Journey Return

May 21
Start: Del Prado Motel, Cuba NM
Stop: Frontier Motel, Cuba NM
1 mile
Total miles: 483

The best nero ever. Probably because the best things can never be planned. The morning is all business. Do the laundry, go to library for Wi-Fi, upload journals and pictures, do food shopping, find postcard, call parents, eat at Bruno’s again, hike out. We’re so engrossed in our plan that we almost forget about breakfast. REAL chorizo, eggs, hashbrowns, beans all with a tortilla at the Del Prado Restaurant.

The schedule begins to unravel when we stop at the senior center’s luau. They give us cupcakes, goldfish crackers, a glimpse into local life and smiles. At Bruno’s and a couple margaritas later, I finally have a chance to call my parents. It’s 6 pm and we should have hiked out two hours ago. The clouds thicken and the temperature drops. Are we staying? We join M80, Trooper, Willow and Ed inside at their table. A couple hours later the skies open up. We’re staying. We look outside with bulging eyes. I race down the road aka trail during a lull and get a room at the Frontier Motel. As I write, the sky is booming and the torrential downpour is forming a lake outside our door. Yep, the best nero ever.