Day 11
   
   5/8/01
   Mile 1152
   Hugo, CO
   
   Certainly this morning was much less eventful than the previous one.
   I packed up and went for some java at the donut shop in Lamar.  It's a
   quaint little town, perhaps slightly better off than many of the other
   farming-community burgs suffering from core rot, where only a few
   buildings are in use and the rest of the town center is in decay.
   
   I am amazed at how the Arkansas river is little more than a stream
   here, having been whitewater rafting on it deeper inside Colorado.  It
   likely has been diverted many times for irrigation use, and now would
   barely service a kayak.
   
   Cropdusters here plie the fields too large to be effectively done any
   other way. I watched them in their dance through the skies, making
   their steep turns and banks, ever striving to do the perfect job.
   
   I climbed out of the river valley in the long slope up the plains.  In
   the town of Eads, I was sitting outside the grocery store eating an
   apple when two women pulled up, also on loaded bikes.  They said this
   was their first trip, and they were heading to Kentucky over the next 4-6
   weeks.  I attempted to engage them in conversation, but they didn't
   appear to be interested; they wanted to know where the cafe was, and
   once I told them they departed.
   
   The rest of the day was spent puttering across plains that wouldn't
   quit.  It was long, hot, dry, and boring, with little of the features
   that gave interest to the previous day.  Then, at my 100th mile of the
   day, I got the answer to the question, How far can you go on an
   Armadillo tire without a flat? It was already after sunset, and I had wanted to
   make it to Hugo before dark.  That didn't quite happen,
   thanks to a piece of wire that punctured it, so I patched it
   and turned on my blinking taillight and put on my reflective vest.
   Five miles later, when I pulled into town,...I got pulled over by the
   police, lights flashing.  I stuck my head next to his passenger
   window, hoping he'd roll it down.  Instead he got out and yelled at me, 
   "GET IN FRONT OF THE CAR!"  Geez, mister. Whatever I did, he
   seemed angry with me for something; I didn't know what, since I also 
   had reflectors on the bike and was well lit up.  He took my driver's 
   license and ran the ID.  I told him I'd had a flat and was just looking 
   for a place to camp.  He calmed down a bit after the ID came back clean
   and pointed to the city park, which is where I usually camp when I'm in
   a small town like this.  I don't know what set him off, or if he was just
   being a Barney Fife, but I left and set up my tent anyway.
   
   It's times like these that make me want to join the American Civil
   Liberties Union, just so I can hand them my ACLU card instead of my
   driver's license.  Sadly, I'm not sure some of them would catch on.
   
   Q. What kind of bike does Eldon have?
   A. A Bridgestone RB/T, which is unfortunately no longer available in
   the U.S.  I got this one in 1993, and it now has about 21,000 miles on
   it.  There is nothing particularly special about it, which is just the
   way I want it.  I often travel through some remote areas, including
   Mexico, and I need a bike that uses standard components readily
   available anywhere.  The frame is not some bizarre carbon-fiber unit;  it's
   cromolly steel, could probably be bent back into shape small amounts
   if a minor accident happens, and can be welded anywhere.
   
   I have of course replaced or upgraded various components as wear or
   better performance parts were indicated, most notable the Mavic CXP33
   wheels I put on last year, stiffer and lighter than the originals.
   Also, I installed aerobars, SPD pedals, new rear cassette, and an Avocet 50
   altimeter/speedometer.  Other than that, not much has changed beyond
   the standard maintenance items that every bike needs replaced like chain,
   bearings, brakes, etc.

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