The Road of Unforeseen Expenses

Well shit. I was stuck between Wolf Creek and Pagosa springs due to a giant gash in the sidewall of my left front tire. Why? Some piece of metal on the road thought it would be hilarious to jump in front of my car while I gazed longingly at the snowcapped mountains. I got out of my car whilst cursing at myself for the sheer lunacy of this trip and then was awestruck by the looming mountains framing the valley as well as the Matrix and me. After removing the cooler, bicycle, miscellaneous groceries, and the stove, I frantically dug out the doughnut like Johnny Depp digging for pirate's treasure.



Once that was taken care of, I drove the next 20 miles like the person in the volvo, but was kind enough to pull off to the shoulder when people snuck up behind. Once I pulled into Pagosa Springs I stopped at an auto parts store to ask if they knew where I could get a new tire at 6:00 on a Monday night. The manager called his pal at Big O Tires and they hooked me up with a brand spanking new piece of rubber even though they had already closed. Would that have happened in NJ? Yeah right! Although now I am compelled by the forces of the interweb to bring you this video about Dirty Jerz. (Sorry for the commercials. I'll apologize on the behalf of youtube for selling out.) But really, we all know the people they interviewed were not actually from New Jersey because they didn't look like this.



but I digress...

Although the tire story has a happy ending (I made it to Durango.), it was still costly, actually greater than or equal to the cost of the gas to get to California from here. So Cali will have to wait until I can devote a solid amount of time and dolla billz to it's visit. My intention as of now is to begin driving south to Tempe AZ and then back up to Flagstaff to grace the Grand Canyon with my presence before driving East through the south.

So Durango...



It's a little different than the way they portrayed it on the cartoon show "Doug", meaning I didn't see anyone make a rattle snake belt. Other than that the video describes the area perfectly. There are people here dressed like Doug in that cartoon, and that put a smile on my face when I drove from Durango to Cortez this morning from the hostel. Forty-Five minutes was all the journey took for this much anticipated destination, Phil's World. This is my most favoritest place to ride a bike in the galaxy. The trail is fun, fast, twisty, and if you don't live above 5,000 feet, Phil's World will kick your ass.
Here I am sucking wind after a friendly local-shredder put me to shame on the second climb.



But at the top, the view of Mesa Verde was more than worth it.



After the "Ribcage" section, filled with sweeping turns, whoop-de-doos, and the occasional kicker on the side to get you extra stoked, I couldn't wipe the grin off of my mud covered face. It was everything I hoped and dreamed it would be, and then some. The aromatic scent of sage stayed with me for most of the ride home. I will now leave you with a "Dubstep" song. The people of Boulder go crazier for dubstep than they do for outdoor gear or even medical Mary Jane. You may hear something like this at the next scuzzy house party you attend.



Peace, Love, and...no, I can't leave on that note again. How about,

Sex, Drugs, and Rock n' Roll,

J