We had a Reservation

After crossing the state line into New Mexico, I rode on through the desert in the Navajo Nation.

We were headed for the only town in 50 miles, Zuni-Pueblo.  Peter drove ahead and schmoozed the lady at the visitor center into letting us camp out in the parking lot.  He has a way with the ladies.
We toured the visitor center and found out that when you visit the reservation, you have to buy a permit to take photographs.  Also, no sketching is allowed in town.  So we didn't need to sharpen our pencils after all.

As we were sleeping on the main drag, we discovered that the biggest activity in Zuni at night is driving.  All night.

In the morning, we were greeted by feral-looking Res dogs.  We gave them snacks.  Then they wagged their tails and begged us to take them to white man land.  They obviously had seen PetSmart on television.

My bike has developed a pedal crank squeak.  I keep cleaning it and oiling it and it isn't helping.  I think I'd better get some kind of tune up in Albuquerque.

Well, the strangest thing so far is getting used to being suddenly ravenously hungry.  The feeling reminds me of being pregnant.  All other systems shut down, except the food-grabbing system that obtains and shovels it into the mouth unit.  Must Have Food.  Drinking about a gallon of water per day if it's not too hot outside.  Drinking much more when the broiler is on.  Also using a lot of sunscreen.

The reason Peter is driving is because our driver, Lanny Langston, had to go home.   His mother-in-law passed away on Tuesday night.  Wednesday we drove him to the Flagstaff airport, then went back to Snowflake, AZ where we had stopped riding before our rest day.  I picked up riding again and Peter decided to drive the camper and rest his knees.

On our rest day in Snowflake, a guy who looked uncannily like the Michelin Tire Man told Lanny that bicycling across the country is the stupidest thing he ever heard of.  Hmm.


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Peter's Post
It is very disappointing to not have ridden the bicycle the last two days and it will be two more before I can ride again when Don and Jeannette meet us in Albuquerque and assume the RV driving duties. On a serious note though, the RV driving has allowed me to clearly see what a strong cyclist Karen is.  She is truly a "cycling savant!"  She powers over hills that would surely challenge even  the most highly trained and experienced trans-America riders. She has the stamina and determination that allow her to push forward no matter what... it is impressive.  ( I am not at all saying these nice things about her in hopes that she will take my turn tonight doing the dishes and disconnecting the RV poop tube in the morning... I would never do such a thing.)

Passing through several Indian Reservations as we have the last few days has been a sobering experience.  Here in the natural beauty of the breathtaking landscapes of the Navajo, Zuni, Hopi, and Apache Nations, you can't help but wonder how these areas of  incredible poverty and seemingly primitive living conditions can still exist in 21st century America.  Everyone is friendly and helpful to us though.  We have noticed that even the most run-down house with numerous dead ponies (old cars) in the front yard will have at least one really nice, expensive car out front.

The desert wilderness we have been passing through has raised a persistent question:  How in the heck did the pioneers and early explorers ever make it through this part of the country without the support system we have?  We have the RV with a fridge, a toilet, lots of water, and even a shower! Not to mention the Internet, 3G phones, and most-importantly, conveniently spaced mini-marts with their glorious ice machines.