Whew!! Shannon, LouDog, and I are drinking coffee in Starbucks in Tucson, about 1/2 mile from my sister Katie’s house. I obviously haven’t made an entry in several days. Upon leaving Las Cruces, I had 3 very long riding days to get to each desert town with either campsites or motels. I collapsed into bed each night and just wanted to eat and sleep, knowing I had to get up again and ride in the morning. Then, a “brief” 35 mile ride into Benson; got there by 2:30 pm. We arrived early enough that I set up camp this time--Shannon got a break to take care of her own career business. Today, I rode about 47 miles to Tucson. We decided to camp out here at Starbucks so we could write before we meet and greet the family after a year of semi-separation. Nowadays, with the internet, facebook, email, etc., we can stay connected.

OK, so let’s backtrack. 

Las Cruces visit: we stayed at the Quality Inn, managed by “Jo”, yay! a kindred spirit. She is a delightful woman and has had this job for just a few months. She is a people person and takes her job seriously. She was very accomodating of Henry David and all of our needs. On the first night, a local power outage made using the internet and even the tv difficult! But, we had our computers for writing. So, we did--or Shannon did. I downloaded photos onto my macbook. The next morning, I cycled over to Outdoor Adventures.  I had spoken to Rod Miner, from Lightfoot Cycles, about 10 am and got the skinny on the very easy fix for Henry David. In 2 minutes, HD was ready to roll! I purchased some actual cycling gloves as my knit gloves were not doing the job---I can’t use my phone when I have them on! And we just can’t have that, can we???

Well, I left the shop by 11 but it was way too late to make it to Deming. So, what would I do but go get a workout! I did my back and abs and shoulders in the tiny little fitness room. No aerobic equipment there so Shannon and I took a long walk with the LouDog. LouLou is managing fine: getting used to the rhythm of our current dance. Sometimes he gets a little nervous and he is very clingy to Shannon. He is minimal maintenance. What a sweet dog. 

That night (let’s see, that would be Thursday, March 28, 2013), we ate salad and cheese and tortilla chips in the room and watched a video we rented from a RedBox (I love those things---finding them all across the SW--I hope I can continue to find them!). It was “Seven Psycopaths”, with Colin Ferrell (an Irishman who is kind to my eyes), Woody Harrell (who can play anything!!), Christopher Walken (Shannon says he will be gorgeous till the day he dies), and a few other great actors. This movie was the epitome of black humour. If you like that sort of thing---this is a fun movie. If you only like Hallmark movies, don’t watch it. Shannon and I are still commenting on the film. 

The next morning, while getting packed up for Deming, I met “Tom” in the parking lot. He is a former principal of Carlsbad High. He knows my BFF, Truth LaClair, and said she is a phenomenal teacher and a real sweetie. I hear that from everyone who knows her. I am humbled to have such an incredible friend. 

Deming!: Good Friday, we headed for Deming. It was a very long, hard day. I rode on hwy 549 for part of it, with a rough road and a headwind. For several hours in the afternoon, I just kept my head down and pedaled. There are days when I spend much of the time looking at the scenery. March 29, 2103, not so. Shannon set up camp at Rock Hound State Park, about 13 miles from Deming, 6 of it uphill. By the time I got there, the sun was setting and I was pretty wasted---muscle wise, that is!! It was another day to just eat in the tent and lie down, hoping my legs would recover by morning. That night, I started having knee cramps in the middle of the night--and every night since then. I think it’s getting less painful, though!

Highlights of the ride to Deming: about 15 miles from Las Cruces, there is a Bowlin’s Trading Post. These are scattered all across the southwest and always bring back memories. When I was 6, we moved from Chicago to La Mirada, CA along Route 66. As children, we, of course, wanted to stop and look at the “Indian” geegaws (often made in a factory in China). My dad wouldn’t let us stop, being of the mind of many dads that, when traveling, the point is to get there. Ever since then, I made up my mind that it was the Journey, not the Destination. Now, I stop at almost all of those silly Trading Posts, even if just to use the bathroom and smile and my “independence”. LOL!!!!

