So long Aztec, Hello Farm Town

Carl and Angie have returned from their summer travels, and too bad for me, they want their house back. Since they own the house I've been living in, it was time for me to go.

Rental housing in Farmington is pretty grim.

One place was 300 square feet (90 sq m) and cost $650 / month. No yard, gravel parking spot in front of the unit. That's like Manhattan prices in the middle of nowhere. (I know not quite Manhattan, but ridiculous for outside of a major city.) Most places I did not want to approach or go in. I would think, "you know, I wouldn't live here for free. There is no negotiable price I would pay to stay here."

So I kept looking.

One place I looked at was like a John Waters movie. (I don't know if I have seen one, but I've seen previews) Anyhow, "Ruth" is looking for someone to rent a room from her. She is in a trailer village on the edge of town. I didn't even know this area exists, until I needed to find it. Row upon row of trailers. Entire neighborhoods. Trashed cars, trash all over, etc.

When I get there, I find this poor woman is hooked up to an oxygen tank, with a 30' cord so she can get to both ends of the trailer. She has the requisite little white yapping dog, a rotund putrid chiahua, and a barrel shaped skanky cat. I don't know if the urine stench was human, cat, or dog, or some mixture of them, but it was unbearable.

And yet, I had to go in and look it. It was just too weird.

So I stepped inside. She can't leave without the oxygen tank, so I am sure she doesn't leave often. She sits all day and knits dresses for these little platsic dolls. The dolls have an opening so you can slide an air freshener up inside it. I imagine the dolls are made by whatever hellish corporation makes "Renuzit" and you can buy them from a flyer in the Sunday paper. All of the walls, from the floor to the ceiling, have shelves about 12" apart, with doll after doll after doll, hundreds of them all identical except the dresses she knits, throughout the living room, dining room, and all these little freaky plastic eyes staring at you.

Hoping I would not be snared by a trap door or some other bad deal, I ran away.

Eventually I found a decent place just a few miles from school. Before I bought a futon to sleep on, I bought a new grill. I am having to do the roommate thing again, which is not preferred, but we have worked things out just fine to this point.

On my second morning I wheeled my bike outside to get in an early ride. Pumped up the tires. Rain drops on my back? Cold rain comes down for a few minutes. I decide to wait it out and am rewarded with a double rainbow in the desert over Farmington. Not a bad way to start a damp ride.

Another reason to like Silverton, CO

On my way through Silverton I stopped at the Forest Service office to pick their brains on good places to camp and maybe some road riding suggestions. 

As it turns out, Everett watched me pull up in my hatchback. He is a roadie in a land of mountain bikers, and he liked that I did not have a bigass SUV to put my bike in, but instead my more manly yet refined Civic.

I had noticed when I put my bike on the rack that there was a slight hitch in the rear wheel. This gets more noticeable, like when descending a mountain pass at 40 mph (65 kph). I mentioned it, and asked if there was a bike shop in town. Nope, but there's a young couple, Lynn and Eric, that bought the local coffee shop, Mobius, and renamed it Steam in Steel Coffee. Eric is an avid biker and had lot's of tools and would probably be willing to spend some time taking a look.

I tracked down Eric at the coffee shop, he did indeed have the right spoke wrench, but it was at home, so Lynn took the opportunity to take a break from the shop and headed home to get the spoke wrench. When she returned we were ready to do some straightening. 

I mentioned I was living in Farmington these days. Eric kind of turned up his nose at that. He figured I was there to work oil and gas, or coal, and had made it all the way here from Boston to come and help pollute his beautiful Colorado. 

Later I made sure he knew I was out there to work on stopping the oil and gas and coal destruction.

In between though, he took time out of work, and time out of his day, to get my wheel straightened out, even though he thought at that point I was cashing in on the pollution of the area. And then he wouldn't take any money for it. 

I like it when good stuff like that happens. Thank you again Eric and Lynn!

Camping near Silverton, CO

Got away last week for 5 days of car camping so I could ride some high mountain passes and get in a little running and hiking. Found a sweet spot a couple miles down a hard pack gravel road, and then a short clip on a 4 wheel drive only to get to a spot by a creek. (My Honda civic does not have 4 wheel drive, but it gets me there.)

Camped outside Silverton, CO. Very nice.

First day I rode to Ouray, 25 miles or so (40K) one way. Top of red mountain pass is 11,018 feet (3400 m). At the top they are doing construction, and holding traffic to one lane only. The dude with the radio makes me stop, then while he smokes a cigarette tells me he rode up hauling a 75 lb trailer up over the top, so he is sure I can make it the rest of the way. 

From the radio  I hear "Jim, you got anyone waiting yet?"

Jim replies "Just one lone cyclist."

Radio: "Well I'm not stopping traffic for one lone cyclist on this end."

"Oh yes you are" Jim replies and gives me a big smile. 

Radio - "OK, white chevy pickup is the last one through"

The construction crew all heard the exchange, and took a break to raz me as I continued on over the top.

I was hurting but it was great. My first opportunity to ride a high mountain pass since I got out west. 

Vaillacito Reservoir

When I finally ran out of cat-eye-goop for the cat that I was watching, I was free to split for a few days of camping. Off to Vaillacito Reservoir for a couple nights of car camping, hiking, and biking. 

Daily afternoon and evening thunderstorms were predicted, but hey, I have a dry tent, right? You always remember the camping trips where your tent stops being waterproof, or in this case, even just water resistant. Water went right through, as if someone stood outside my tent and poured buckets of water on me all night. 

In between the thunderstorms it was beautiful. 

Habitat week

With some time off and staying local, I figured I would track down a Habitat house and do some work with them. I like building stuff and made myself fairly useful. 

My friend Ed and I went to New Orleans for some rebuilding work in 2006. I figured I would be tired at the end of the week, but it was so inspiring to see the cooperation and large scale recovery effort, that I left relaxed and invigorated. So I promised myself I would do it again when I have the time. 

Maybe I can talk my Dad and brothers into getting together for a week of Habitat work sometime.

60 Days in a row

I heard the other morning that we were on Day 59 of 90 degrees (28 C) or hotter in a row. It's early August and just starting to get hot here. I guess I am assuming 90 days in a row of 90+ temps is pretty definite. Easily looking at 100+ days. Not sure what is typical.

In May I had 3 weeks set aside for driving across the country and doing some hiking/camping/exploring along the way in NC and TN especially. I had to change plans at the last minute and do the drive in 5 days to get to a class that started May 12 instead of June 1. That meant I would have 3 weeks off in August to hike/camp and explore regionally.

Unfortunately one of the cats where I'm housesitting needed surgery to remove the tumor in her eyelid. The vet can't say that it is cancer yet, but wants the owner prepared for the worst. I need to be around to spread goo into the eyeball 4x/day. This cat just loves me now. Before I was force feeding it pills and washing the eyelid with liquid. Now I have to grab hold, pry open the eyelid and spread ointment in there. That's a real popular thing to do.

Anyhow I am staying local, and hanging out with the cats.

When you are Housesitter to the Stars you gotta do what you gotta do.