Monday, February 8, 2010

Christopher Creek, AZ

Tomorrow, it will be one month since we left on my " Run for Liberty". It's been 30 days and we've gone roughly 550 miles, through 2 states. It's hard to believe that I have covered every one of those miles with my own two feet, under my own power. The irony is, the running has been the easy part. Yes, it hurts at times, especially towards the end of a 26 or 27 mile day, of which there has been quite a few. But for me, running is a comfort, it's familiar. I trained for months, specifically for what I am doing now. I know it well and I usually know what to expect. I wish I could say the same about everything else on this journey.

Everyday brings a new challenge of which I have little control. Most of the logistical duties are handled by Mike. He finds the next base camp, after I determine (roughly) how far we'll be running and riding that day. I look on my Maps app on my iPhone and I try, as best I can, to scope out a road or area that we can safely park, from the sattelite view of the area. Then it goes something like this. "Ok, go up about 24 1/2 miles and you should see a road, we probably can't go any further because there's nothing for another 18 miles". Then, if all goes well, Mike texts or emails the base camp location to me and we run into base camp. So far, that's happened maybe twice :) Ah... The control thing, we have very little of it.

Right now, I am laying in a bed (for the first time in a month) in a cabin in Christopher Creek, AZ, being taught a thing or two about control (or lack thereof). Christopher Creek is a very small town off the (main) highway 260. It has a market, a church and a restaurant/bar called the Creekside Steakhouse. There are 2 mobile home parks and the rest of the residences are cabins. I suspect that most people that live here are happy to be tucked away in the middle of nowhere.

As we were running into "town" on Friday and commenting on how we may have just stepped into heaven (it reminds us of the town in "Big Fish" but with lots of snow) Mike pulled up in my xTerra with the bad news. "The Galt is broken". The leaf spring broke and up until Friday, I'd never heard of a leaf spring. Well, it's now Monday and I sure as hell know about leaf springs. First off, if you are driving 20 miles to a junk yard to find a replacement, take the old one with you before paying $50 for one that's "close, but won't work". Secondly, if you break a leaf spring in the middle of nowhere, you'll probaby have to drive at least 90 miles to get a new one and wait until Monday to do it.

I guess it's ironic that I am running across the country and I am being stopped by a trailer. I don't really know what to think about that. I have been tempted to strap on my Nathan and just go. Or maybe Chris and I could set out and Mike can hang back and catch up when it gets fixed or maybe I should just chill, (did I mention the snow?) "let go" be thankful for the rest and enjoy this little fairy tale town we stumbled into. I mean , there must have been a reason that this happened here, right in front of the Creekside Steakhouse. It could have happened anywhere and as bad as I want to go, I already miss this place.

We did go another 8 miles to the top of the rim on Saturday. At 7,500' elevation, it pretty much flattens out. So today (hopefully) after the Galt gets fixed, Mike will drive us there and we have 23 miles to Heber. After that, we start the long decent to route 66. We are about 310 miles to Albuquerque and will try to make it there by the 20th for a charity 5k.

Hmm, I wonder how much control I have over this one.....

PB
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