Anyway, at Bowlin’s, I met Patty and Jim, a cycling couple about my age. She is a sonographer (medical ultrasounds) and he is her support system. We talked bikes, traveling, routes, the kindness of travelers, and Patty’s goal to cycle to Deming, her “home town”--- and her mom still lives there. I suggested they just Do It, as it is definitely within their capabilities. What a nice couple. 

Amanda is a pretty young lady, mother of one, who works at Bowlin’s. She came rushing out to see HD--sometimes he catches people’s eye!! (His sleek green frame and sturdy backwheels definitely draw more attention than my own chassis!). I was having some trouble with Google Biking Maps as they had led me down a merry path to a fenced dirt road a few miles earlier. Amanda pulled out a NM map and showed me hwy 549, about 10 miles off I-10. She was a special blessing and inadvertently caused a shift in my traveling decisions. Because, after riding on the Interstate, I was hooked and have stayed on the Interstate whenever possible since then. I am sure it won’t be every day, but crossing the desert on the interstate is much quicker than the state and county roads. While this trip is not about speed, I need to make a certain amount of mileage daily in the southwest, as habitable towns are far apart. It is amazing how the pavement affects your speed. You often don’t notice this in a car--the difference between well maintained asphalt and less traveled byways. But, in a cycle, esp with a headwind, it makes a heck of a diff!

On the Deming trip, I began to travel next to the railroads on the I-10. I can say this, products are being moved in the USA---dozens of trains, hundreds of semi-trucks. It was actually kind of exciting to see all this commerce happening. And all the people doing their jobs, delivering stuff across the country. Go USA. 

Also, after a week of traveling roads, I understand even more about the necessity of the country’s infrastructure involving, in part, maintaining and building roads and rails. 

Rock Hound State Park was a beautiful spot to camp. I would have enjoyed staying for a few days. When I drug HD up the last 20 feet (deep, loose gravel not good for HD...), I met Pat and her husband Glen. They just purchased a big RV--a mansion on wheels---in January. They enjoy trading rocks and gems and love to “camp”. Their plan is to travel 6 months of every year, and then hang with family/grandkids, etc. This is not uncommon among the retired couples I am meeting on the road---travel half the year, park it half the year. Glen is Native American and gave me a small, almost spiritual stone, “Apache Tears”. It looks like a smooth, several sided black stone, as if tumbled down mountains and rivers and creeks. But, when you hold it to the light, it is opaque. There is an energy about this stone; I felt rather weepy holding it up to the light. It is aptly named.

Lordsburg, March 30, 2013:  I left Shannon still snoozing, or trying to snooze, the next morning, around 8 am. I cycled down into Deming while searching for a coffee shop. The ones listed on the net were OOB. By then Shannon had packed it up and was searching in Deming for the holy caffeine grail. We settled on McDonalds. By the way, Mickey’s has good coffee and it is inexpensive. Many of the stores have wifi and plug ins--this is another draw. So, I let my phone partially recharge while drinking coffee and eating hash browns. I got out of Deming later than perfect, about 11 am. Then, on into Lordsburg. Shannon had gone ahead, this time with all my gear (gosh, the weight loss made a marked difference!) and picked out a room at the Comfort Inn. I arrived in the dark, close to 9 pm, but energized. The desert winds have been starting around noon or 1 pm and continuing till about 6 or 6:30 pm. While the work was hard, it was just encouraging. I had 13 miles to go before Lordsburg, when the wind died down. I was exhausted and was barely moving. I gave myself a mental shake and told myself, “This is the point that tells if you are an athlete or not. Continue on at this slow pace and you are determined and strong and it is good. Push it now and you reach for the stars”. So, I reached for the stars, literally, as that was the light, along with semi truck headlights passing me on the way, and my own little LED lights! I gave it all I had, arrived at the motel room door with an exhultant “Wooha!”, and was welcomed by Shannon’s sweet face, telling me to get into the jacuzzi before it closed. My Lord, did that hot water feel wonderful on those tired legs! I lay face down, then, in the sauna--which was only a little warm, but good enough to make me smile, again! After a hot shower and another scrumptuous salad, I was almost giddy with delight. 

