Thanks to my wonderful aunt Rutie for these pictures.
Today was a half-day, and boy do I feel that I've earned it. I'm making good time overall, my last few days, have been, by all measurements, astounding, and so far, the only physical ailment I've suffered is a bit of a stuffy nose. My bike, on the other hand, was not doing too well, and for a while now, I've been looking forward to seeing a bike shop in Albuquerque.
For me, going to a bike shop is a bit like going to the doctor. As I bike, there's so many things I notice that need fixing. I need more inner tubes, my GPS is crumbling, I wish I had front panniers, my grip-tape is falling apart, my mirror is cracked, my rear light hangs from a strap of my blue trunk, my kickstand is worse than useless. Then there's the upgrades - a solar-charged battery, a rainjacket, a phone holder, a frame bag, or even a new bike altogether. Yet somehow, either for lack of inventory, or a desire for the status quo, all of these symptoms seem irrelevant at the shop. Today I bought a bunch of spare inner tubes, and new grip tape. Nothing else.
And so, I got to work outside the bike shop to replace the old grip tape with the new. This is my second time doing it, and I think I'm getting good. A month of biking will be the test.
Suddenly, into the parking lot, a car pulls in, and the driver waves to me. It's my good friend Everett, and his dog Stevie! They drove three hours to come say hi, and then waited another 25 minutes while I fixed a flat. Of course, as all good friendships must go, we went to lunch, and I got my fix of vegetables for the week.
We sat at that cafe for hours, eating cake, drinking tea, and mostly talking about the mountains. Everett showed me pictures of all of the places I will have to miss, and alerted me of hot springs, and beautiful mountains ahead. He showed me pictures of hiking trails, and really convinced me that I have to come back here to hike one day.
Everett went home, and I checked into a motel. Overall, I had a great day, and a lot of it might have been due to the fact that it was all downhill, there was no wind, and I had an afternoon with a good friend.
Today I biked for 60km over the course of three and a half hours. I stopped along the way in Edgewood for a big breakfast at Denny's, and then pedaled about five times to get to Albuquerque. It was all downhill, and simply lovely. I've also cracked the code for city biking! I put on some classical music, and let Google give navigation directions through my headphones. Works like a charm to get me where I need to be fast.
I have also added a live link to my mood, so at any point during the day, you can check to see how angry I will be when writing the blog that evening! Thanks Marshall!