Saturday July 1, 2006 35 miles - Total so far: 1,261 miles

We left Dove Creek dissappoinnted that we couldn't find a Dove Ice Cream Bar, but looking forward to arriving in Dolores for our first rest day after 11 days of non-stop cycling. Dove Creek is known as the "pinto bean capitol of the world" and today we cycled through the first extensive area of farmland since California's San Jauquin Valley. We had our first glimpse of the Rocky Mountains in the distance...our next big challenge. Early in our ride we met Justin, a young cross-country cyclist from Minnesota on his way to meet with family in Lake Tahoe. We passed on a number of tips for him as he will be entering the most desolate section of his trip in the next few days.

We arrived in Dolores and proceeded to the home of the brother of a long-time friend of David's. Joe is a field archaeologist with the Park Service at Mesa Verde National Park. He has had a long and varied career in the four corners region of the southwest and it was fascinating to listen to his vivid descriptions of his work. He is also an accomplished painter of western imagery and desert landscapes. Joe fixed us a fine Mexican dinner and we enjoyed a very long night's sleep.