Day Fifty: Navajo Nation, Houck, AZ

We woke two hours before sunrise today. We were not sure what time to call this, since Arizona (Springerville) is on MST (same as PDT) but the Navajo Nation (Houck) is on MDT. We avoided using time today, since it’s all so arbitrary in comparison to our fixed solar schedule.

I rode with Jane today, who took this as a recovery day. The recovery riding was helpful, but painful. I don’t know how or why, but riding slow is so much harder than riding fast.

The last bit of the ride into Houck took us on I-40, our first section of riding on an Interstate highway. The Interstate has nice, flat, wide, well paved shoulders, but is full of wires and things that cause flats. I was fortunate to not get any flats on the way in.

Our hosts at the St. Anselm Catholic Church were members of the Navajo tribe. I’ve never seen people who look like this before in my life. Their facial features are truly unique. They’re also the nicest people ever. We had Navajo tacos for dinner, which are like regular tacos on Navajo fry bread. Delicious.

In response to the beautiful weather, and to excessive noise inside, Jane and I pitched a tent. We saw a perfectly clear sky and the Milky Way once the sun set. It was wonderfully clear, cool, and dry, ideal tent conditions. I slept well.