"On the Trail"

The Journals from the Road

December 4:  Hotel 45-237 - Somewhere, Mex

Since the last time I wrote I have had many an adventure but let me go back to last night. 

I finally got going yesterday afternoon and had the goal of getting to the town of Santa Rita by night.  I was really pushing it and by the time I got to civilization it was dark.  There was one little restaurant that had a light on and I asked at the door if they knew how many more miles were left to Santa Rita.  This vaquero (rancher) answered that I had found it.  This was Santa Rita.  Good enough for me.  I got some beans and rice and chatted with a group of guys who were working on a nearby bridge.  Their conversation seemed to revolve around women and beer but it was hard to follow. I quickly found the idea of an early bedtime more appealing and excused myself to a nice little concrete guest room that I threw out my sleeping bag in and went to sleep.

I left early this morning in hopes of making it to La Paz.  It was a good distance and I knew I had to keep on chugging along.  After lunch, however, I realized that I wouldn't quite make it to La Paz.  There would be a few mini stops between this restaurant and La Paz at which I could camp, or so I thought. 

It turned out that most of these places were out of business and I really started getting a bit more nervous when I realized that both sides of the road were fenced off.  This and the approaching dusk reminded me of a night north of San Fran when I got stranded in the dark.

I anxiously scoped out the possible tent sites as I rode but, alas, there were none.  Even the stream beds under the road were fenced off on both sides.  As the sun dropped over the horizon I pushed on, hoping that the restaurant encampment on my map existed.  Just over that next hill.  Nothing.  Just over that one.  Still nothing.

As I was about to have to choose between riding on into the night along a shoulderless road (no way) or pitching a tent about ten feet off the highway (yah, right) I spotted a ravine that ran under the highway.  It was unfenced and that alone pushed it above the other two choices.  Although it offered no candy...I came near.  I could not be seen from the road and so I put up my tent in the sand of the dry creek bed and was soon cooking up some oatmeal.  Adding a can of fruit medley warmed by belly and satisfied my pallette.

I was very happy to have the earplugs Michael gave me just a few days before.

Peace(Bike),

TAD
 
An 'edu-venture' around the world for peace.

"We seek to connect young people around the world to each other so that their friendships build a peaceful world for us all.

-Tad Beckwith