Friday, April 8, 2011
Safford to Safford
18 miles

Well, it was really windy in the morning, possible gusts up to 40 mph windy, so I figured I wasn’t going anywhere. I could just spend another day at the Essence of Tranquility Spa, soaking in mineral pools and hanging out in the living room-like common area. Should have been a no-brainer.

I ate a bowl of cereal and curled up in a comfy chair with the iPad, and then several other visitors made breakfast together that smelled really yummy, which made me kind of jealous. For some reason, I longed for a piece of toast with jam! (and I only now just realized that I had a loaf of bread and a jar of jelly among my things, and there was a toaster in the kitchen!)

Anyway, I just didn’t feel compelled to soak, and I’d already had one day off, and around 9:30 it seemed like the wind was dying down. I decided to make a run for it. About a mile out, it became clear that it was still windy, but I wasn’t sure how windy, so I thought I’d see. I took a cut off road to the highway, and it was windy, but OK. It would make for a long day to Duncan, but what else did I have to do?

Once I got to the main highway, the gusting started. The crosswinds were pushing me around as I struggled onwards. I kept going for a few more miles. The gusts were coming from any direction, and nearly knocked me over when I got to the top of a small hill. I took a break, and decided I’d better go back. It just didn’t feel safe. The first few miles, the wind pushed right behind me, so that went quick. Then it switched around again, and I was crawling along again.

I wasn’t sure if I wanted to go back out to the spa, as it was an extra 5 or so miles off route. But I was sure, that if I had to return to Safford, I was going to eat more of that scrumptious fried ice cream! At least I’d salvage something from the day.

At El Coronado, I reviewed my options. I called two RV parks I had seen on the main road. One didn’t answer, and the other informed me they did not have the facilities to set up a tent. As a tent needs a smaller and less flat piece of land than an RV, I felt they just needed a better way of telling me they did not wish to have a tent at their park, even if I had ridden my bike all the way there just for one night.

There were a number of hotels in town, due to the mining industry, I believe, so there would be somewhere to stay. I checked couchsurfing.com. I had just finally signed up the previous day. Many people, including Liz, a Seattle traveling friend, and Milton, the Miami to LA runner, had recommended it. Surprisingly enough, there was a woman signed up to host in Safford. A kindergarten teacher, no less! I sent Libby a message right away and commenced waiting.

I sat around after I’d finished my fried ice cream, considering having another. I probably should have. I mean, why not? Instead, I decided to ride around Main Street and see what there was to see.

At town hall, the flags were blowing in all different directions, validating my experience, and reminding me it wasn’t that pleasant of a day for a cruise around town.

I thought about getting my nails done, but decided against it. And who wants to go thrift store shopping when all I can think about is how heavy everything would be if I were to carry it on the bike?

I chatted with a man at the recycling center who had seen me on the highway and was wondering about my trip, so I had to explain again how I had had to turn back.

Feeling dispirited, I popped into the Main Street Cafe, which had come recommended by the Chamber of Commerce, both for their fare and because they hired people with developmental disabilities. An Italian Soda is not quite fried ice cream, but It’s got whipped cream! I was even considering riding out to Roper Lake State Park to camp. It was even farther off route, but it sounded interesting. Even though I knew it would be ridiculous to ride another six miles in the wind, I didn’t feel like springing for another hotel so soon. And just then, Libby called!

So she met me at the cafe, and we talked about Kindergarten stuff. She’s 24, and this is her first year teaching. She did some of her student teaching in Australia, which sounds amazing! She went to Indiana Univeresity, and just started applying for jobs. Safford was the first place to offer her one, so off to this tiny desert community she moved. She didn’t mind it so much, especially as the first year of teaching can be so all-consuming. We stopped to visit her classroom on the way to her house.

Kindergarten is just like I remember it!

Of course, I talked her ear off about how we did things differently at the Xara School, and she seemed interested and even took a few notes. I passed on my Songs and Poems to her, too. I remember when I first started teaching, and I wanted to be able to try everything!

She was so friendly and fun! She had also done gymnastics through college, but unfortunately we ran out of time to try acroyoga. She did mention she hoped to go to Burning Man some day, so of coure I showed her my pictures and told her all about it. She has so many exciting plans for the future. On her bathroom mirror, she has written the quote, “You need a little chaos in your soul to give birth to a dancing star!”

Libby the Dancing Star in her Hello Kitty robe!

I didn’t make it out of Safford today, but I did meet a wonderful person and ate delicious desserts! Who knows where this journey will take me next!

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