The day started as the always do when I sleep indoors: late. We grabbed some breakfast and double checked our route. We also dropped off some unneeded supplies into a box and mailed them to LA. We needed air for our tires do we hit a local bike shop to refill. The quick stops into bike shops are starting to take longer and longer as conversations about riding develop more fluidly. We did have about 80 miles planned down to Socorro so we didn’t hang around long.
After about 25 miles we breaker at a small town. There was a local coffee shop nearby so we got some tea and Jake fixed a busted tube he had. While working on the tube a skinny but tattooed man approached us and commented on the bike. It turns out his name is Tools and he is the President of the New Mexico chapter of the Children of God Motorcycle Club. We all chatted for about an hour about spirituality, technology, the economy, human nature, freedom, adventuring, and several other things. In the end he told us to look up one of the clubs prospects, Farmer, if we were in Socorro and in need of shelter or help.
The rest of the day was filled with the hot sun and many miles on the road. We did see a hitchhiker and offered him some water. I didn’t have any other way to help him so I just wished him happy travels and kept riding. We ended up doing a little over 90 miles because I missed a couple turns but it worked out.
We got into Socorro as the sun was setting and I called Farmer while we had some dinner. Farmer didn’t answer so we got some supplies and prepped for some highway camping. As we left the store Farmer called me back and offered to let us sleep at his church. We gladly accepted and headed over to First Baptist of Socorro. We chatted with Farmer for a bit and got some information about some possible sleeping options on our path. The next few days as we trek through New Mexico and Arizona will be hot, hilly, and sparse but we are ready and excited for the challenge.
Wandering Oak 