Looking for a new bike path ride these days? Eschew those aerosol droplet emitting throngs on the Bosque Path and check this out.

It is now possible for cyclists to ride multi-use path all the way from Valle de Oro NWR to/from Rio Bravo Blvd. and east and south from there to Mesa del Sol, a distance of just under 7 miles. The route looks something like this:

This is newly possible due to completion, mere days ago, of the final stretch of path north from Prosperity SW to Rio Bravo. And when I write “days ago,” we’re talking super-fresh asphalt:

Combined with the path reconstructions made as part of the Rio Bravo/I-25 Interchange Project, riders now have full separation from drivers (admittedly a few street/highway crossings aside) all the way up and around to the new NM United practice fields on the outskirts of Mesa del Sol.

And while we’re on the subject, here’s a look at the Valle de Oro NWR Visitor Center construction. It’s getting there.

During these sizzling days o’ July, this shade-free route is best done early or late in the day, unless you’re thinking “Well, I have all this Covid Weight to lose, why not just sweat it all off while losing consciousness?” This route will be even better when it cools off, that Visitor’s Center is complete, and the cranes return to the far South Valley.

There are sooooo many reasons to look forward to November, aren’t there?