Day 43: Ojo Calliente to Espanola - ? miles

I was invited for breakfast by Jim and Mary who were my neighbours in a RV. I decided to wash my bike and so after 07:00 I went over to the RV station where there was a water tap. I was spoiled since it was spring water and warm. I made the right call by coming here since it took me over an hour to get everything clean. I also wore my rain gear from the previous day so that also got a good cleaning.

Jim came over and gave me a hand. It was incredible just how clogged with mud everything was. It became apparent why I had lost most of my gears the previous day. The small chain rings on the rear cassette were completely clogged with mud. That explained why I couldn't change to them. The front derailleur was also clogged. There was even a small stone stuck in the rear derailleur. By the time I was finished there was a huge pool of dirt around the nozzle, which I did my best to wash away, and my bike actually looked like a bike instead of a moving mud pile. Jim gave me a can of WD-40 which I liberally applied and I was optimistic that I'd be able to continue my trip.

Mary had made us eggs benedict for breakfast, mine without the bacon. It was a delightful breakfast and I enjoyed their company. We had wide ranging conversations and I found their comments on American business ethics, or lack thereof, very interesting. Jim and Mary were retired, although only in their early '50s, and lived in Colorado Springs. They had recently bought the RV to facilitate their travelling. Keen mountain bikers they had been on a number of the trails in Colorado that I had cycled. They had even been to New Zealand, and not surprisingly loved it, cycling from Christchurch to Queenstown.

I eventually took leave of them and went to work on my bike again. The news was bad. The rear hub was definitely damaged and the wheel would no longer turn smoothly. I managed to get everything else working again but with 700+ miles of hard cycling to go the hub had to be replaced. I found that there was a bicycle shop 30 miles away in Espanola so that was my destination for the day. Unfortunately, there was no way I could cycle it so I ground my way up to the highway with the intent of flagging down a ride. In any other country but America I would have been less than optimistic but not here. My experience has been that most Americans don't hesitate to help.

When I reached the road I saw two pickup trucks towing boats pull in before the post office. I cycled over and asked if I could toss my gear in the back and get a lift. Sure. Not a problem so a few minutes later I was on my way south. My faith in the kindness and generousity of Americans proven once again.

They had been fishing in Platoro and were on the way back to Texas. I was amazed to hear that they had two inches of snow in Platoro that morning. Glad that I had cycled through that area a two days ago and missed the snow. I hope that the others cycling behind me missed the storm.

I learned lots about Texas on my way south and soon we reached Esperanto. They dropped me off at a petrol station and I got directions to the bicycle shop which was just down the road. The owner, Randy, was just opening up after lunch and we immediately set to work on the hub. Once we got it disassembled we found that it was not the axle bearings but the cassette bearings which meant a whole new hub that had to be ordered in from Sante Fe.

Randy was as helpful as could be. He gave me his card and said if there were any problems I should call him at home. He even offered to let me stay with them and the use of a vehicle. I declined both, not wanting to intrude, and after we reassembled my wheel I went off to find a motel. I was amazed at how different New Mexico was to Colorado. Even though I was only a few miles away, it was a very different culture and even architecture. It was neat to see the strong Mexican influence -- as evidenced by the chillis available for sale by the side of the road!

 

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After finding a motel I went off to find some food. Just up the road was an Internet Cafe so I was able to check my e-mail (my hotel had no phones) and then I got a haircut. Great to be back in civilsation again. After stocking up on food at Wal-mart I had a subway sandwich for dinner. When the guys at the restaurant heard that I had bicycled 1900+ miles from Canada they really layed on the vegetables to my sub.

The day ended with catching up on my journal and some TV. Tomorrow we will hopefully get my wheel rebuilt and I'll get back on the road again to Abiquiu where I will pick up the route again.

On to the next day ...

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