Alamogordo II: Relaxamogordo

I needed a day off. It's that simple.

My right Achilles heel was so tight that I felt it might snap, I'm not somebody for whom pain is all that much of a deturrent but in this case I decided that it was in my best interest to take a day of rest. As much as I would appreciate the irony of having weathered mountains, deserts, forests and everything else showing that I'm practically indestructible only to be brought down by my Achilles, I would like to finish even more.

As days off go, it was something to remember. Sleeping in turned into cupcakes and pancakes followed shortly by a sit in a sauna, a massage, a whirlpool, a steak dinner and an Eddie Izzard stand-up DVD. It's hard to make a better or more relaxing day than that. Even so, my tendon is still tight, but not so tight that I am worried and I will be heading out towards Las Cruces tomorrow.

I got a bit of a mental rest too which in part led to the new decision to jump right past Tucson and right into Phoenix after LC. As much as I would like to see Tucson I have gotten pushed the other way by the following reasons:

1) The walk on this route is both populated and beautiful along a well kept and easily followable highway.

2) It possibly avoids most of the most mountainous terrain.

3) It cuts 64 miles off of my journey and the next leg is only lengthened by 55 miles which means there are only two big blocks of walking after LC.

4) I can get supplies easier along the route and have just one more "long city break" plus I can visit Tucson later, it's time to finish the walking but not the traveling.

5) More that I can never remember.

So there you have it, things have changed. In my youth when I needed to take control over my life a bit and felt obligated to keep most of it the same, I'd change my hair. I was kind of a girl that way. I'd get a mohawk or dye it black or purple or blue or something, and I would feel better for a few days, long enough for a stress bout to subside. These days, I actually change my life which is probably the more reasonable option given that it is the problem. I like that, and when the walk is done it'll open up a whole new world of off un-routed options for me to chose from.

The only problem with a day off, my body, particularly this last week, has gotten used to extreme amounts of physical activity. While my legs didn't want to do anything, I had tons of excess energy and my upper body felt like it was ready to walk the rest of the way on my hands. Hmmm, visions of a post walk adjustment period coming on. No worries body, you'll get your walk tomorrow and in a few days my mind will get to see some familiar faces when my Aunt and Cousin visit me. My first family visit since I started walking and I can't tell you how much I am looking forward to it.

861.