DISTANCE TRAVELED: 58.07 Miles
AVERAGE SPEED: 13.70 MPH

          At 7:00, Lou knocked on our door and I assumed that it meant that we should get up. Scott however found out that it meant we to be at breakfast so we rushed over and ordered our food. I then found out that, because of the severe rain the night before, everyone was going to take the alternate route to make sure we were not stuck in the rains and mud. After eating a huge omelet, we went back to the motel and packed up our gear. Just as I was about to leave the motel, I asked the owners it they had seen a pair of sunglasses but unfortunately, a drunk had probably picked them up during the day. I was out of my third pair of Oakley's! After buying batteries and two new bulbs for my flashlight, I left Cuba to ride with Tom and Marnie to the first gas station 27 miles away. We pedaled as fast as possible over very gradually rolling hills that enabled us to go an average of 12 mph. Along the road, we saw rocky hills and many southern red cliffs that were lit up by the sun. At our first stop, we bought ice cream and a liter of soda along with eating our own food. After lying down on the sidewalk to rest for about 20 minutes, we continued for about 25 miles to the next stop. On this stretch, I rode alone at my own pace and close to the end was going 22 mph up gradual climbs! I still felt good even though I was tired and had come a long way. After yet another liter of soda and a 31 oz bottle of Gatorade, we waited until 4:30 for Lou to catch up so we could decide whether or not to carry water. (Picture208) Five miles down the road was the last store where we bought dinner for the group and filled up with water. From here, we rode a few miles to a school where a teacher gave us more water from her home. She had moved from Colorado Springs to Pueblo Pintado only two weeks ago and she and her husband were having difficulty adjusting to the small town. He could not find a martini anywhere for hundreds of miles and the closest restaurant was 50 miles away! His wife said that the longest they would stay would be for two years but her husband said about one week! After talking for a while, we rode to the 1000 year old Anasazi ruins, which the town is named after. We set up out tents next to the ruins and walked down to the river where we found painted pottery left by the Chaco Indians. After hunting for a good while and picking up many pieces, we walked around the well-preserved ruins. The walls were mortar and rocks and were very straight. It looked like they had used stone saws to get the edges flat. Where the floors had been, wooden crossbeams still existed in the holes. Some parts had even been four stories high! Soon dinner was ready so we ate sloppy Joes along with rice and beans and then went to bed as it thundered and lightening lit up the sky in every direction. Inside my tent, I was warm compared to the chilly desert and I comfortably fell asleep at 9:00.