Today didn’t have all of the twists and turns of yesterday, but it was still very cool. We were blessed with pristine weather for our entire ride, save for a few raindrops (you know when rain falls on you and you look around and it’s sunny everywhere?) and a bit of wind toward the end of the leg. We set out from Gallup this morning to ride 66 miles, a good many of them on Historic Route 66. Fifteen miles into our journey, however, we learned that our beautiful road was closed for a stretch. We considered rerouting via some small county roads to the north. We ran this idea by the lovely lady we found cleaning a church (The Gospel Light House in the tiny town of Iyanbito) and she vetoed the idea. She said the roads would be muddy and difficult (it has been quite rainy here lately!) so she suggested we hop in the car till we reached Exit 47 on I-40 and rejoin the route at Continental Divide. We followed her advice and rode the rest of the way to Grants on this historic road. We met several characters along the way, including Dennis, a local Navajo cowboy, and his trusty steed, Duke. A few miles before the finish line Celeste and I discovered the Vietnam Veterans Memorial of Grants, NM, immediately adjacent to Route 66. We stopped to pay our respects and take a few pictures, and finished our ride at just over 53 miles, nearly the same distance as yesterday. After a quick/early dinner, it was time for chores (laundry, bike cleaning, water bottle cleaning, etc.). I’m feeling pretty tired tonight, and trying to gear up for a longer ride into Albuquerque tomorrow! Lastly, I should mention that I’ve been spelling McStitchey’s name incorrectly for the past two days. Henceforth, I will spell it “Mcstitchie.” Just didn’t want you to be confused. Oh, and one more thing: it just occurred to me that today is my last day of active service, so tomorrow I will officially be a retired Marine. Kind of crazy!
Posted on: Sun, 01 Sep 2013 04:06:09 +0000
Recently Viewed Topics
© 2015