It’s been quite a while since my last blog but I actually have a respectable reason for it this time instead of just being lazy. I actually took almost 2 weeks off around Christmas and New Years to go home and see my family and some friends. But, I’ll get to that in a little.
When I last
left off I had just gotten to New Mexico and made the decision not to go to
Wheeler Peak because of all the storms that were about to come through the
area. Turns out this was a good idea
because by the time I made it to Las Vegas, NM, a huge storm came through the
area. I ended up staying in a one of the
nicest Super 8’s I had ever seen. They
had a great breakfast and they also had soup and salad every night for dinner
that the manager made herself each day. But
I was there for 3 nights trying to wait for the storm to pass and then the
roads to clear up. This just wasn’t
going to happen though. I only had a
2-day window of decent weather before another storm came through the area.
However, the roads were in no shape for riding.
I would have had to take a highway with all the snow piled up on the
shoulders.
So I decided to just take a bus to
Santa Fe where I stayed with an awesome couple who had been very involved in
the cycling community there for a long time.
The next day he was actually heading down to Albuquerque anyways so I
was able to get a ride with him before the other storm blew threw. When I got to Albuquerque I still had 2 days
before my flight but luckily my old NOLS instructor lived in the area. It was cool to see him again and to have
those 2 days to just hang out and relax.
While I was there he was actually getting ready to leave for a month and
go to Nepal. He is travelling there to
help teach the local porters mountaineering skills at the Kumbu Ice School.
Eventually the time came for me to
fly home on Christmas Eve. It was great
being home for 10 days and not having to worry about where I will be sleeping
the next night. While I was home I also
went down to Columbia, SC for New Years with some friends which was a ton of
fun and I actually had the chance to go sailing for the first time. It was a pretty windy day, which made it that
much more exciting to learn on the fly.
All good things must come to an end though and on January 4th
I flew back to Albuquerque to restart my trip.
My first 2 days back on the road
were awesome. It was sunny, no wind and
the perfect temperature. Not to mention
some good roads to ride on. I kept them both between 40 and 50 miles in order
to help get my legs used to the process again since it had been about 2 weeks
since I last rode my bike. The 3rd
day though was just brutal. I had to go
75 miles just to reach the next town called Truth or Consequences and I had a
stiff head wind the whole way. I ended
up being on the road for over 11 hours that day which meant that I rode for 2
hours in the dark. Luckily though it was
a clear night with an almost full moon and the wind died off completely.
That night the Desert View Inn put up. I decided to take a rest day the next day because
I was hurting from the previous ride.
That night the Charles Motel and Spa put me up which was awesome. The area is actually known for their hot
springs and at the Charles Motel you get a free mineral bath if you stay
there. So of course I took advantage of
this and it felt great. 
After a very relaxing rest day I
took off the next morning for another 75-mile day, which I had, an awesome tail
wind the entire way. With one more
72-mile day I was able to make it to El Paso, Texas. This is where I am going to meet a friend and
sponsor of Guadalupe Peak, which is the highest point in the state of Texas. Together we are heading out for the Summit tomorrow
morning. So next time I write to yall
there will be one more state checked off the list.
- Michael Hunter
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