Took my dogs hiking up on the trails I usually ride in the Foothills Trail system here in Albuquerque. Took a camera and thought I’d post a few pics of my local riding–II’m lucky as the trail system begins about 250 yards from my house.

View from my house

Must be nice not coming home covered in crap every day !

Not Jealous at all, no sir.

I hate you!

I have great memories of riding in New Mexico (mostly around Santa Fe, in the Fall)… I think I need another holiday.

You lucky bastard

Rattlesnakes & Bears Cougars Coyotes, sound delightful.
NOT

When’s the next flight due out there?

Looks superb.

Not enough loam for me 😛

New Mexico is just brilliant – especially the green chili sauce! I’m salivating now…..

Trails and weather looks really good, and the bonus of real wild animals.
I saw the only poison snake we have in denmark yesterday at my local trails, its called a hugorm, 15 inches long and you should be really unlucky to die if being bitten.

You on the other hand,bears , cougars and coyotes etc. Must be fun.

Id rather put put up with rattle snakes and bears than the wild chav scumbags with bowie knives we have over hear! 🙂

Does look spectacular though!

Must be nice not coming home covered in crap every day !

This is one of those years where we wish we could get some of your excess rain—we have had a total of 3.9 inches so far all year. While you are trying to keep the muck out of the drivetrain, we are trying to keep the decomposed granite/sand/dust from grinding up chains, gears, bearings, etc.

You can go off people

While you are trying to keep the muck out of the drivetrain, we are trying to keep the decomposed granite/sand/dust from grinding up chains, gears, bearings, etc

you poor thing that sounds terrible.
The trails never even dried out this year

Philbert31….I know I can handle myself against a chav, take them out….but don’t fancy my chances against a wild bear!

I’d be terrified out there & Canada….I’m scared is fall off and either die from dehydration or be eaten by a bear….besides its fun riding in the rain!?!?

Ps trails looks amazing mind!

those trails do look pretty nice, certainly different to muddy, twisty woodland round here.

It looks like the sort of place b.a. hannibal, face of murdoch would be lying in wait!

Oh wow, I like the look of that place! Imagine the suntanning possibilities

Looks great but do you not have to watch out for mobile meth labs.. 😀

Looks great but do you not have to watch out for mobile meth labs..

What tyres for…

There’s some sweet booters there!!

Fancy a house swap ?

Edit: The wife wants to know if you carry a handgun and anti-venom in your camelbak ? 😀

Actually do see quite a few rattlesnakes, probably at least one a week. Usually come across them stretched across the trail when you least expect it–calls for some creative, rapid manuevering or a test of you bunny-hopping skills.

Over the 20 years of riding up there, I have seen several bears, but they usually just shuffle off into the trees or brush. My biggest concern is running into a mother with new cubs in the early summer.

Have never seen a mountain lion in the local mountains, but have seen a few tracks over the years. The State Wildlife people estimate the population in the Sandia and Manzano mountains, adjacent to the city, to be only 15-20 at most (covers a 50 by 20 mile area). Some friends who live about 1/4 mile from me found 2 lion cubs in their backyard peachtree last summer, but mama was nowhere to be seen.

Coyotes are commonplace–I have opened my garage in the morning to walk the dogs to find one (or more) standing in the street. They saunter around in broad daylight. I was within about 15 feet from one along a walking trail yesterday when walking the dogs at 6AM.

Sickening, truly jealous. Here in north east Scotland we’ve had very little dust this year. Absolute shite weather here.

The wife wants to know if you carry a handgun and anti-venom in your camelbak

I don’t in the foothills trail area, but sometimes do carry a handgun in a small pack when riding on the east side of the mountains in some of the more remote areas (where one sometimes doesn’t see another human during a ride, even though only 20-30 minutes from my house to the trailheads). Actually, the foothills trails aren’t often crowded either. On a Sat or Sun, I might encounter 20 riders in a 2-3 hour ride and about the same number of hikers/runners.

Sickening, truly jealous. Here in north east Scotland we’ve had very little dust this year. Absolute shite weather here.

We were planning a trip to Scotland this summer/fall and planned to get some riding in, but business got in the way of things and we are going to try and reschedule next summer. Based on the weather you guys have had this year, maybe worked to my advantage having to change the trip.
I used to have a company office in Paisley and lot’s of fond memories of the area (and the single malt scotch), although I didn’t get to spend as much time getting to know the area as I would have liked to.

I like!

Some of those trails in the photos look a bit ‘samey’ though 😉

Some of those trails in the photos look a bit ‘samey’ though

I noticed after I had posted, that I did have a duplicate. It is only one section, called the “rock garden” where I was walking the dogs. The overall foothills trail system consists of about 45 miles, stretched out along the city and range from really easy to moderately technical (a few short sections very). The north/south part of the rock garden where I took the pics is only about 2 miles of the trail system.

Got a spare room for a few months 😀

Here in north east Scotland we’ve had very little dust this year.

Outside, at least… 😀

Must be awful having nothing to moan about.

[video]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8EI7p2p1QJI&feature=youtube_gdata_player[/video]

Looks like the last ten weeks in Vancouver 😀

No rattlesnakes here, although the pitch’n’putt course in Stanley Park had coyote warnings up (they’re just glorified foxes aren’t they?).

Oh, and these guys, still not seen one though…

That looks good stuff, I was in Alberquerque for an overnight stay on Saturday, alas I was sans bike & working. There looks to be plenty of hills around there to play on. The altitude before you even start to climb must give your lungs a good work out.

Looks absolutely fabulous ! What bike do you ride around them trails ?

Looks absolutely fabulous ! What bike do you ride around them trails ?

Riding an Ibis Mojo at present. Have an old vintage Outland VPP in the shed I pull out once in a while, but the suspension bushings are getting pretty worn, so not comparable to the Ibis

Oh, and these guys, still not seen one though…

They have been releasing Mexican Grey Wolves in the southwestern part of New Mexico in the Gila Wilderness area trying to reestablish the population. They are pretty reclusive and I have never seen one down there.

Trails look great fun, love the safari rides, but ‘Albuquerque’ will surely never appear in a hit song again. Mr Campbell must have won a few dollars on that bet.