Yo dawg, this is Matt Durkin, AKA Durkin coming at you LIVE from Gallup, New Mexico! This post marks my triumphant return to "The Blogosphere", so sit down, get comfortable, grab some milk & Oreos (milk's favorite cookie) and enjoy!
Today marked our LAST full day in New Mexico! NM has proved to be one of the toughest, and most beautiful states on our journey. We'll never forget the hospitality, the mountains, the wind, the wildlife or the wind. The days have been long and the elevation has been high, but as Andy wrote yesterday we feel the worst is behind us, and it should be smooth sailing all the way to San Diego (and beyond).
We got up a little earlier than usual today since The Wahilias had a plane ride to catch. We enjoyed a delicious breakfast of cheerios and doughnuts and made our way back to where we left off yesterday. It felt good knowing today was the last day before a day off which made it easy to knock out the 28 miler. No one really had any problems physically or mentally today. I had a weird shooting pain in my shin for a bit but it went away and now I couldn't even tell you which leg it was in. There was far less uphill today than the past few days. In Pie Town we were at about 7,900 feet, and now in Gallup we're at about 6,500 feet. You don't have to be a topographist to guess that we've enjoyed some nice downhills.
We moved quicker and quicker with each mile, and finished up around 2pm which is the earliest we've finished in recent memory. We explored Gallup a little bit, and decided to eat at Garcia's. Andy got some chicken-fried steak, Ken got a burrito, and I enjoyed the buffet. We also threw back some old fashion Mexican soda. Ken had the most unique drink choice out of all of us, Apple Soda. I didn't get a chance to try it, but he assured us it was the best pick.
After lunch we made our way back to the hotel we've been staying at the last couple of days. Andy's parents have been nice enough to take care of our room for tonight and tomorrow. I plan on doing as little as possible the next couple days in an effort to recover from the last two weeks.
Sunday marks the beginning of our penultimate state as Papa D put it. We will make our way into Arizona, yet another state none of us have ever been to, nor do we know anything about it. I'm sure we'll see more unforgettable scenery and meet more unforgettable people. New Mexico has been real good for us, but we're all ready to make our way one state closer to California!
Ken has some birthday shout outs to make right about now, so I will relinquish the computer to him.
Have a Nation day!
-Durkin
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