Uncovering America By Horseback

I watched Heather and Nico drive off in her little blue car and felt heart heavy.  I was going to miss them greatly.

I had the keys to the Baptist Church in my pocket.  Back in Sanders, 6 miles up ahead on the Frontage Road, we’d eaten at the Route 66 Diner and the owner helped me find a place to sleep that night.

A couple of miles down the road, I stopped in at the Office of Navajo & Hopi Indian Relocation Range Office to see what they do there.  This is a good article by USA Today relocation program: http://www.usatoday.com/news/nation/2008-06-27-navajo-relocation_N.htm

I ended up talking to Tim, the director, and he explained their mission to help the relocated Navajo who have permits for ranching to be successful.  That would have been enough to brighten my day.  However, when I told him what I was doing, his eyes widened and he exclaimed, “Well, you need to talk to Bill!  He rode his horse across America. You just missed him.  He just left.”  A moment later, in walked Bill.

To make a long story short (I need to pack my bag and get going today…) Bill regaled me with stories of riding across the country and ended up inviting me to stay with his family out on the Padres Mesa Ranch.  So an hour and a half later and five miles up the road, I returned Baptist Church key to Ena and got a ride from Tim out to the ranch.

The nicest thing about my stay at the ranch was that they truly understood what I was doing and had great advice for me.  http://www.uncoveringamerica.com/ It was once again the perfect person to meet and perfect timing as I head into some difficult stretches of road…

A million thanks to Bill and his family. And to all of you for watching.

Love,
Laura