Shannon read me a rough draft of her latest film script. Gosh, she is SOOO good. She is incredibly creative and imaginative. I love the dialogue among characters. And she paints such a picture with her descriptions. It was a great bedtime story. Nevertheless, while there were no ghosts in the story, I had a great ghost story dream that night. I wouldn’t call it a nightmare, but it was exhilarating. Cool!

On the way to Lordsburg, I stopped at a another Trading Post of sorts. I ran into a work colleague, “Ben”. He is a fantastic physical therapist, employed at Carlsbad Physical Therapy (owner Tory Smith and Bob Pattillo). He saw HD parked outside and wondered if I was connected as we had conversed about this trip several months ago. For some reason, in my mind, he has always been “Sean”. That has never been his name and I should never forget because he is a live ringer for Ben Afleck, but younger and probably better looking (!) as he takes very good care of himself. He was very helpful when I did some contract work at CPT: I needed his guidance through the computer documentation system on more than one occasion!! Bless you, Ben. He and his family were returning from visiting family in Phoenix. It’s a small world.

Willcox, Easter Sunday: Another long day, this time without much to-do as far as the ride was concerned. Headwinds half the day as usual. Pretty scenery but tiring. 

I stopped at Bowie to get water and a potty break. I met three delightful gents and we had a brief natter outside the store while they sat at the picnic bench. There was the gentleman who owned part of the store---he runs 4 businesses, at least 2 of them selling local made/grown/harvested/fermented foods and drinks in similar stores. I asked him what gives him joy; he said “making money”. He and his wife take little trips to visit their businesses. He likes to set them up and have someone else run them. He checks on them from time to time and visits with the locals. He enjoys his work. Fantastic!

The other man was a “youngster”. He was maybe 18-22 and a real cutie in a lovable geeky way. I always love the geeks. They are so interesting. I can imagine him playing the modern version of D&D. He works at the counter and, when I brought my purchase to him, he was very friendly. He said he was “living the dream out here in Bowie”. He smiled so big, flashing his pearly whites. I asked him if, really, was he living his dream. He said “Of course! But, sometimes a dream can be a nightmare!” He was grinning when he said it and he actually looks like quite a happy guy. I love that! Outside the store, he joined us for his smoking break. He said that “Family” is what gives him joy. He loves his Grandma and his Great Grandma and he is said he is blessed to have them all living near each other in Bowie. I found this especially heartwarming, as young people tend to be naturally restless, but he was happy as is. Excellent. 

The 3rd gent was an older cowboy. He was a quiet sort and, when I asked him what he enjoyed or what gave him joy, he was taken aback and didn’t know what to say. The business man chortled, saying, “I gotta hear this!” After a minute or so, the cowboy said he enjoyed working in a garden and being outside, but most of all, “This!” And with that, he whipped out a gorgeous pistol. Looked like a classic---but I know nothing ‘bout guns. This baby had a pearl handle and gold trim amongst a polished silver barrel. The business owner jokingly said the cowpoke’s name was “NRA” and he is an avid gun collector. Mr. NRA Cowboy had little to say, but he had merry eyes and I liked him. 

With that, I took the side road through Bowie, but the road was kinda rough, so I was glad to get back on the interstate. Bowie was a pretty little town from a bygone era, but with nice pecan and walnut orchards and, apparently, some pretty good wines. But, it was Easter, and no local wine to be had in that lil town.

