Texas, New Mexico, and into Colorado!

No offense to my dear brother-in-law Kevin, but Texas made us all want to die. We zipped through the panhandle in just over two days, but it wasn't fast enough! The land was incredibly desolate, the heat oppressive, and the sights few and very far between. For the most part it was just barren land, with oil drills spaced out every few hundred yards. The oil drills are incredibly creepy. They look kind of like aliens--they are big metal objects which bob up and down into the earth all by themselves. There are no (NO) people around, no one watching or running them. They just sit there, bobbing up and down and making eerie creaking noises and giving me the heebie jeebies.

The other creepy sight came into view several miles out (that's what happens when the land is really flat...yesterday we could see the lunch stop three miles before getting there). Most of the land is a sandy brown, but on the horizon we saw a huge swath of dark brown. As we neared it developed a kind of bumpy texture, unlike the flat-as-a-pancake land around it. Finally we realized what it was: cows. Thousands and thousands and thousands of cows. Cows packed together in pens in the sun with small troughs of water and/or food (we couldn't get close enough to see for sure). When standing at the barbed-wire fence bordering them, the pens stretch as far as you can see. Off in the distance behind them was a large white building. We debated amongst ourselves whether this was the slaughterhouse or whether the cows would be moved to a different location. It was a really creepy sight. I already don't eat beef, but if I did I think seeing this would make me reconsider. (Not that eating chicken is any better. In Arkansas we passed a Tyson factory and it was emitting the worst smell I've ever experienced in my life).

Finally we escaped from Texas and into phenomenally gorgeous New Mexico. We were only there for about 18 hours, but it was beautiful. Yesterday morning's ride was probably one of the best I've ever had in my life. It was cool--a little chilly, actually--and the scenery was gorgeous, with pre-Rockies hills dotting the landscape. I also saw longhorns for the first time, and we got an AWESOME tailwind for the first time. I was pedaling lazily and still cruising along at 27 miles an hour! I felt like I was flying and it was one of the best things on this trip so far.

One other thing: I succumbed and rode in the van on the last day in Texas. I debated for days whether or not I would do it, but the fact was I was exhausted and getting increasingly miserable. I was cycling slower and slower, with the lack of sleep (less than 6 hours every night for nights on end) and the plentiful exercise starting to take its toll. I was starting to get in a pretty bad mood--dreading cycling each day, withdrawing from the group, and feeling pretty down in the dumps. Finally I got fed up and realized that being miserable for the rest of the summer just wasn't worth it, so I skipped a 95 mile day and rode in the van instead. I'm really glad I did. I was able to relax, read my book, do crossword puzzles (thanks Auntie Vic!), call my family, and just take it easy for a day. The next day (yesterday's awesome ride) I was feeling much better and much more like myself. Many people commented on how great it was to see me smiling big smiles again. I didn't realize that everyone had noticed that I hadn't been myself lately. It just goes to show how much we really are becoming a family.

Also, I turned 25! I'm a quarter of a century, and I feel so happy and lucky. I never thought I'd be spending my 25th birthday in Spearman, Texas, that's for sure. I also thought I'd be tres sophisticated and beautiful and perfect and well, that didn't happen either. Turns out you DON'T wake up on your 25th birthday with all the answers, but I think I'm ok with that. I feel so incredibly blessed to have spent 25 glorious years on this phenomenal planet. If I die tomorrow, I know I will have enjoyed more love, laughter, passion, adventure, wonder, and joy than most people do in lifetimes three times as long. In any event, 25 is treating me well so far. I'm growing more content with myself each day, and I'm jumping out of my skin with excitement about the future. I may not have all the answers, but I DO have a few thousand more miles to pedal, and I'm sure I'll come up with some of them along the way.

And thank you SO much to my family and friends and Oliver for the birthday treats and well wishes! I feel so blessed to be in your thoughts, even from far away.

By the way, I'm writing this from Trinidad, Colorado. Hard to believe we've been through 8 states and are less than half-way there!