| DAY 18 Monday March 18th, 2002 Mileage: 80, total of 830.59 Altitude in Albuquerque, NM=4,900ft. I lazily enjoyed the morning and had a late start (11am) since i planned to bike half way to Albuquerque today. As I talked with folks along the way, I soon realized that there was NOTHING between here and there....so I phoned my contact RPCV Tanya in Albuquerque and received confirmation that indeed there was nowhere to stay at all. With her promise to help out if i needed it en route...I pushed my self and picked up the pace onward to Albuquerque. I was intimidated by what folks from Grants, NM refered to as the '8 mile hill' which soon became the '9 mile hill' according to folks in the Acomita Casino. The infamous '8-9 mile hill', according to my odometer was a shocking 15 mile incline!!!!! It all became worth it once i climbed to the top and stopped my cycle to see where i had come from. The sun was beginning to set, and i was gifted a fantastic view of the mountain i had just climbed. Twenty miles downhill to Tanya's home on the other side of Albuquerque. What a ride indeed! My wild animal battles for today consisted of nearly knocking down two pregnant cows who were startled by my passing on the Interstate 40. I am happy to report that they seemed to catch themselves and run away without injury. DAY 19 Tuesday March 19th, 2002 My first day of Explore Albuquerque, NM. Beautiful day with lots of sunshine (finally). I plan to stay in this fine city for just over a week to participate in RPCV/NPCA events, meet with RPCVs, re-organize my route, explore the National Parks in the immediate vicinity, go on some local bike rides, and probably most importantly give myself a rest. DAY 20 Wednesday March 20th, 2002 What a wonderful evening with the RPCV community of Albuquerque, including President of NPCA guest speaker Dane Smith! Many thanks to Willie Richardson, UNM campus representative for the Peace Corps who coordinated the event and provided me with information, advice, and a generous collection by the RPCV community of pocket donations during the potluck dinner. I had the honor of meeting some outstanding individuals and i look forward to following up on some excellent advice. Your support and encouragement will travel with me for many miles to come. I appreciate the awe and support expressed by the folks that i met tonight. Hopefully some of us will meet again at the 40th Anniversary National Peace Corps Association conference in DC in June 2002! DAY 21 Thursday March 21st, 2002 Albuquerque exploration with RPCV Tanya Cole. DAY 22 Friday March 22nd, 2002 Dinner in Albuquerque with RPCVs Tanya and Willie Richardson. DAY 23 Saturday March 23rd, 2002 DAY 24 Sunday March 24th, 2002 The rest and relaxation continues! Had a great time at the Tinkertown Museum just outside of Albuquerque, a 'must-see' if in the area. Just trust me on this one. DAY 25-28 (March 25-28), 2002 Drove to Southern New Mexico to take advantage of the warmer temperatures and one of many state and national parks. With an out of town friend, we did some dry camping at Elephant Butte Lake State Park and explored the nearby Caballo Lake State Park and Percha Dam State Park. This area is the most popular water sport area for New Mexicans during the summer time. Fortunately the parks are open year round and we were able to pitch the tent on the beach. VERY hot during the daytime and a bit cold at night. I saw two road runners (NM state bird) running as they do in a somewhat hurry-to-get-nowhere sort of way. Plans to head south along the Interstate 25 (frontage roads) until Belen or until i tire. DAY 29 Friday March 29th, 2002 Daily Mileage: 35 miles, total of 869 miles Just after noon I was on the roadI was fully packed, stocked, with cell phone batteries charged, morning phone calls taken care of and final good byes to RPCV Tanya...I headed south on the 47 towards Belen. The winds were strong and AGAINST me at 30mph making for my first day back on the road a tough one. There was no turning back, though i assumed that my hostess would have had me if need be...i was determined to make it to Belen, some 35 miles south from Albuquerque. The wind was strong enough to throw gravel in my face which forced me to hop off the bike a few times to turn my head. Other times the dust was so thick that i rode a good protion of the ride with my shirt covering my mouth and nose so that i could breathe dust-free air. I felt like a cowboy, only i am not a cow, nor a boy. Additionally, the tumbleweeds were shooting towards me at great speeds, i often wondered if i was IN a video arcade game dodging bullets. I could almost hear