Day 6-Farewell Texas

Lubbock, TX to Clovis, NM
Distance: 106 miles
Time: 8:00:16
Max Speed: 27.1 mph
Average Speed: 13.2 mph

Clovis, New Mexico could be my new favorite town ever. After one of the most boring days of riding ever, we arrived in Clovis, just west of the Texas/New Mexico border at the beautiful home of Rick and Michelle, who were some of the coolest, kindest, and most hospitable people I have ever met.
The route today was incredibly boring as the land is nothing but flat (the only hills are man-made, such as overpasses and railroad tracks), so there was nothing exciting to see. Also, the wind was in our faces almost the entire day, preventing us from going much faster than 13 mph and making everyone quite frustrated and unmotivated.

We were so bored and frustrated that we began stopping in all the small towns through which we passed. We stopped in the town of Muleshoe, TX for almost 45 minutes to get some food and a drink, and we also saw the world's largest mule shoe, and got some cool pictures. While visiting the mule shoe, we met three awesome senior citizens who we talked to for a little while. They wanted to get us on their local news and told us about a local bike ride they were hosting in mid-June. We will definitely have to tell the 2008 team to be in contact with the people of Muleshoe.

I am currently in New Mexico, now in the mountain time zone. Crossing the border was such an exhilirating feeling. Rather than having a race to the border, my group of 4 rode four-abreast across the border, and then stopped to get pictures with the "Welcome to New Mexico" sign. It is so crazy to think that we practically rode our bikes across the state of Texas. From Austin to Clovis, NM, over 500 miles, in one week... on a bike. Simply driving across Texas is an undertaking, and to think that I have done it using only my two legs and two wheels is an awesome feeling of accomplishment.

The last 10 miles or so into Clovis were awesome. The wind finally gave up and the road was smooth as butter, so we were flying, going over 20 mph the entire time. We made it to our host's house just before the sunset, which was our goal, and w were welcomed by such an amazing group of people. They were all so nice and positive, it really let us know that what we are doing has an impact beyond ourselves and that others support us 100%. Michelle, one of the hosts is currently battling breast cancer and was such a strong, positive, beautiful, and inspirational woman. After such a frustrating day on our bikes, Rick and Michelle made it all seem so worth it. They fed us one of the most amazing meals I have ever had, consisting of chicken, pasta salad, macaroni salad, cheeses, crackers & spreads, Greek salad, beans, amazing desserts, and more. These people were incredible and such an inspiration to continue on this journey no matter how difficult it seems. I cannot thank Rick, Michelle, and the people of Clovis enough for the awesome welcome and stay we have had here.

Tomorrow morning we are giving our presentation for the citizens of Clovis at the Clovis Civic Center before we ride to Fort Sumner, NM. Hopefully the wind will be more cooperative tomorrow. We also have a radio interview tomorrow morning on the local Clovis station, and this morning we were on both Lubbock TV news and radio as well, which I almost forgot to mention. We have been receiving an amazing amount of media attention, which is so cool, and also, many more people are beginning to honk at us and wave as they drive by. I have a feeling it is because they have heard about or seen us and recognize us. It is so cool to know that so many people support you in what you are doing, even if it is a simple friendly honk, wave, or hook 'em sign.

Today was rough but worth 100% worth every minute of it. I lay here in the gym of the Clovis Middle School, reflecting on the day and realizing how fortunate I am. I think our plan of action today where we took our time seeing the sights and stopping in the small towns along the way is really the way to go. So long as we make it to our destination city by sunset, we are free to do as we wish. It is such an incredible feeling.

Peace and Love,
Mighty Miguel