Anonymous said...

Dear Gina, Alex and Bev,

I just read the latest posting and wish I could be there. Sounds really exciting! I think this will be your first comment. Love you and keep up the great work!

MOM

Patti said...

Hello travelers! Sounds like you're having fun and meeting very interesting people out there in the west. Bring some of that heat with you when you come back, eh? It's going to be another cold and rainy week. Are you using that sunscreen? Stay safe...Patti

Colin "Easy 8" Thomas said...

Whisper!!

I didn't know those legs of yours could work a bike...never mind bike across the country!? Cannot wait to see you on our side of the country. I hope all is well and we are very proud of your trip and all it brings to light... Colin

Pine Tassel said...

Hola! Sounds like New Mexico will be hard to top! Not only do you get to see the Grand Canyon and an elk, but you get to meet the former Governor of New Mexico. And the visit to the Navajo Reservation sounds like it was a great experience! I hope the trip continues to go well! Good luck in Texas!

Love, Pine Tassel

Anonymous said...

So the infamous gluten-free biker gang has taken over New Mexico. Look out Texas!! Beware of their biker jersey farmer tans and helmet head as they swagger their sore butts to a gluten-free resturant near you. Go get 'em guys.

Love, Pinecone and Baby Pine

!Hola From Nuevo Mexico!

Monday, May 16, 2005

We're in New Mexico! Hard to believe, but we're now three weeks into the trip, and we've covered over 1100 miles so far. We've made it to the town of Espanola, which is just north of Santa Fe, and later this morning we'll be heading northeast to the town of Taos. It's been a busy week since last I posted anything on the website, so let me recap, though it will have to be a bit condensed because we have to get riding again...

We left Flagstaff, AZ on May 7, and headed to the Grand Canyon. It was a beautiful ride, though a bit chilly. There is an 11,000 ft. mountain along the way, which was covered in snow, and we had a good look at it as we biked around it towards the canyon. After a long day, we reached the park entrance, and there was an elk crossing the road in front of us! We stopped and took pictures (along with everyone else who was there) as he ambled past us and into the woods. Very cool.

The next day we rode out of the park, stopping at several scenic viewpoints and enjoying a picnic lunch overlooking the Grand Canyon. For those of you who have never been there before, you really have to see it at least once in your lifetime. It's spectacular. From there we zoomed into the Navajo Reservation, where we would be for the next several days. "The Rez" (as they call it) was full of wide-open spaces and very few towns. It made for nice biking and was always very scenic. The highlight of that section was when we stayed at a town called Pueblo Pintado, at their Chapter House (which is kind of like our town hall). We had ridden over 100 miles that day to get there, and we were running out of daylight and needed a place to stay. We asked if we could park the RV in the parking lot, and they said "Sure." The next morning, it turned out they were having an event they called "Just Move It." It was a community health initiative designed to get people more physically active. Diabetes is a problem on the Rez and if more people would get some daily exercise, it would help combat the problem. So when we woke up, this small little village, which looked empty when we had pulled in the night before, slowly filled up with over 150 people, from school kids to grandparents, all ready to do the walk. So we walked too! We were the only non-Navajo there, but they were very welcoming. It was just a short walk of about two miles, but we got a chance to talk to several people and get a better idea of what life was like for them and for us. And we got a T-shirt for walking! It was one of those unplanned but unforgettable experiences that help make this trip even more amazing.

From there, we headed east again. We had crossed into New Mexico the day before, and the scenery was already changing. Things were a little more green, we saw more livestock grazing (horses, cattle, sheep, and even llamas!), but there were still the huge mesas and red rock canyons of the desert - the combination of all this makes for some stunning landscapes, and we spent most of the day admiring the views. It makes for slow biking, because you want to stop every 100 ft. and take another picture, but this isn't a race, so we take as much time as we need.

By this time, it's May 14 and we had arrived at Espanola. We had made contact with the celiac support group in Albuquerque, and they had been really great about setting up a few events for us to get some publicity, so we headed down to Albuquerque in the RV to meet them. We did a short group bike ride to the local Wild Oats Market, which was a lot of fun, and then there was a tent set up at the Market where we handed out brochures, collected donations, and gave out samples of gluten-free food. It was a very successful appearance. From there we went to a baseball game (the Albuquerque Isoptopes!), and then off to a dinner with the celiac group at an Italian restaurant (called Paisano's) that will serve most of their pasta dishes with gluten-free pasta. One of the highlights of the dinner was the fact that Gary Johnson, the former governor of New Mexico, was at our table. He's a very dynamic man, who since he left office in 2002 has been quite the adventurer, including climbing Mt. Everest. He was very supportive of our trip, and it was good to talk to someone who has done things like this and who has a great perspective about big adventures and enjoying the moment. It turns out that his mother has celiac and lives in Albuquerque, so that was how he came to be at the dinner. All in all, our time in Albuquerque was fabulous, and the support group there did a great job of making us feel welcome and special. Thanks to everyone there, especially Marilyn and Miller for their hard work, and to Chris and Michelle for putting us up for a couple of days!

Now it's time to ride again. In a few days, we'll be in Texas and then Oklahoma, and we'll see if we can connect with some more people and media outlets. It will be hard to top the reception we got in Albuquerque, but we're hopeful that we can continue to make a difference. Thanks for all your posts. And a special thanks to all the students at Lyman Moore Middle School for keeping track of my progress and sending lots of messages. Keep them coming!

Regina