In Willcox, Shannon had picked a cabin at The Magic Circle RV Campground. She had wine and a beautiful salad with fresh papaya ready for me. I got a nice hot shower from the communal bathroom there. The owner “John” was very accomodating. Although I had arrived after hours, he came out to say hi, thinking my blinking lights were from a GoldWing HD! LOL! HD: Henry David confused with a Harley Davidson. His initials are apt! I giggled and told him, “Nope, not a GoldWing, but a GreenWay!” I got him out of his house about an hour later to borrow some lighter fluid, as our self-lighting log wouldn’t light! Thank you, John!  

It was a beautiful night and a bed! In a little log cabin. Ahhh. 

Benson, Monday, April 1: Now this was a great day. Very hilly but oh, so easy without my heavy load in the cargo area! I met “Dave” at the rest stop on the top of the hill/mountain, between Willcox and Benson. Dave owns a vending business and was taking a break after repairing some damage to his machines. He enjoys his job some of the time, but finds it very disheartening when people vandal the machines. There is rarely a lot of money in them, that is,  “the take” does not come close to recovering the repair costs when they are broken into. (I’m from the midwest; we are allowed to end sentences with prepositions. I just read that somewhere. Or should I say, “Somewhere, I just read that”? Teehee.). He enjoys hunting and fishing and cooking for his wife and spoiling his grandchildren. He was a real cutie. Nice meeting you, Dave. Happy trails!

It was a fast ride (for HD and I, anyway. It’s all relative.). Shannon, LouDog and I all arrived in Benson about the same time---2, 2:30. We met at the Safeway, because Starbucks and Safeway are good buddies! A hot coffee with cream and I was revived for the afternoon. We camped at the KOA---these campgrounds tend to be pricey, but they do have nice hot showers, a little store, and a laundromat. 

I showered at the KOA and then we hopped in Shannon’s Hyundai Tucson and zipped over to Tombstone, AZ. What fun. This was my first chance to just do a little sightseeing. Just because. These are the things that add honey to life. We wandered the downtown streets of this historical little town. The townsfolk have worked diligently to maintain the old businesses, refurbishing and re-utilizing. It would be a fun town in which to spend the night, like at Crazy Annie’s Bordello, Bed and Breakfast and Saloon. Or The Tombstone Bordello B&B. Or Apache Spirit Ranch. Or T. Miller’s Tombstone Mercantile and Hotel, right downtown in the historic district. We splurged and had frozen yogurt and sat next to the Tombstone Reptile Museum. LouDog continued to be a star and drew lots of attention. We would have liked to mosey through The Bird Cage Theatre which has been lovingly maintained but quite rustic. Wyatt Earp and family, Doc Holliday, all those famous or infamous characters---this was their fave hangout. Drinking, music, gambling, and ladies of the night--it was the hoppin’ spot. But we declined the tour as we are trying to be wise with the money. Tombstone deserves a whole day and night for itself. Shannon’s tummy was not happy, so I couldn’t talk her into a trip into a saloon with live music to have a drink and eat french fries. I don’t need either treat, either!!! I really am behaving! With her help.

Tucson, day one, April 2: I left Benson by about 8:30 am and arrived in Tucson at the Starbucks close to my sister’s house. Shannon left several hours later. Wind was picking up as we both got here around 2:30. We’ve been sitting in here in this popular coffee spot since, writing, etc. Shannon always has work to do related to her business. This was my first real opportunity to write in the blog. So I took it. I knew that if I went to Katie’s house first, I would put off this blog update and would forget too much. So, now, I can go to her house and actually visit, and set up the tent in the backyard. Tonight, I will work more on the photos. I am finding that part quite time consuming and I may continue to be behind in the photo gallery update on the website. 

Better get going! Tonight---family. Tomorrow, maybe a hike? Cycle maintenance? Wander in the quaint areas of town? Eat? All sounds good! I wonder if I can fit it all in. Shannon keeps telling me to drink water. I must look like I’m drying up in the wind and sun...But, what a way to go!