March, 2014 - Running The Country

March 18, 2014

Friends, Winds, and Green Chiles

It’s Sunday. Our day off from running. The skies in Albuquerque are blue. Sandia Mountain has fresh snow on it. The snow is a reminder of yesterday’s storm.

Kris and Olivia dropped David and me off yesterday at mile 138, near the Route 66 Casino off of I-40. The cross winds were crazy strong but the temps were in the 50s so it was manageable.

We ran down to Exit I-40 and there we met Benjamin “BJ” Timoner, a man who has crossed the USA twice on foot. He drove out from Albuquerque to say hello to us. We crossed an old bridge on Route 66 together, a bridge that’s no longer in use. BJ told us a bit about his crossings. He thanked us for what we’re doing. Was so good to spend a few moments with our new friend BJ.

Kris and Olivia drove up 66 toward Albuquerque. The wind was blowing so hard I was afraid it might blow Kris off the road. Glad to have the equalizer hitch on the trailer.

Then the wind hit, I mean it really hit, packing a sandy, gritty punch. Soon David and I were chewing on sand and trying to keep it out of our eyes. We made it to the top of Nine Mile Hill and had our first glimpse of Albuquerque in the distance. The clouds were socked down low on the mountains, typical for Sitka, Alaska, but unusual for Albuquerque.

The temperature gradually dropped as the clouds lifted revealing new snow on the mountains.

Kris and Olivia picked us up only 11 or so miles into our run. Not near our goal of 20 miles per day, but even with the short day, we still met our weekly goal of 120 miles.

We drove into town and set up our trailer on the street outside of Keith’s place. Kris had previously connected with Keith though couchsurfing.org. We got busy helping Keith make dinner and before long we were eating enchiladas spicy enough to melt the polar ice caps. New Mexico green chiles kick hard!

All in all it was a fine day with good conversation, connections, dinner, and friends.

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Brett and his 15-year old son, David, are currently running from coast to America coast promoting a GMO-Free USA. Brett wrote this blog in Albuquerque, New Mexico, enjoying yet another needed day of Sabbath rest. Brett and David blog at RunningTheCountry.com. Support their run and mission at RunningTheCountry.com/donate.

March 16, 2014March 16, 2014

Running I-40 Don’t Try This At Home

I don’t like traffic. I don’t like traffic. I don’t like traffic.

I love small towns with few cars. So why would David and I run on I-40 for 25 miles? No choice. No good choice, that is. From Exit 114 to Exit 140 on I-40 in New Mexico, the freeway is the only game in town.

Kris FB messaged a guy who said he walked over 1,000 miles on I-40 to inspire others. I didn’t find it the least bit inspiring, but I talked to a New Mexico police officer back in Grants who told us that the police understand that there is really no other option for people traveling across the country on foot so they’ll look the other way. He gave me the number to the New Mexico state police dispatch. “Call them,” he said. “Tell them what you’re doing and they’ll put the word out to the officers that you’ll be on the road.”

So I did. The morning of our freeway run, I called dispatch. We saw two police cars all day long and we might just as well have been invisible to them.

At about mile 137, we jumped the fence onto a frontage road that seemed to pop out of nowhere. Just in time too. Dusk and a big rain storm were approaching. A mile later, a woman named Atch’aa’habaa Bernice Chavez pulled up in her compact car. She said she had seen us from the freeway, drove four miles to offer us a ride. “That storm you see back there is coming your way.”

We told Bernice about our run and mission and she grew excited with our message. “My name means ‘The woman warrior that takes care of her surroundings,'” she said. My grandparents lived long lives. They told us to stick with our traditions. Don’t eat canned foods. Don’t take aspirin, it’s poison.” She told us about the misunderstanding involving a general’s horse that resulted in The Trail of Sorrow. She thanked us for the seeds we gave her and for reminding her of her grandparents’ words.

I asked Bernice if she wouldn’t mind me recording a few of her words. She graciously spoke as I recorded.

We ran all day on the freeway and didn’t talk to anyone. Then we got off the freeway and connected with a beautiful person in a beautiful way.

Kris arrived about 10 minutes later. We were soaked.