March 14th, 2008 | categorizilation: all categories,USA (Arizona)
Today’s distance / ???????: 10.7 miles / 17.3km
Average speed / ????: 11.9mph / 19.1km/h
Time on skateboard / ????: 54 minutes
Total skateboarding distance to date / ????????????: 3446mi plus 280mi (?) / 5545km plus 450km (?)
Ascent / ??: n/a
Descent / ??: n/a
End-of-day GPS coordinates: Safford Chamber of Commerce
Wow. Tailwind, downhill. Average speed of almost 20km/h over one hour. Lovely short morning of skating today down into the Gila Valley and the town of Safford.
Coming into Safford, I bumped into two other cross-country travelers, one going by the name of Stumpknocker. Cindy and Mark are their real names. They have been enjoying tailwinds in the afternoons for the past week or so…
I stopped at the Visitor’s Center / Chamber of Commerce, and arranged for an interview with the local paper. While I was waiting for the reporter to come, I visited the laundromat to clean my clothes. Five days of grime is not pretty.
Interview over, Joane from the Chamber of Commerce was nice enough to drive me the five miles to the Essence of Tranquility, a campground/hostel/hot springs resort just south of town.
For US$15 a night and unlimited use of the hot spring tubs, I was in!
A great spot to relax and recharge.
I met other campers including Carlos the Guide/Educator/Speaker, David the rockhound, Jana (a Croatian, Carlos’s girlfriend, and soon to be biologist), and Karen the social worker from Phoenix.
Hey Rob,
It was great to meet you. Thanks for the inspiration. It made me think about new ways to inspire youth. Let me know when you are in town. Kick some ass tomorrow!
Carlos
Wow, that hot-springs tub looks so very comfortable.
Great news about Arizona roads.
Hi Rob,
Thanks for the new update. I may nick that sunset photo for my computer. Beautiful stuff. Awesome to hear about the smooth roads and lack of headwinds. Keep on truckin'!
It's lovely Onsen!in US?!You look so happy and relaxing.Great!
Did the Onsen bring back memories of Japan? Very un-Japan-like surroundings though – and a pool all to yourself!
Hey rob! I don't know if you remember me but you came into streets of new york in mesa arizona tonight. I totally came home and told my roommate about you and she IMMEDIATELY googled your ass! You really were telling the truth, and I believed you the first go round. :] Good luck in phoneix tomorrow and I hope we can keep in touch! I want to tell you about my trip to england and I want to hear how well your travels are going! Stay safe and I hope to hear from you soon!
Cheers,
Sophia *wishing I DID have that silverware rolling machine now*
