Santa Fe

I spent the day wandering around the historic center of Santa Fe. The weather has cleared up and couldn’t be much nicer. It’s about 65F with the wonderful dryness that can only be found in arid climates. There are a few cottony fluffy clouds and a chance of a thunderstorm, but even if it rains, terrain that only gets 4 inches of rain a year usually absorbs rain like a sponge.

Il Vicino surprised me by having a pizza oven outside of Colorado. After a fabulous New Mexican meal at the historic Maria’s Mexican Kitchen, I didn’t feel bad going after an old fav. The daily special hasn’t let me down yet, and the trademark chili oil was as tasty as ever.

The Georgia O’Keeffe museum was one of the best single artist museums I’ve ever been to. I’m not sure if it’s my love for the west or her powerful use of form and color, but either way the experience was moving.

Ira who worked in the super-computer department at Los Alamos for 35 years and has clocked more than half a million miles on a bike and I have had some great conversations. He has seen the history of super computing unfold first hand with the computers his lab used, often the world’s fastest. I’ve also learned a lot about riding really long distances from an experienced rider. As an officer for the Iron Butt club I’ve learned about the qualifying rides, which include the shortest, 1,000 miles in 24 hours (about a 43 mph average). One important point he made that I found enlightening was this, “there’s a small difference between wishing and doing, it’s called motivation.”