the arcade noises that accompanied every tumbleweed blast. I am not happy to report that i was chased by MANY dogs today...and was forced to use my pepper spray. Fortunately i both missed being bitten AND hitting the dog. The winds were too strong for me to aim successfully and looking back, i am glad that i did not have to be responsible for causing unecessary dog tears. I arrived at W.M. Chavez Sate Park in Belen, NM in the late afternoon along with cubpack 130 of Rio Communities. This State Park is closed to public camping, but the newly appointed maintenance man was kind enough to allow this wind blown cyclist to camp for the night. The cubscouts and their parents were kind enough to include me in their evenings activities, which included stories, propane-powered heaters, and hot cocoa!!!! DAY 30 Saturday March 30th, 2002 Daily Mileage: 78 miles, total of 947 miles What an honor to be among Cubpack 130 as they invited me for Breakfast Burritos and hot coffee. I was the honorary guest and was privileged with the first hot burrito off the grill. Many thanks to this GREAT group of Weeblos for their hospitality and energy. I shared my Peace Corps Third Goal Bike Tour with them and was asked some very intelligent and curious questions from the boys. Additionally i learned all about the types of snakes i might encounter on my ride, both venomous (25% of the time) and non worrisome. Belly full, I headed towards the Interstate 25 South. I decided to ride the Interstate today so that i could enjoy the shoulder all to myself, avoid the game of 'let's chase Steph' that the dogs are so fond of, and because quite frankly it was the only route that i knew would take me to my destination of San Antonio, NM. After a brief stop in Socorro for lunch and respite, i arrived in San Antonio, NM and learned there was absolutely no place to stay. And further on there was no place to stay. Fortunately the Bosque del Apache Wildlife Refuge was only 8 miles away (wrong direction, but i was not complaining). Again,. there is no public campground, but the friendly ranger allowed this sun burned rider to camp in the Reserved Campground that is designated for nonprofit groups. I was told to expect company from the boyscouts, which i looked forward to, though they never showed. A volunteer at the Refuge turned to the Ranger and asked if he had briefed me on the recent sighting of a mountain lion and cub. He turned to her and said, "Now don't scare her...ony a few people are eaten by mountain lions per year!" OK...now THAT scared me. Despite the potential 'honor' of seeing a mountain lion...i had a sound sleep at the campsite located a good two miles from the Visitor Center. The weather was warm enough stay outside of my tent until bedtime, the stars were BRILLIANT, and the occassional quack or honk of some of my neighbor ducks/geese (there were thousands there) reassured me that i was indeed lucky to be granted this rare opportunity to experience this Refuge during the night. DAY 31 Sunday March 31st, 2002 As i was making my way towards the visitors center to say my thanks, the Ranger asked if i had a good nights sleep. Took some photos of the swamps where i found a large turtle basking in the sun on a branch. Just as i was filling up my last water bottle from the faucet of the restroom...someone stopped me..."Hey, are you the one doing that Peace Corps Bike Ride?" And just like that, I realized that i am a ....star....! OK, sort of. RPCV Colin Lee (Dominican Republic) currently volunteers at the Wildlife Refuge and some time ago he had received my email regarding the bike tour. We had a nice chat before i hit the road for my long day of bike riding on Easter Sunday.... Just three miles or so into my 80 mile journey, I was visited by the Easter Bunny, in the form of Jerry & Casey Emmons of Carrizozo, NM...my host family for the night. I had talked with them lastnight to notify them of my arrival and they suggested that they drive out in the late afternoon to check up on me. Only today they decided to swing by and invite me to their family Easter picnic in Carrizozo! On account of the fact that today is my first Easter in the states since a long long time ago, I accepted the offer and hopped in their pickup truck. Today I enjoyed the company and hospitality of an American family on this Easter holiday, to inlude BarBQ picnic, Easter egg hunt for the kids, and lots of extended family members! Many thanks to the Emmons for making this cyclist take a break and celebrate Easter the way it is supposed to be experienced...with family and good food. 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