My Move to Albuquerque

Some of you know that I have been planning a move Southwest to Albuquerque, New Mexico. For others, it may come as a surprise. I have lived in Pottawattamie County, Iowa for nearly 30 years. When I moved here, I thought I would live in this house until I died or had to move into a care facility. Things and priorities have changed.

In 2005, I suffered a stroke caused by a failed heart valve. To keep this part of the story short, suffice it to say that the cardiac rehab folks wanted to know what I was going to do to keep active. I settled on riding a bicycle.

Since a kid, I was the family photographer. I started carrying a camera in the pocket of my cycling jersey. Soon, riding my bicycles and taking photos of bike trails became my passion. There was a problem. Living 2 miles down a gravel road takes me to busy, high-traffic roads with no shoulder. I had to load the bike on the car rack and drive 13 miles plus to a bike trail.

For several years, I drove to the trailhead, unload the bike, and pedal on down the trails. One year I logged over 3300 miles on my bikes.

During my trips, I generally had at least one bicycle with me. I started planning trips with destinations where I can stop for a couple days and ride my bikes. It has been a great way to explore the area. A bike ride on unfamiliar trails adds some adventure. It gave me the opportunity to shoot some awesome photos for my “Bicycle Trails” calendar.

In Moab, Utah, I was planning a bike ride. Traffic was terrible in the little town. I decided to start my ride from my room. It was an enjoyable experience. I have had similar experiences in Kalispell, MT and Decorah, IA. 

Being in my 60s with my health issues, it was becoming dangerous for me living by myself in the country. Besides the distance to medical facilities, I am serviced my a volunteer fire department and rescue squad.

It because clear, I needed to move into a town – A town/city with a good bicycling infrastructure. My Army Reunion trips have given my the chance to look at locations that have what I was looking for.

I could just move into a place in the Omaha/Council Bluffs area. But, I have had enough of the cold and humidity. I visited a cousin in Albuquerque, NM. The weather is more moderate and drier. They have an awesome bicycle trail system. Should I want, skiing is about an hour away. I found a motel a block off the trail system. The area has lots to see and do. Many opportunities for photography.

Over the last 6 years. I have been making 1 or 2 trips a year to Albuquerque. I found the climate is more temperate, I can tolerate the altitude, and housing prices are comparable to the Omaha area.

I started plotting my move to Albuquerque. A big concern I had was my health – not so much the heart valve, but the 4 cancers I have been battling. Three of them are now over 5 years since treatment. There is just one area we are still watching. My medical oncologists (and my other doctors) say there should be nothing keeping me from moving.

So, here I am, starting the process of moving from rural Iowa to a city lot in Albuquerque. The large house on 6 acres will be on the market. Initial scouting shows good prospects for homes near the bike trails with no/little yard maintenance. I am not looking forward to the hassle of moving, but happy I have decided to make the change. It will be great for my physical and mental health.

Zoo at the Zoo

Yesterday was a record breaking day in Omaha.  Temperature shattered the day-time high, setting a new high of 88 deg.  It also was sunny and very windy.  Not a good morning for a bike ride, so went to the zoo.

I arrived shortly after the gates opened at 9am.  Went over to the jungle and shot some photos.  From there, walked over to the desert dome.  It was already starting to get crowded in the dome. 

My rant:  The folks with wagons and strollers (some double-wides) that block the isles.  The families that "need" to walk side-by-side filling the isle.  Parking a stroller across the isle.  No common sense. 

After 1 1/2 hour, I had enough.  Was getting a headache.  The photo here shows people waiting  to purchase tickets and those waiting to show their passes.  It looks like that the zoo did not anticipate the huge crowd.  I was surprised, too.  Asked a CB teacher if there was some school "holiday", seeing all of the school-aged kids at the zoo. 

The 1968 Project - A Nation Coming of Age

1968 was a tumultuous year. There was the North Viet Nam TET offensive. It was the height of the Viet Nam War. Of course, there were the riots at the Democratic National Convention in Chicago.  Richard Nixon elected President.  And the Apollo 8 flew to and around the moon.

It was the days of hippies, Black Panthers, anti-war protests, and George Wallace.  Assassinations of Martin Luther King, Jr. and Bobbie Kennedy.

The exhibit is divided into months of the year.  For each month  there are some of the memorable events of the year such as:  "Tuesday April 2 - Stanley Kubrick's mind-blowing film: 2001 A Space Odyssey premiers in Washington DC".  There are short films about topics such as the rioting at the Chicago Democratic Convention.  A display about the music of the day.  And some of the now familiar consumer items as modern fabrics and plastics.

I was in Cleveland, Ohio with rioting in the streets that summer.  National Guard bivouacked on our college athletic field.  The Cuyahoga River (running through Cleveland) caught fire.

With this, I had to check out the exhibit at The Durham Museum in Omaha.  The exhibit closes on May 4th.  I was a little disappointed with the exhibit.  Photography was not allowed in the exhibit.  Was expecting more artifacts of the year.  Guess I needed to understand that this is a traveling exhibit and it included a part of the Huey chopper and replica of the Apollo capsule.

Lots of us in our 60s were touring the exhibit this morning.  If you remember 1968, if you are history buff, if your father served in Viet Nam, you owe yourself to get to the Durham Museum before the exhibit closes. 

Nebraska Cyclo-Cross Weekend - Day 2

Had to get out of the house yesterday - before the weather turned colder.  So, header out to Lake Cunningham for the cyclo-cross race.

