Last night was definitely a tough one for the guys. Ken and Matt had a hard time getting sleep and settling down to rest. Andy apparently slept fairly well, but still did not feel very rested at the 4:30 am wakeup call. The trio slipped some long pants on, found their headlamps and flashlights, and headed out into the dark morning around 5 am. Matt said it was awesome to be running this early in the morning for a couple reasons. The first was that there was no wind! It was very calm for the start of the run, which was a welcomed break from the previous day's travel. Secondly, every star in sight was out and shining this morning. Matt said it was definitely something he would remember.
The sun eventually came up, and the sights were even more spectacular. The sunrise cast shadows and silhouettes on the mountains in the distance. Matt kept saying what an awesome morning it was! The crew got 20 miles in before the wind picked up, but even when it did, the wind was no where near as gusty as it was the previous day. (Yesterday, the wind gusts were up to about 60-65 miles per hour!) Traveling down RT 380, the guys saw a couple people and a vehicle in the distance. Getting closer, they became curious as to what the people were doing. When the two groups crossed paths, the gentleman on the other side of the road took their picture, and the crew went to say hello. It turns out that this gentleman, Matt Reynolds, and his wife, Susan, were walking from one end of New Mexico to the other! The new friends talked for a while, and Matt and Susan ended up donating $20 to the scholarship fund in Phil's name! Thank you! If you want to track Matt and Susan's progress, you can go to www.journeyheretothere.com or susantalksthewalk.blogspot.com.
A little while later, the guys met Dewey Brown. Dewey is a friend of Welda's (from Carizozo, NM). When Welda found out that they team went without dinner and breakfast yesterday, she called every person and rancher long RT 380 that she knew to see where the team was. When she finally found a person who they had not passed, Dewey Brown, she quickly asked him to get some water and food out to the guys. Thank you again Welda! Dewey brought the guys some much needed water and food, and the guys carried on. Thank you Dewey!
The team finished up in San Antonio at an early 11:30 am, due to the early start. Matt said it was nice to finish early and get some extra rest time. The guys had lunch at the Owl Bar. This place seemed to be pretty famous to the people in town, and was home to the Green Chili Cheese Burger! James Grider, Welda's husband, arranged for the lunch to be taken care of on his tab. Thank you!
With some time to spare, Matt said that the guys ventured over to the Post Office. Ken's parents were sending him some new running shoes, but they were not supposed to arrive until tomorrow. They figured they might check it out anyway. It turns out that Ken's stepmom had called the Post Office a few days prior just to make sure she had all the information correct, and got to talking with one of the employees at the Post Office about the cross-country run. Carlos Gonzalez and Ken's stepmom became instant friends, and he became very excited to meet the team. He told them he would offer his home for them to stay, but he had some family gatherings to prepare for and attend. Carlos did not leave the team hanging, and set them up in the Acosta Bed and Breakfast. The guys spent some time relaxing and resting before dinner. Matt said that Andy worked on getting the new tire tubes on the joggers while he played and blew the old ones up as big as he could. It was a nice afternoon.
After fixing up the joggers, the team headed over to Walmart. They stocked up on Gatorade because it is much, much cheaper at Walmart than at the small gas stations they encounter along the way. A little while later, the guys met up with Barbara who was going to take them out to dinner. They all went to Socorro, a small Mexican restaurant, and enjoyed a nice big meal. Matt said they plan on taking advantage of the breakfast portion of the Acosta Bed and Breakfast in the morning, and then get back out on the old dusty trail.
A much better day for the trio! Keep movin!
- Rick
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