3/21/2011

Today was even tougher than yesterday. I couldn’t believe it. It was truly impossible to move forward.

I woke up to the sound of fourty mph winds. No joke! I thought to myself, maybe when I reach my starting point the wind will be a little less violent. This was after contemplating heading out at all. I mean the winds were louder than yesterday. I sucked it up and bundled up for the day. I had a hoodie underneath my jacket. For my legs, I had compression sleeves for my calves, compression pants, shorts, and sweats. With a towl around my face and the hood over my Roadrunner baseball cap, I looked like a sports ninja.

I met no one today. I think the people were smart enough to stay inside. Walking forward was like being at war with nature. But, I had to perservere...

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...

3/19/2011

The past couple of days I’ve been so lucky to recieve the hospitality of the Howard Johnson hotel in Gallup, New Mexico. The place checked me in with no hesitation and they greeted me by name. It’s a large property with convention rooms and a gaming area. It also has it’s own little night spot and lounge. Today I ran right out the door and ran through Gallup on the historic route 66. I ran past a cool trading post which had all kinds of western stuff. They had Indian kachina dolls staring at me through the window, there were saddles, jewelry, Indian head gear. All super cool stuff. It was called Richardsons and it looked like it came right out of a John Wayne movie. I wanted to stop in and look around but I was afraid I’d end up browsing all day. It was very big.

My body felt a ...