Weather was sunny and in the upper 40s with a breeze (think it was from the SE?).  Sweatshirt weather.  Just after the start of the last race, the clouds came in, putting a chill in the air.  By that time, I had enough for a day.

Great to see my friends with THOR.  Really happy to have time to visit with Todd and Dan - a couple of racers I had not seen in a couple years.

The photos I took of the races are located on my race and events web site:  http://win-photo.photoreflect.com.  Congratulation to the racers!

Finally, Bike Riding Weather (for a day)

The summer has not been conducive for bike riding. The heat and humidity has been nasty. If it's not too hot in the morning, its pea-soup fog. Last Wednesday I was able to get out for a 14 mile ride. This morning, I wore my bibs and brought the hybrid on the car for my trip to Panera for "breakfast".

Was hoping John or Dennis might ride, too. John was planning antenna work and Dennis also had other plans. So, I drove over to Lake Manawa for my ride.

Rode up the East side of Lake Manawa on the new section of Veteran's Memorial Trail. At Leach Camper, I crossed Indian Creek on Highway 92. Back onto the trail almost to Veteran's Memorial (South Omaha) Bridge.

"Trail Closed" signs and barricades where down or moved to the side at S 24th St and at the OHV park. Rode past the National Guard trailer in the parking lot. It was the first time for me riding over to the bridge so was a little confused when the trail dropped down into the river and had to walk over to the bridge. (Upper photo).

Rode on over the bridge. Wanted to find that spot under the bridge that Jodi and Greg like (Bridge Trolls). I found it and shot the lower photo there. Spend some time exploring the trails there at S. 13th St and Veteran's Memorial.

When I was finishing crossing the bridge, I noticed activity at the National Guard trailer and CB Police car entering the lot. Decided it was not a time to walk pass the downed "trail closed" sign I saw earlier (when I was already past point of now return). Grabbed the bike over the railing and rode along the shoulder of the road back to the trail at the motel.

At S. 24th Street, The barricade is now back up across the trail. I was not ready to end my ride, so rode over to the Trails Center. Visited there, had my bottle of G2 and headed back to the car.

With Veteran's Memorial Trail blocked at S 24th, I rode the street from JCPenny to Leach Camper. Back onto the trail (and shared "bike lane") around the East side of Manawa. Good timing, it was getting a bit warm when I ended my ride (about noon). Logged in 20+ miles in just under 2 hours. Good ride!

World's Most Spectacular Pedestrian Bridges

The Bob Kerrey Pedestrian Bridge is one on the World's Most Spectacular Pedestrian Bridges, according to Travel + Leisure Magazine. From my experience with the Big Dam Bridge in Little Rock/N. Little Rock, Arkansas, I knew the "Bob Bridge" would become a destination in the Council Bluffs/Omaha area.

Here's what Travel + Leisure said about the importance of bridges like the Bob Kerrey Pedestrian Bridge...

"The most successful fall somewhere between spectacle and conduit because they blaze a path where no one felt the need for one before. The newly built Bob Kerrey Bridge linking Omaha, NE, to Council Bluffs, IA, surely attracts tourists, but it has also changed life for the locals. Footbridges encourage new patterns of development geared toward human-powered pace, especially along the nearby waterfronts."

On top of that, the cover photo of the 2011 Iowa Transportation Map (free road map) is of the Bob Kerrey Pedestrian Bridge!

Photo Shoot Bike Ride

After coffee at Panera Bread, the weather was just too nice (for the end of October) to spend it in the house. Time to get out for a bike ride. Aired up the tires on the hybrid.

Had not been riding that bike in a while (with the road bike getting the work-out). But, with the cloudy sky, it was a day to shoot HDR exposures. The hybrid has the rack and bag to carry the D-SLR.

Was a bit rough heading out - into the wind from the SSW. At least got a break riding up Indian Creek Trail with the wind.

When I turned the corner onto Veteran's Memorial Trail I noticed that the construction barricade was down, The re-paving there was done. They still have to pave the section of Western Historic Trail from S 24th to the Trails Center.

Feeling good at the Trails center, so headed on North the the "Bob Bridge" and across to Omaha. Got some awesome photos on the ride!

Uneventful ride back to the Trails Center and on to the car at the Wabash Trace trail head.

Some of the photos shot today are on the Tom Winfield Photography Facebook page.

27.6 miles today, topped the 1700 mile mark for the year.

Saturday Morning Photo Shoot

Its time to catch up on my blogging. Saturday the 16th, I headed to Omaha after breakfast. Beautiful morning to walk and shoot photos. Not up to riding - already had 111 miles for the week.

Parked across from Rick's Boatyard at Lewis & Clark Landing. Destination: Heartland of America Park. Set up the Canon Rebel T1i for exposure bracketing.

Most of the photos I shot were 3 bracketed exposure, generally +/- 2 EV. Some were exposed +/- 1 EV. A couple, where I did not have the changing fountain contend with, were a full 5 exposures: -2, -1, OEV, +1, +2.

Back home, I processed the photos with Photomatix Lite.

The next couple days I spent lots of time processing photos. Found some awesome photoshop plug-ins created by Topaz Labs. Took their software "Adjust" for a free test drive. Here's one of the "art print" efforts.

I have posted some of the art prints on the Tom Winfield Photography Facebook page. More will likely find their way into this blog.