembering Charlie coming down to the dining room on Saturday night and Tom and I inviting him to join us for dinner - he sat for a couple of minutes and then decided he would re-heat some pizza and went up to his room. And, of course, that was the last we saw of him. Charlie would die in his sleep that night and the next couple of days were very sad for all of us on the ride...As Karen said, the only vacation I can remember that I am thinking "where was I a year ago"....lots of memories. And for the record, I did 52 miles today on a route I haven't seen since last April - was a great ride, no pain in the knee, 2000 feet of climbing and 16 mph....felt good.