"The very scenic Frost Road Loops begin and end at the 4-Hill's Smiths. These are favorite rides in the summer to get away from the heat of the city. They have great views of the Sandias from the east, the Manzanos, and South Mountain."
This is the description of essentially the ride we did today, plucked from a website that I could not figure out the source of, so I can't quite credit. Nonetheless...THEY LIED!
A. This route DOES NOT get you 'away from the heat of the city', as though one were going for a lovely holiday, oceanside.
B. Views? What views...I didn't even notice, I was too busy creeping up the hills, telling myself, "Just make it to the next crack in the road. Good girl. You can make it to the next crack in the road."
Here's a map...just to give you the FLAT visual:
The highlighted blue part was our route.
The red x, you ask. That's the place I stopped and had a good cry.
Oh, but wait, this doesn't include from Albuquerque to Tijeras:
Not so bad, you're thinking. Looks pretty flat to me ~ ON THIS 2-D MAP!
The ride: 53 miles, elevation increase 3,350 feet!
Hills from Albuquerque all the way through Mountain Valley Rd, including a second time with Sedillo Hill...yep, Sedillo Hill is uphill BOTH WAYS! How does that happen?
But in the end, crack in the road by crack in the road, I made it! (Took one 5 minute break in the SAG Vehicle to get my act together after the crying.)
I AM WOMAN, HEAR ME ROAR! Well, when I got home it was more like, HEAR ME SNORE, but you get the point!