Albuquerque,NM to Kingman,AZ

I had my bike and gear packed and rolled out of the hotel at just after sunrise. It was a bit strange as I haven’t driven a vehicle in 7 weeks – and the speed limit in New Mexico is 75 mph! That”s way faster than I’ve been moving lately!  As I drove by Grants about 60 miles down the road, I thought about my cycling friends who had spent the night there last night. I knew they were headed to El Morro,NM today and the forecast was for 20 mph winds. I knew they would have a tough day and I’m sure several of them would be wishing they had made the same decision I made.  As I drove along, I got to thinking about something, Dave, the tour leader, had said once. He was concerned about a couple of stretches in California out around Fenner and Amboy where there are minimal services – people might have to carry 2 days worth of food!  We had already done some of that and it is not fun to add all that weight to an already loaded bike.  When I stopped in Gallup for breakfast, I sent Dave an email and offered to meet the group anywhere in California with food, water, etc to help out. I figured I would just switch roles from rider to Road Angel. We had several Road Angels along the way who showed up with supplies or even fully cooked dinners. It makes life for the cyclists so much better!  Dave said he’d think about it in his planning so I may be heading back out to the Mohave in a couple of weeks to help out my friends We’ll see. But tomorrow, I’ll be home and I’m looking forward to some much needed rest.