Whenever I try to write about a day where we end up in town, I struggle. After showering and eating and spending time with other hikers, the things that happened in the morning always feel like they occurred weeks ago.
Cody and Bodhi were, once again, up and on the road before us. They are very efficient at packing up camp! That and I’m sure they get up earlier than we do. While it did make me feel like I had to rush a little more, I did my best to enjoy breakfast and my hot beverage.
No raccoons bothered us last night, by the way. This is good news, of course, but I was secretly hoping to have some sort of interaction - raccoons can be hilarious little devils.
Remember when I said that soon it was going to be rain instead of dust? (yesterday - I said that yesterday.) I feel a little prophetic because it rained a little last night. Nothing major, just a few drops pinging on the tent. It was actually great because it helped remove some of the dust in the air.
Once we were finally packed up and back on the road, it started to rain a little more. It even hailed a bit (very small). It was a cold rain but it still smelled fantastic. After I stopped to put on my alpaca hoody and my raincoat, I thought it was wonderful. I LOVE being out in the rain. True, warm rain is far superior to cold, but once I was warm and comfortable I had a great time. The cold rain and the overcast sky paired with the right music (gotta have the right soundtrack!) made the morning road walk very enjoyable.
looking at the rain in the distance
After the rain stopped, I looked up to see a flock of birds having the time of their lives in the sky. They seemed so happy and free, showing off their aerial skills to one another (and to me). I couldn’t stop smiling as I watched them (they were probably eating insects). I wish I was better at identifying birds, but I’m not. They reminded me of the swallows that used to nest at my house when I was a kid, but I don’t think they were swallows. Maybe sparrows? Or swifts? Regardless, they put me in a fantastic mood. I didn’t just seem them once, either. I saw them (or a flock of the same type of birds having the same type of fun) a few more times before lunch. Each time they flew over my head I stopped to envy their aerial skills and each time they boosted my mood.
Lunch (and a water refill) was at the Chevron station in Tierra Amarilla. I was hoping to see Cody and Bodhi but they were about 40 min ahead of us. It’s ok, I enjoyed sitting against the side of the building with Nick.
The road walk after lunch was ok, too. It was a little warmer in the afternoon because some of the clouds parted, allowing the sun to peek through. Thankfully, however, there was enough cloud cover that the sun couldn’t heat up the asphalt, which allowed my feet to stay mostly happy. The weather did make it a challenge deciding what to wear - it was a little too cold to walk in just my hiking shirt, but it was a little too warm (particularly when the sun was out) to wear my alpaca hoodie or rain jacket. (I suffered the cold for as long as I could and then eventually stopped to put on the rain jacket because I’d rather be too hot then too cold).
I saw more flocks of swallows/sparrows/swifts/whatever they are all day. I know it couldn’t have been the same flock of birds but it seemed like it was. If someone told me they were following me because they knew I needed the entertainment, I would believe them. I’ve never been all that into birds before but I just loved watching them swoop, dive, and soar over my head. It was as if they were putting on a show just for me. I even saw a beautiful blue bird with long tail feathers - according to my Google search, it was a black-throated magpie jay. Watching it fly made me happy, too.
Besides the birds, another thing that made me smile on today’s road walk was seeing Sith/Rocks’ RV drive by. I heard a honk, turned, saw the Born Free RV, and was able to get in a wave before they were past me. I so love that girl!! I was close to town and I had service, so I was able to text her a “hi!” back. She asked if we needed anything, said we were rocking it, and then threw in a “you guys are so close!”. Since I was something like 10 miles away from Chama I chuckled to myself - I felt anything but close, but I knew what she meant.
The traffic on the highway wasn’t terrible, either. There was some road construction going on for several miles, which meant only one lane was in use. Traffic was stopped at either end of the construction and a guy in a truck with “follow me” on the back led everyone through. He went back and forth, back and forth, leading cars through the construction. I think I saw him at least 6 times and we waved to each other every time. :)
The road work was fascinating to watch, actually, and it was also a nice distraction. I’ve never seen a road resurfacing production like that before and I’ve never been so close to it.
When the construction was almost at an end, I saw a mountain with snow in the distance. The San Juans. My heart swelled and tears pooled in my eyes at the sight. The epic music I was listening to at the time certainly enhanced my feelings, but I love the mountains and absolutely cannot wait to be in them!
look above the trees - you can just barely see the snow on the mountain
Nick had been behind me all day, but shortly after we got through the construction he blew by me (just he did yesterday). It was like he was running. I have no idea where he gets his afternoon energy. My legs and feet were begging to be done and each step felt slower then the last. In contrast, Nick seemed to get faster and faster. It’s both impressive and a little maddening. :)
Just when I thought I was going to have to stop to take a break, my friend Candice called. What perfect timing she has! She talked to me all the way to the hotel and I don’t think she realizes how much it helped. Love you, Candice!
I was exhausted when I got to the hotel. Nick was starving, so I quickly showered and started to get dressed in my mostly clean sleep clothes. However, I just didn’t have the energy to leave the hotel room. All I wanted to do was sleep. I told Nick to go ahead and that I’d meet up with him later if I was feeling up to it.
He texted me when he got to the restaurant, enticing me with words like “huge salad” and “wood fired pizza“. Even though I wasn’t hungry at all, I knew I had to eat. I somehow mustered up the will to get off the bed and I walked the block (a whole block!) to meet him.
The salad was indeed huge and amazing. So was the pizza I ordered - it was covered in garlic (my theory is you can never put too much garlic on a pizza. Or on anything for that matter. I love garlic).
the wood fired pizza here was excellent
After dinner, Master Chef and Fuego invited us to meet them for drinks. Thankfully, the salad and pizza from Local gave me a second wind. We walked about three blocks (three whole blocks!) to a bar called Fosters. Fosters was overflowing with hikers and it was actually great. Shredder (he’s quickly becoming my favorite) gave us both huge hugs and was impressed with our dedication to the continuous footpath objective. We also saw Dictionary and Cross Creek, Gump and Juniper, Tall Son, Blink, and of course Master Chef and Fuego. I was particularly excited to talk to Tall Son to see how he managed the road walk. That crazy guy woke up at 4am every day and just walked as far as he could (he had wanted to get to Chama before noon today but managed to get here before 9!!!)
It was a good day. I even found a hawk feather. One of the Native Americans that Cody met in Grants told her that when you find a feather it means you are on the right path. I love that thought.
Along the road:
The hotel:
