Day 8,9,10: New Mexico

New Mexico sky. 

New Mexico greeted us with the evening scents of juniper and roasted chiles, and sent us out with the taste of the earth carried by the wind. 

The original route of the Southern Tier had us climbing into Silver City, near the Gila Cliff Dwellings, and down through Hatch. Instead, we went on the I-10 through Lordsburg to Deming, Deming to Las Cruces. It was a long night of map-reading and discussion to reach that decision. That route would have been acceptable, had we planned to camp. But camping wasn't the plan. That route would have had some different sites to see, but sightseeing isn't the plan. 

Cross the United States. Dip our toes in the Pacific, ride east, dip our toes in the Atlantic. End each day as you started it-alive. And enjoy what comes along the way, whatever road that might be on. 

So, we opted for the quicker route out of the desert. The wind was not kind to us. 20, 30, 40 miles an hour headwinds. Watching the speedometer, I saw our speeds dropping as we pressed on. 7,6,5,4 miles per hour was as fast as I could make the bike go on flat land in the wind. I may as well have been riding into a wall I couldn't see. The wind would lift and it was a short sprint until the next gust came down from the east. 

Mike reassured me (us?) that no storm ever lasts. No wind will go on forever. It always passes. And the worst storms make the calm day even better. When I was hugely pregnant and uncomfortable in the summer heat, I found hope in remembering it was only a temporary state. I wasn't able to run or ride my bike, but there was an end in sight. A better weather forecast for tomorrow. This made it easier to press on. 

Suffering from postpartum depression was different. The brain ruminates, spirals into a negative cycle where it is so hard to really believe that the storm will end. That it won't last forever. And I'm so grateful for finding Katherine Stone's website, Postpartumprogress.com, which told me just that. Hang on. The wind will let up. You will get stronger. 

Today, the wind was gone. It was delightful.