Colorado Already?

1838 miles later, I am in Trinidad, CO. How did this happen? Let's rewind for a second.

After our foray in Texas, we rode into Des Moines, NM. Since I have limited time to write (more on this later), I refer you to the entry I wrote for our group's journal (see link on right tab).

On the ride into tiny Des Moines, I was puzzled by the fleets of RVs and vans strapped with cycling accouterments driving past us. From first glance, it seemed far from an ideal vacation spot. Yesterday's ride erased that misconception. After a gorgeous sunrise, we rode through a majestic mountain pass of lush greenery nestled between graded peaks. Twenty miles later, we entered the plains of Colorado, where fields ahead blurred into the distance mountain scape. Despite some hellish headwinds to finish the day, it was a wondrous 74 miler.

Arriving in the town earlier than normal, I rounded up a troupe to see the new Transformers movie. Though I enjoyed seeing the footage shot on Penn's Lower Quad, the explosion laden special effects could not overcome the crude, formulaic plot. I found it particularly interesting how the film served as targeted marketing for the US Military. Clip after clip of impressive military machinery flashed acrossed the screen, even when the action was elsewhere. I swear the clips could have been pulled from an "Army of One" TV ad. Most troubling was the interaction between headstrong field leader Lennox and the president's cautious, intellectual aide. The thinker, who questioned the military actions that destroyed a third of Shanghai, was made to seem an obnoxious, misguided bureaucrat, whereas Lennox, who actually pushes the pencil pusher out of a plane, was cast in a hero's light. Is there any question why our culture is losing our scientific edge around the world? In all the small towns we've been visiting, memorials after memorial is put up for the soldiers that have served. Why don't we celebrate professors or judges or doctors? America's future depends not on those who defend and destroy, but instead on those who question and create. Let's transform.

So my post must stop here because of the library restrictions. Here in Trinidad, population slightly over 7,000, you are only allowed 1 hour of computer time a day. No continued use, even with a library empty now except for Bike and Builders. Oh and this morning a cop blared his horn at me for jaywalking...at 7:30 on Monday morning in a tiny town. I miss my cities of common sense. Hell, I even miss the South, where friendliness trumps following rules blindly. People operating on naive moral realism truly pain me. All the computer related work I have will remain incomplete, but I hope to post again soon. Ta Ta!