| DAY 12 Tuesday March 12, 2002 Mileage 506 miles. Altitude in Carrizo is approx 5800 ft. Freezing cold morning. Had a hot danish and coffee in the convenience store to warm my fingers. Packed up my belongings and thanked the wild horses nearby for NOT trampling me last night. Also thanked the bears and mountain lions and all other wild animals for NOT attacking me during the night. Up and up and up I went on my way to Show Low, AZ...some 6331 ft in altitude. I had my first flat tire today. I pulled off the side of the road and fixed the cute little tire on the BOB trailer. Not a problem whatsoever. Just a cute little hole on the cute little tire which i fixed quickly and efficiently. I attempted to phone Justin to thank him for suggesting I buy an extra tube for the trailer tire. I had no phone signal, so this is my public announcement of recognition and thanks to J, for the suggestion that i bring along a spare little tube for the cute little tire. By the way, the Peace Corps flag is frazzled and needs repair. Just then as i was biking up a hill i passed a tube of glue. I scooped it up for tonights activity of Flag Repair. In addition to conserving the flag, I am helping to clean the environment of discarded glue tubes in the National Forest. I am now in Show Low, AZ in good spirits and despereately in need of a shower. Fortunately there is a campground nearby with showers. I am both relieved and surprised that i have come this far. Fool Hollow Lake had clean and safe campsites on the lake and fishing creek. Luckily I had nice neighbors and we chatted about cycling and Peace Corps. DAY 13 Wednesday March 13, 2002 Mileage: 538 miles Altitude in Show Low, AZ is 6331 ft. Wind Advisory of 20-30 mph with gusts of 40-50mph until late tonight. I attempted to ride with the wind this morning, but i couldn't stay on my bike. The winds were so strong that i struggled to keep it standing up despite the winds blowing in the general direction that i want. Instead i stopped in a motel to ask for rates. The clerk Barbara Bass, "like the fish," invited me to stay in her home instead. So I have decided to accept the offer to stay at Barbara's home and hope that the winds calm down by tomorrow. Thankfully I can occupy myself here with a much overdue break and take a walk in this Main Street City. The lesson learned today is that you Just Never Know What The Day Will Bring. I have also decided to include in my daily log a count of bugs consumed. Riding with ones mouth open is not a good idea. I learned this a few days ago, but have yet to remedy it. Instead I will count how many bugs I eat. Today was zero (that i know of). Yesterday i ate three, of various varieties. Many thanks for the warm hospitality from my new friend Barbara. Not only did she introduce me to several of her 31 grandchildren, take me on a tour of the nearby communities, but she intruduced me to the first two of six videos of Pride and Prejudice. I am glad that the winds blew me to her aquaintence. We should all be so lucky. DAY 14 Thursday March 14, 2002 AM Mileage: 549 miles Temperature approximately 35' F Altitude in St. John's, AZ= 5,725 ft. The winds were back to normal this morning so i took advantage of it and headed out of town before 9am. It is VERY cold today so i covered my fingers with a pair of socks, thanks to the Pre-ride advice from RPCV Heather. After some uphills my body seemed to generate enough heat to forget agbout the cold, coming downhill reminded me that I was crazy for biking in this freezing cold front. Had some squeeks from the bike so a fellow from a car shop put some motor oil on the chain to remedy the problem temporarily, on recommendation from bike expert/friend Victor. I had my first stop in Concho, AZ for a mere minute while i took some photos of a beautiful lake alongside the Highway 61. Early afternoon arrival in St. John's, AZ where I stopped for some hot coffee and lunch just to get out of the cold. A lady blessed me in the doorway of the local grocery mart, which i am always pleased to accept. Though i feel OK about riding further, I need to stop here for the night (50 miles from Show Low) because tomorrow will be a long day to the next town in New Mexico!!!!!! On a positive note, there were no bugs consumed today. Apparently it is too cold for bugs to be wind surfing. The vegetation has changed completely from tall pine trees to brown wheat-looking grass and bushy green shrubs. DAY 15 Friday March 15th, 2002 Mileage: 60 miles, total of 661.89 Temperature: High 49'/Low 19' Altitude in Zuni, NM=6300ft. Today was a VERY rough day. I rode uphill seemingly all day in the bitter cold. I completely lost all sense of humor and wondered IF i would make it to the next town as my speed was decreasing to 4mph, taking my spirits down as well. I passed the AZ/NM stateline and took a photo that read "Welcome to New Mexico..The Land of Enchantment!" I recall not feeling enchanted whatsoever. Arrived in Zuni, NM in mid afternoon and learned that there was a campground in the out-of-season Fairgrounds where i pitched my tent out of no other option. It was so cold that my water bottle froze. Went to bed early wearing nearly every article of clothing and wrapped myself in my mummy sleeping bag. Brrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr. DAY 16 Saturday March 16th, 2002 Mileage: 40 miles, total of 701.50 Temperature: High 40's/Low 14' Altitude in El Morro, NM=7,882ft! First thing i did in the morning was bike back into town (2 miles) against 20-30mph winds, local dogs chasing me until they could laugh no more, I made my way to the convenience store for a cup of hot coffee, to charge my phone and to sample the local ,'Zuni Bread' in the shape of a bear claw! After thawing my frozen self, I hit the road again with new confidence and speed while I played along with the rude dogs who pretended to be mean and unforgiving...onward and upward to El Morro National Monument. The winds were so strong and so helpful (blowing me up the hills) I had no idea that i climbed so high in elevation. Imagine my surprise when i saw the sign stating that i had reached nearly 8,000ft! Yes I was short of breath and yes, there was snow on the ground...but it never dawned on me that i might be up THAT high! After several stops at local cafes for some hot liquids, my favorite being the Stagecoach Cafe in Ramah (pronounced Ray-mah), I arrived at the National Park Campgrounds and decided to take their advice and go 1 mile further East to a private campground with water and electricity. Probably the biggest motivation was that Nobody else was at the campground and the signs read something about how mountain lions live here too!!!!! I found the El Morro Cafe and RV park where i set my tent up next to a cabin. The owners are a peculiar couple, not interested at all in conversation. They seemed curious to see if i would survive the bitter cold and lows of 14' that night in the tent. Truth is that i barely did. We had snow flurries, the ground was frozen and i kept my camp stove and candle lantern on all night to keep somewhat warm. Needless to say I did not sleep very well. Consolation was that it was absolutely beautiful up there. DAY 17 Sunday March 17th, 2002 Top-o-the-mornin' to ya! Happy St. Patrick's Day! Mileage: 50 miles, total of 750.82 Altitude in Grants, NM=6300ft. What a spectacular ride today. Despite the BITTER COLD and strong winds (thankfully to my back) I was in awe over the outstanding beauty of the mountains that i was riding DOWN!!!!!! Met a cool woman, named Liane, who works at the Parks who said that she would be driving past me later that afternoon and that she would check up on me if i needed help. Luckily I had a fabulous ride and made excellent time as i descended at 20mph+ until my destination city of Grants, NM. I decided to treat myself to a motel and experienced true comfort at the Comfort Inn. The clerk even gave me the AARP discount. Heck, I don't look a day over 55! A greatly needed treat and a true pick-me-up, I soaked in the heat and hot water and took advantage of everything that used electricity and generated warmth. Talked with some nice folks at the Tourism Office who reminded me of Jim Carey and his sidekick. The woman told me of her husband who had served as a PCV in Honduras "a long time ago." They both simply could not believe that anyone could bicycle through these mountains. Little did they know that neither could I! Previous Page Go to Next Page Go Home |