Day 14 (5/6/22): Let’s Dodge the Wildfire-Day 1
Start: Santa Fe, NM
End: Santa Fe, NM
Mileage: 29 miles
Elevation Gain: 1,350 feet
The plan for today was to ride from Santa Fe to Romeroville, NM, but the ride would have taken us quite close to the Calf Canyon/Hermits Peak wildfire. We likely would not have been in the line of the fire, but the air quality is quite poor—even in Santa Fe. Nothing you want to be cycling in if you can avoid it. As a result, we’ve decided to divert. I did cycle out of Santa Fe a bit but stopped when the smoke became heavy. The plan is to head south of the fire tomorrow where we hope the air quality is acceptable. Bummer, but safety and health are the first priorities, so this was a no brainer.
The picture that accompanied this post was taken from where I stopped. There are some clouds today, but most of what you see is smoke.
We didn’t do much the rest of the day other than start packing up and go grab a milkshake from one of favorite places here in town.
What an I Grateful for Today
The wisdom and patience that comes with age. 20 years ago, I probably would have just gone ahead followed the pre-defined route. That would not have been smart. Taking this up a level, I’ve found over the past several years, when I rush things, I make mistakes. This has probably always been the case, but I’m more cognizant of it now. If I’ve messed something up, I try to be mindful of the process leading up to the mistake, acknowledge I was rushing, and physically say out loud, “slow down”. It may sound goofy, but it works.