I planned on hitting the hot springs at the 8:00am opening time, but ended up just hanging around the quite campsite going through my maps and working on a plan for the next few days…my trip is winding down and now I have to start decompressing. Once packed I swung by the hot springs office to check email…and met Frank and Cecilia, some folks I had seen at the monastery and then again at Ghost Ranch. We got to chatting and ended up having coffee on the veranda of the historic hotel – a stimulating conversation covering the quest for spiritual direction, Zen and the myriad faces of Christianity. Cecilia gave me some good leads – The Zen Christian Spirit by the Jesuit priest Robert Kennedy…the work of Carolyn Miss…Ignatius Loyola’s decision-making tools. I could have talked to Frank and Cecilia for days and days…but they’re headed to Albuquerque and I have 42 miles to before I reach Taos, I had a quick enchilada + green chili lunch at one of the roadside cafes, then I hit the road. I’m meeting so many interesting folks and we have so much to tell each other that I barely have time for cycling!
The 42 miles to Taos were easy – a long mild climb north out of Ojo Caliante, then east coasting 9 miles to Rio Grande River Gorge State Park, then north to reach the spectacular gorge bridge, finishing up with 10 flat easy miles to Taos (with a tailwind!). Once in Taos I called Barbara, my cousin Teri’s friend from Santa Cruz, who is going to put me up for a few days. My off-road adventure will end in Taos, not a bad place to end an amazing six week journey. After Taos I’ll go through Santa Fe where I’m excited to visit the Georgia O’Keefe Museum, then to Albuquerque for my flight to Baltimore on Saturday.
This is my penultimate post – my final story will have some reflections upon which I need to ruminate before uploading to the blogosphere.
