We got our kicks today, on old route 66. Our second full day in New Mexico was quite an adventure. Let me just say, that if you've never been through the western half of the state, you are missing out.
It truely is big sky country. Not only is the scenery beautiful, but mother nature was on our side. We stepped out the doors a little after 7:00, and were on our way.
Our first route for the day lead us straight down the old, famouse Route 66.
Chris on his way to Albuquerque.
The road once sung about, has become the road less traveled, renamed, it now acts as a frontage road for the new and improved I40. Even so, it still shows a lot of character; character we witnessed in a blur.
Today finally delivered the tail wind that has been promised since the beginning of this trip. For the first 40 miles of this ride, the wind at our backs, we raced along at an easy 17-20 miles per hour on the flats. Racing for the last slice of yesterday's pizza, Chris and Aaron reached 40 mph on a flat stretch of road.
Speeding along the old road, we buzzed by abandoned hotels, gas stations, and towns which are the silent reminders of the bustle this road must once have witnessed. We biked beside the remains of old lava flows and the sink holes left by collaping lava tubes. These were sights once seen by many traveling on the old route, which is now almost empty of traffic. Us nine riders tried to repopulate it again, if only for a little while. In under 2 hours we reached our 40 mile break point.
As we waited for some of the other group members, the long term effects of entertainment depravation made themselves aparent. A corn chip was dropped on the ground, soon a single ant made the discovery, and for 20 minutes, we watched and cheered as the ant tried to move the massive weight. Maybe we have been in the hot desert too long.
At mile 40 we pressed on, still on route 66. The kicks were delivered, though not the ones promised by Bobby Troup, Nat King Cole, or the Roling Stones. The 'mother road' became a pot holed, and graveley slog for the next 8 miles. In the Tour'de'France, they get to trade out different bikes for different parts of the course. I think if we had that choice, we all would have traded in for a mountain bike along that stretch. Our poor road bikes, it now seems like part of our day off tomorrow will be putting them back together.
Finally we reach paved road again, but that is when we hit another snag. Our directions say, follow Route 66 until we reach central road, (exit 149 on I40) but the sight in front of us proves this is impossible.
Old route 66 becomes an abandoned derelict road, overgrown and turned into a cattle pasture.Route 66 won't take us to exit 149. Our group faces a delima, brave the interstate or travel an extra 60 miles, all the way south to Los Lunas.
Which way to Albuquerque?
Our groups makes thier helpful suggestions about where to go from here.
We definitely don't want to make a worng choice now. If nothing else, Buggs Bunny has demonstrated that a wrong turn around Albuqueque can lead to disaterous run ins with hunters, hairballs and martians.
Finally a compromise is made, and we are shuttled down the road to exit 140 where we can pick up Route 66. We might be 10 miles short of crossing the country now on bikes alone, but no one was flattened on I40. And since Grants is 5 miles we had to backtrack to the west, it all works out.
From exit 140, we are only 20 miles away from the city, and we bike it fast. Soon enough we are in the city, doddging traffic, and making our way to the house of another generous person. Someone willing to take in 10 strangers for two days. Katherine's dad and fiance Tom are waiting for us and we finally get to meet new people we've already heard something about. Hopefully we aren't too offensive after two days on a bike with only a hose shower between.
With that, we are about 880 miles into our cross country journey, a rest day tomorrow before we move on to Santa Fe and our hardest biking week. Maybe it's not too late to buy tow cables we can latch on to the trailer. Time to start resting up for those up hills.
The Ice was well recieved,
Nathan Landrum
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