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The morning in Higgins was the best of the trip so far. I tore down my camp and headed to the donut shop for breakfast. Some of the familiar faces from last night were there again including, of course, Kay, the owner who had let me camp on her yard and use her shower. I ordered a breakfast burrito and chatted with the gang for a while and then changed into my cycling clothes preparing to leave. Finally I asked to fill my bottles and went to pay for my breakfast, and Kay wouldn't let me. She told me to come back sometime and I could buy a meal then.

Today was a nice enjoyable ride. I left the RV park in Amarillo after having a complimentary donut around 8:30. It was a short haul to highway 60 and a nice ride for the rest of the day.

My first stop was Pampa where I filled my bottles and chatted with some motorcyclists for a while. Then I passed through Miami before things got hilly. It wasn't long climbs and descents like before, but a consistent up and down as I cruised through what looked like little mesas here in northern Texas.

I'll have to apologize in advance that I don't have many pictures today. Because yesterday was so long today became very short.

Whew, what a long day. I rode 223 km today and managed to hold an average speed of 29.8 km/h. But let's start from the beginning.

After sleeping through several alarms, I got up and had a quick breakfast around 7:30. I packed up the bike and got on the road by 8:30.

The campsite I found last night was mostly sand but contained a little gravel too and consequently I slept lightly. I woke up in time to see a gorgeous desert sunrise over the mountains that I would later be riding through. The entire eastern sky glowed.

It was a little difficult to get back on the bike after a day of rest, but I managed to leave Gallup around 8:30. The wind was gentle and behind me to begin with just like before, and I decided I should appreciate it while I could because you never know when it will suddenly change. Today's route was mostly frontage roads and the old 66 so it was nice to get off the freeway for a while.

Today's total distance was 0.0km! That's right, I took a day to let my body recover, plan the route more carefully, and catch up on emails, the job hunt, and other aspects of life that missed the memo stating I would be off the grid for six weeks. I stayed with Phil in Gallup, NM again, and he let me use his computer all day long.

I entered mountain time today! One zone down and three to go. Too bad that last one is so darn big.

Today started with a few other campers taking interest in my trip over all-you-can-eat pancake breakfast. I was excited and rearing to go after telling them about my trip, and that feeling remained as I realized that although the wind was mostly a gentle breeze, it was partially at my back.

My day started by going to the camping store with Steve. I picked up a new high quality tiny single person tent and some sleeping pants for cold nights.

After that I hit the road. By the time I got out of the neighborhood and on to the main route it was almost 10:00. I ended up taking I 40 all day today. I actually had a route through the reservation to the North all picked out last night, but my unfamiliarity with the area and worries about water stop frequency and cell service for emergencies scared me into staying on the main road.