...Stop thinking. Now that was a wise strategy sometimes, and it would be fitting today. Looking at the map, it appeared the route would be very isolated ... and it was. Plenty of uphill awaited me as I exited the Rio Grande Valley. The anxiety about another "Day 10 incident" with me unable to fix a simple flat tire dogged me. Financial worries too. Thinking too much about things beyond my control would indeed get me in trouble, and looking back, I am not sure how well I did.

... And go where your heart takes you. Well, my heart brought me and my bike out here in the middle of nowhere in central New Mexico. It would be a very demanding and lonely ride*.

* - Read Day 12 to read more about physical demands; Day 13 about loneliness.

The evening before, I received a text message from Sharon in California. She is a bicyclist herself who requested I gaze out at a landscape and dedicate the act to her. So, looking way out there north of Highway 380, I spent some moments admiring this view of the wide open desert. It looked even larger and more expansive in person! Here you go, Sharon! :)

Yet another lonely road in New Mexico.

This was one route where there really was not any towns of significance along the route. Thus, I was sure to carry enough food and water along the route.

Bingham was the only "dot on the map" and is located 35 miles east of San Antonio. There was not much besides this one roadside store. I captured these pictures for a certain "Bingham" out there who happens to have that as his/her last name! ;)

Above: The old "main street" in Carrizozo. This is a very small town of just a few thousand residents that thrives on tourism during the summer months.

Carrizozo reminded me of my town in Colorado with numerous outdoor attractions. It has a pleasant and friendly small town atmosphere with pretty views of mountains and desert, close proximinity to Ruidoso and the Sacramento Mountains and nearby access to the Valley of Fires Lava Flow. This area could be quite a playground for photographers and I just might be back!

Above: A mediocre roadside photo near the Valley of Fires Lava Flow area, just a few miles west of Carrizozo.

I have many motel stories to tell in the future, but the Four Winds Motel deserves recognition for their really questionable service.

Inside the room I turned on the shower, but there was no hot water. I let it run and run for minutes and tinkered with the knob, without any luck. I called the front desk to inquire. "You need to let it run for awhile." she said.

I did. I let it run for another 5-10 minutes. It's still cold!

"This is Steve again." I called back, "There is still not any hot water."

The woman acted surprised and asked if I let it run for awhile. Of course I did! She would call a repairman, she replied.

After two and a half weeks on the road, I had become quite savvy and knowledgeable about cheap motel living, and along with some other observations, my intuition told me this was a hoax. There was no hot water in this motel room and I highly doubted a repairman was on the way. So I returned to the front desk, packed all my belongings back onto the bike, and told the woman I was out there. She had not charged my credit card anyway because, big surprise, her credit card machine and the phone line were not working.

Across the street was another motel, and as I was checking-in I asked embarrassingly: "Now uh, can I ask ... You really do have hot water in your showers, right?" I briefly explained my experience at the motel across the street.

"They're still selling rooms? They haven't had hot water for a couple of months." the woman interjected.

Real nice. Hey, it makes for a good story, doesn't it? :)

I walked around Carrizozo. Two restaurants looked appealing but did not accept credit cards - a cozy bar & grill and an unpretentious burger joint. (I had no cash on me.) At a third establishment, no one greeted me and many patrons stared at me that frightened to my bones. I got out there! I ended up eating both my lunch and dinner inside a convenience store next to the motel that had personal-sized pizzas. They were really good!