San Jon to Tucumcari (39 km)

WIND! The forecast had issued a wid alert, but what we encountered was behond imagination. Gusts up to 50 miles straight into us. It was a fight! After 4 hours hard work and only 39 km we gave up, exhausted and just happy to get shelter. 

The town of Tucumcari has more than 20 hotels, we didn´t understand why, perhaps because the Route 66 goes through it. 

The Route 66 is nowadays not much used anymore. The Interstate 40 has made it redudant. For us it is great, little traffic, from time to time old relicts from the busy old days. Even little traffic can be supportive! At one moment we were standing there, out of breath, just exhausted. A passing car stopped, a gentlemen asked whether we are ok. We said yes and later we were sorry having missed this opportunity to get a lift on his pickup truck. 

Old abandoned petrol station from 1951

In Tucumcari the first movement was a good coffe in the Mac Donald´s. We did not sit 5 minutes when a lady came towards us and said, she had heard about us. We couldn´t believe it. The answer was that the lady in the New Mexico information centre had told her about this two brave Swiss bikers. Jodie lives 200 miles further West and invited us to a dinner and bed at her house, in case we pass there. This really cheered us up, after such a battle with the wind we needed something like this, thanks Jodie.