Desert?

I think I'm in what they call the high desert now, but it's pretty green. I've got about two and a half days left in New Mexico. The roads in this state have continued to be pretty bad, but I've made it through the worst of it and now I'm on a nice smooth road. Ahhhh. The scenery changes very quickly here, and I've passed through the red cliffs and into the brownish ones. I got a chance to see Santa Fe two days ago with one of my mom's friends, and its a place that's worth checking out. Also provided by Andrew and his wife Michaela was the best steak I've ever had. Period. Thanks guys! And also, a big thanks to Pauline and Ivan Chacon for dinner, pets, and board, and Karin, Tom, and Danny for a lot of fun in Taos(I've probably already mentioned this in the previous blog, and discover this upon hitting "publish post" but will be too lazy to come back and change it). So anyway, tomorrow I'm off to Bloomfield, where I will be picked up by the Honigs(some friends from New Canaan) and taken to their house in Durango. There I will plan the rest of my trip, and will probably decide between ending in San Francisco as originally planned, or San Diego, which might make a little more sense from where I am.

Mountains

This shift key is sticky, i'm not going to use it anymore. i just had the best day for scenery i've had all trip. i climbed from 6400 ft to 9101 ft and then came back down to 6700 ft over the course of 55 miles or so. these mountains are beautiful, i would have made much better time if i hadn't been compelled to take so many pictures of them. words really cannot describe my experience today. anyway, now i'm safely in taos, nm, and this place has the most culture i've seen on this trip so far. i actually "blew a tire" (couldn't avoid that shift, and again for the ( and ) ) today; the rubber part of the wheel detached from the plastic. that's a lot of abuse. anyway, my new set of wheel felt great flying down the backside of whatever rocky i was on.

O o o o o o oooooooooklahoma

And that'll do it for the old movie references. Anyway, I've been here for a few days. Got 9 holes in yesterday with Todd Singleterry, who is a great guy with a great family and friends. On top of the golf I got a jam session. What more can a guy ask for? Today's road was TERRIBLE, and I got through it, but barely. As a result, I have no energy to write a post. However, I'll try to do some more tomorrow when I hit New Mexico. And thanks to the Nelsons for putting me up tonight and for introducing me to so many great people here in Boise City!

Weeeeee're Off to See the Wizard

Well, after a good night's sleep. Dorothy's house (Wizard of Oz) is apparently just off the route I'm taking into Liberal, KS, so I think I'll at least get a picture of that and maybe take a tour. I took a day off for planning in Wichita, and it looks like I'll be going through the top of New Mexico and some of Arizona before I get back on my route. Skating has been pretty good until today, which was very windy, but still not too bad. I met Joe Rehana last night, who battled 30 mph winds all day to make the meeting possible! We spent a few hours at a bar and grill last night, and all in all he is a really cool guy. Again, check out his website if you have a chance, www.joetrek.com. We can say at this point that skates have crossed the country, though I guess he's done it all on his own once before. I've got to figure out a way to get pictures up like he does. Anyway, not too much interesting to describe in Kansas besides the people I've been staying with, as it's pretty much flat nothingness after flat nothingness and a town here and there. Alan, despite being a self-described non-entertainer, gave me a real good time in Pratt, KS. A full tour, classy dinner, additional tour of the parks, and dessert was included. A really pretty town and a super nice guy, though his cat was a bit bipolar. Tonight I am staying with Harry and Barbara Fink, who are extremely nice and interesting people and great to talk to. I'm pretty pooped after the wind so I'm no fun tonight, but they have been successful in lifting me up a bit, particularly with the homemade ice cream they provided(Thank You!).

Surrender Dorothy

One day from Wichita in Wichita.

Lots of News. First, the title. I'm in Wichita right now with my grandparents, who kindly picked me up a day before I'll get here on skates and will drop me off again tomorrow morning so I can get here. After crossing into Kansas, I took a two day break in Kansas City, which I was driven to and from by Joe and Mr. Flanigan. I had a great time, and I spent a lot of time helping babysit a few kids (Paige and Brooks) with Bridget (and Sydney). I got to see Wall-E with Mrs. Flanigan, which was actually pretty good, and got to go to a KC Wizards MLS game with Wil and Bridget. I came out of there well rested and ready to go. However, on Thursday night, I received an email from Joe Rehana (www.joetrek.com) who is also skating across the country, though from the other side. He informed me that he was stopped by a police officer in Colorado(after having skated over 350 miles through the state), ticketed, and told that it is illegal to skate on the road in Colorado. It seems after some research that this is true. This law is one of a kind to my knowledge, and in my opinion is extremely outdated. In any case, it's not looking good for skating through Colorado. Fortunately, I have found a path through the top of New Mexico that seems to be as good or better, though there will be a few tricky days. I may take another day off on Monday to do some planning for this route, though I think at this point I've got it pretty well figured out. So, if you have some free time, write an angry letter to the State of Colorado and keep checking back for updates, which will probably continue to be sparse.

Springfield, MO

Almost to Kansas. I've been going pretty hard for the past week or so (I think averaging close to 50 miles per day, or maybe even over 50), and my body is starting to feel it. My left foot has a bit of pain that is worrying me, so I think I'm going to take it slow these next two days and then take at least one day off when I get to Kansas. Other than the foot, everything feels pretty good. Not to much to say right now, I guess I'll just say that I love truck stop breakfast buffets.

Wow, A Computer

Yup, they're harder to find when you get out this way. Not that people don't have them, there are just fewer people around, and libraries have hours that don't usually work for me. Anyway, I'm in Missouri now, which is a huge relief, I feel like I've actually done something. I think I passed the 1000 mile mark either yesterday or today, which is also a plus. I've been clipping along at about 50 miles per day, and today was my relative high at about 60 (I was trying to beat the rain, which actually still has yet to make an appearance). Let me tell you something about Eastern Missouri. It's FLAT. This means when wind is in your face, it's pretty strong. It also means that the scenery doesn't change, and that you can see the exact spot where you will ultimately end up in about an hour and a half. It also means that I feel great having gotten through it. I've been meeting tons of great people, including Cheryl and Cliff, Steven and Chris, Kerry, and Travis and Reagan. I was actually stopped by a TV car yesterday, and I think I was on the news on CBS because today everyone around here knows who I am and what I am doing. Check it out at www.kfvs12.com (I think). Anyway, I'm out of time on this computer.