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Traci picked me and the bike up at my motel, and we took off for some sight-seeing. We visited Gila Cliff Dwellings north of Silver City, and set up camp at Gila Hot Springs. We enjoyed soaking in the hot water. The temperature dropped to 30 degrees that night! We didn’t sleep well. The next day we drove to Alamogordo, NM; she has been living in a motel room while waiting for her new house to be finished. We spent the rest of the week crammed into that room with her cat, and doing the last minute errands involved in becoming a homeowner. On Friday she closed on the house and we moved in. There were still things to be done — we didn’t have heat, hot water, a refrigerator, or furniture — but at least we had some room to move around.

The visit was supposed to be for a week, but suddenly it just made sense to stay here for the winter instead of trying to make it to Florida. I’ll be sure of having a house to live in, and she even has a car for me to drive. I’ll be able to spend the holidays with family for the first time in five years. We finally have all the appliances, and her household goods were delivered yesterday (no more sitting on the floor!). I spent this morning washing dishes, pots, and pans, and organizing the kitchen while she was at work. I’m glad I am able to help her get settled in. I was worried that I was taking too much time off from pedaling over the past couple months, but it got me here at just the right time.

I had the bike shop overhaul the front hub and do a good cleaning on the bike. I’ll be looking for a job so I can afford to continue my birthday celebration bicycle tour in the spring. I’m not sure yet when I’ll need to (or be able to) leave here to make it back to Ohio by my birthday in July. End of March? April? I’ll have to study the maps. But I do plan to finish, so keep checking in for updates!