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A bicycle ride across the Americas

from Deadhorse (SCC) to Ushuaia (USH)

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Home→Tags post office

Tag Archives: post office

Socorro

A bicycle ride across the Americas Posted on 2016-10-03 by mev2016-10-03

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Weather forecasts and restricted highways influenced my cycling over the past day and a half to Socorro. Weather forecast called for a front to move through on Monday with a windy afternoon from the SW (headwinds). Hence, I wanted to get as far as I could before then. There is a stretch of I-25 without reasonable paved alternatives, so I also wanted to travel the interstate at a reasonable time.

First twelve miles were along major streets in Albuquerque. Sunday morning early and there wasn’t much traffic on the road. However, Albuquerque streets seem to have a fair amount of debris – and particularly in bike lanes one needs to keep a watch out. I cycled past Kirkland Air Force Base and then the ABQ airport before crossing I-25 and taking the main road past scrap metal and junkyards out of town.
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There were perhaps a dozen balloons aloft as part of the balloon festival.
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At 17 miles, I crossed I-25 and briefly went via an Indian reservation.
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This brought me through a more agricultural region along east size of the Rio Grande River. Some nice cycling here through mixture of small towns and countryside.
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Has anyone lost their goats?

It was fairly flat without too much wind so made good time. By 60 miles I had a choice to make. Should I stop at I-25 exit #175 at the RV park or instead keep going to I-25 exit #163 at Las Casitas RV park?
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I got on shoulder of I-25. There were signs both prohibiting bicycles and saying they should stay on the shoulder.
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The shoulder wasn’t too bad and not a huge amount of traffic. Only had to watch for occasional “road alligators”, namely those shredded truck tires that were ready to reach up and grab unsuspecting bicycle tires.
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I came past a rest area where signs told of sand dunes. A few miles later, the I-25 riding was done and I finished at the RV park. Overnight there was briefly some rain on the tent, but by morning the tent was dry and no signs of any precipitation.
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Next morning I had carefully crafted a route found from looking up the internet. It stayed on back roads and avoided need for an additional 13 miles of I-25 riding. I started by going underneath the interstate to follow frontage roads.
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Google maps bicycle instructions doesn’t always avoid gravel, but fortunately only a mile and a half. Also there was already some wind from the SW but nice that I was going only shorter distance.
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Without too much difficulty, this brought me to the post office. Why the post office?
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I had an envelope to pick up that contained the Adventure Cycling Southern Tier bicycle maps. I had ordered these to come to Socorro (one wants to pick a town large enough that the post office has reasonable hours but not so large that there is more than one post office). I plan to follow Map #1 from Tempe to San Diego. I am less certain how much of Map #2 I’ll catch since it is still a ways further south going via El Paso to Tempe – and I might more likely cut across further north. However, this now lets me sort this all out.

Posted in New Mexico, USA | Tagged Adventure Cycling, post office, wind
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