The Radavist

Our own Miguel stars in the newest project from the Gravel Adventure Field Guide, profiling some adventurous rides in Santa Fe! John and Cari even make a cameo appearance amongst the cholla and Chamisa.

Get your copy of a 64 page art forward gravel cycling guidebook that includes art, maps, digital route links, and stories highlighting the adventure riding in Santa Fe County,-Central New Mexico at Gravel Adventure Field Guide. Whether it’s the Town to Towers ride, or double track in the Caja del Rio, this guide has a lot of terrain covered.

We helped guide the GAFG team to some of our favorite rides, so check it out!

The Caja Del Rio, the westernmost edge of the Santa Fe National Forest has been neglected by management over the years, resulting in an excess of illegal dumping, shooting, cattle grazing, and UHV abuse. Yet, this area is a bastian for locals looking for lower-elevation riding in the frigid winter months and maintains a rich and diverse biome. Animals use the Caja for a habitat as high-end/luxury housing has expanded and golf courses installed in a water-parched landscape.

Energy.gov is currently seeking public comments related to the destruction of habitat in favor of a power line installation from Los Alamos.

This comment period was extended as it was illegally posted during the holidays. So, if you ride bikes in the Caja, or believe the sacred home of the Cochiti Pueblo should be protected, please comment. Read more below…

I tell ya what, it’s been a real honor to see so many of my photographs inspire artists to render those vignettes in their own hand style. Jason Pawley dropped this beautiful drawing of Bailey sending his basket bike (again) on his Instagram this morning and it was the first thing I saw when I got out of bed. It’s from our Caja Overnighter post from a few weeks ago. Follow Jason and his work on his Instagram…

A welcome letter to the bike businesses putting down roots in the Land of Enchantment

Maybe you’re a frame builder fed up with congested lines of traffic to the area’s best singletrack. Maybe you own a cut-and-sew bike bag operation and are looking for access to phenomenal long-distance gravel routes through some of the country’s most vivid landscapes.

Whatever work and aspirations brought you to New Mexico, we’re glad you’re here. Welcome!

Here in New Mexico, you’re joining a growing cohort of companies that make up the backbone of the state’s fast-growing outdoor recreation economy. Governor Michelle Lujan Grisham – through the incredible public-health, social justice, and climate change policy she has advanced since she took office in 2019 – has prioritized outdoor recreation efforts. The Governor views the outdoor industry sector as a key way for the state to diversify its economy away from reliance on fossil fuel extraction.

That’s why the Governor is investing in outdoor recreation businesses. The New Mexico Economic Development Department, led by Secretary Alicia J. Keyes, has many, many tools to support new and growing businesses, from infrastructure and job training grants to low-interest loans and help to navigate federal stimulus programs.

There are so many programs, in fact, that I won’t delve deep into all the acronyms or specifics here, other than to stress that there is financing (again, grants, loans, and more) available for a business like yours. I will also point you in the direction of two helpful resources to get you started: The Economic Development Department and the New Mexico Outdoor Recreation Division’s websites.

Finally, I’ll leave it at this: If you own an outdoor recreation business and you want to move it to New Mexico, please reach out. We have financing and other resources to support you and your vision.

Most importantly, please reach out. You can contact me with any questions at Alexandra.navas@state.nm.us. We’re here to help welcome you to the Land of Enchantment.

Axie Navas is the director of New Mexico’s first Outdoor Recreation Division, which is committed to sustainably growing the outdoor recreation economy in the state.

First of all, I just wanted to thank everyone for reaching out, noting some bugs that are going on right now with the site. We’re aware our RSS feed has stopped, as well as the comment count. We’re also working on our social media plugins, which push our posts through to Facebook and Twitter. Thanks for all your help and patience. Grant is working on it.

xo