Reading Time: < 1 minute The tent was warmer last night. So was I. And no one hassled me. I’ve been introduced to one of the banes of the Southwest desert: Tribulus terrestris, a.k.a. Goat Head Weed, a.k.a. Puncture Vine—a serious hazard to bare feet and bicycle tires. Although the internet says that the plant is used medicinally for UTIs and […]

Reading Time: < 1 minute Today was pretty much gloomy and overcast, preceded by some wicked cold this morning. The problem with having to get into the tent in the early afternoon is that you’re stuck there until 8 or 9 in the morning. I spend much of that time trying to keep warm, often without success. For whatever reason, […]

Reading Time: < 1 minute I started the day in a railroad town motel and ended it in a cow pasture. The highway provides not one tree or bush to hide behind, and at least the pasture afforded me a modicum of protection from the road, if not the cows. The pasture gate was completely open, I didn’t see any […]

Reading Time: 2 minutes The strong winds usually begin with sundown as the temperature quickly sinks. I was awakened at 2:30 am by industrial machine sounds coming from the nearby railroad tracks. It’s always something. The loud noise lasted for about two hours. Since I’d first fallen asleep at 7 pm (what else can you do when it’s dark, […]

Reading Time: 2 minutes I was sad having to leave the Corona Motel—it’s a special place. Rhonda had gone into Albuquerque shopping, and she kindly took my grocery list with her (apples, oranges, baby carrots, yogurt, Triscuits, corn tortillas). Last night she, her husband George, and their old friends Nancy and Eric invited me into the back room for […]

Reading Time: < 1 minute I slept like a log last night—well, a log who has to get up once or twice to pee. If you have difficulty sleeping at night, I suggest you walk 27 miles during the day; it might help. It is Saturday, and with no scheduled plans I tuned in to a program you’ve probably never […]

Reading Time: < 1 minute The magic number for today is 27. That’s what the temperature went down to last night (I was in my tent, and the cold just seeped from the ground and woke me up a few times in spite of two layers of ground cloth, tent, and air mattress). It’s also the number of miles I […]

Reading Time: < 1 minute As a result of the rain, hail, and some cold temperatures last night, parts of the road this morning were slick. So I decided to wait before hitting the highway. I went to a local cafe and ate an overpriced, mediocre omelette and toast, and ordered a couple of hard boiled eggs ($2 each) to […]