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Thursday, November 18, 2004

Up and at'em at 7:30am, I wake to a bright but chilly morning. My trusty thermometer verifies the extent of the cold with a 38 degree reading taken from inside the van. Yikes, it's probably at or near freezing outside. Standing more than 12,000 feet above sea level I spy Pueblo Peak, its highest reach rising more than 5,000 feet from where I am now, in Taos, New Mexico.

A cursory scan of the sky provides unlimited hues of blue, this is the first near-cloudless day since visiting Memphis, TN more than a week ago. Since it's such a stellar day, I've decided to celebrate the welcomed weather by going on a little biking adventure. After a small measure of planning I decide to take a mountain bike ride along a trail called Rio Grande del Rancho.

After breakfast I hit the road. As the crow flies, my route to the bike trail will take me due south about 6 miles.

On the way I pass by a number of adobe residences. I have to admit, home construction here in these parts is somewhat odd to me, I'm used to seeing wood, brick or concrete construction, not adobe.

Here's a cemetery. Again, I've encountered another odd, unfamiliar sight. When I think of a cemetery, I think of green grass, not dry foliage and drab-colored rocks.