3/20/2011
When people told me New Mexico would be tough I was a little skeptical. Now I know. Another day of battling the wind was truely rough. I felt like there was a hand on my chest pushing me backwards. Talk about resistance training. The cold pierced my clothing straight to my bones.
A couple miles after Coolidge was the Continental Divide, 7225 ft. The hill wasn’t too big. This is the divide that seperates the waters that flow into the Pacific and Atlantic Oceans. I spent a few minutes there shooting video and taking a couple pictures. Then it was on the road again. About nine miles from Coolidge my mom was waiting for me at Thoreau. She wasn’t actually waiting. Taking a walk would be a more accurate description. The car was parked at an abandoned licquor store. Behind the car I spotted someone who at first I thought was a homeless person. But as I inched closer I saw a bike with a hitch behind it. The cycler was on an ipad and dressed in compression gear. She obviously wasn’t homeless. I decided to ask her where she was headed. My instincts told me it was a fellow traveller. Low and behold, She was headed towards Long Beach. I found out she took off from Jacksonville, Florida. Her date of departure was completely uncanny. Feb. 10th just like mine. It was a cool chance encounter. I’m not sure what it’s supposed to mean. Maybe its just a little reminder not to quit. We wished each other well on our journeys and headed in opposite directions. Fifteen miles later I decided a twenty-four mile day was enough. I was hungry and I just wanted to eat some donuts and taco bell.
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