I’m old-fashioned in many ways, including the strong, antiquated feeling that any bicycle with bigger than 2″ diameter tires isn’t a bicycle. Nothing against really fat tire proponents, only their bicycles. My bias runs aground, so to speak, when combined with my silly desire to ride places that bikes with <2″ tires have no business attempting.

I refer to this disconnect as “fun.” Example:

The area to the southwest of Mesa del Sol and north of the Isleta Pueblo boundary is the definition of “no man’s land.” Occasionally, one passes some arrangement of clothing out there and thoughts immediately go to “Are there bones and other human remains in those clothes?” and “Do I really want to see a dead body?”

That kinda place.

Nevertheless, there are folks who do go out there, including some probably not dumping dead bodies. I say that because there are faint to pretty well-established trails/two-tracks atop and along the mesa you see in the birds’ eye above, enough that the number of dead bodies would have to be substantial. That said, I can also report that the north-south “trail” you see running close to the Interstate in the route photo above really doesn’t constitute what we usually think of as “trail.” Especially the northern squiggles.

My 1.5″ tire ebike and I rode some of what you see above, having chosen to ride out there, again, due to the recent rain. We also walked much of what you see above, and tumbled significantly once due to the fact that wet sand is still sand. Nothing serious; I still have all ten fingers to type this blogpost.

One significant discrepancy experienced personally today relative to the route photo above is how relatively green it is out in this no man’s land.

Okay, we’re not talking Blue Ridge Parkway green, but c’mon that’s remarkably green for our little no man’s land. You can also see the criss-cross of trails and “trails” (hint: don’t do the one on the right in photo #2 unless you like to walk your bike, even with fat tires, because of washouts from the recent rains).

One advantage of walking your bike (there are many and I’ll spare you the meditative/contemplative arguments for this activity, at least now) is that you have more time to spot rattlesnakes you come across. The downside is that you’re walking instead of perched on a bike. No rattlesnakes were spotted in my miles of no man’s land biking/walking today, but I’d guess that had more to do with my lack of eyesight than their actual lack of presence.

If golf is a good walk spoiled, walking one’s bike is just flat out good. If you’re being the data nerd that I am, walking your bike also tends to make for higher ride calorie counts (because time and you’re going so damn slow pushing a bike/ebike), so there’s that, too.

Here’s to a good walk-a-bike weekend, particularly my fellow <2″ bike tire brothers and sisters. Watch out for those rattlesnakes.