Mindblown: a blog about philosophy.
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Day 417 – I make it to Arizona
Oh boy I made it to Arizona and slept out on a picnic table last night. I like this video because it shows how I often feel in the morning when I wake up – tired and disoriented. I successfully used my flint and steel to start a fire – first time on the trip.…
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Day 413-414 – Silver City, NM
As I just putting my sandals into my pedals Brett (pic) came up and started talking about my trip and his experience using mules for transport, hunting and camping. He is planning a trip along the Great Divide and told me about The Long Riders Guild a website dedicated to cross country travel by horse. Very cool and…
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Day 411 – Cycling Juarez
Last night I stayed with, Lisa, my first Warmshowers host so far this second half of the trip. I got responses from all 3 people I contacted in Las Cruces, which sure does make the town feel welcoming. Lisa was waiting in her carport reading a book in the sun when I rode up to her house and…
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Day 410 – Leaving Texas
I first rode into Texas on Day 146. Now, 264 days later I’ve crossed the state line into New Mexico a better man. A big thanks to all of the wonderful people that I met. I shall return.
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Day 409 – Fort Hancock, TX > El Paso, TX
Wow. I’ve taken in a lot today and I’m struggling to get my thoughts together and into this blog, but here goes… The lay of the land in round numbers – El Paso fills 250 square miles at the western edge of Texas, across the Rio Grande River from the Mexican city of Ciudad Juárez. It…
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Day 405 – Charleston Massacre
Like most, I was sickened by the execution of State Senator and Reverend Clementa C. Pinckney and 8 others by Dylann Roof while they were studying the Bible in the historic Mother Emanuel African Methodist Episcopal Church. After sitting with them for an hour, but not participating Mr. Roof, 21, rose up and pulled out his gun.…
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Day 404 – Working on insurance
Yesterday was the first day I fell on my bicycle during the entire trip. I was riding after the Star Party at McDonald Observatory in the dark and shifted down to my lowest gearing in preparation for a climb and my chain fell off the front chain ring, but I didn’t realize it. The…
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Day 402 – Fort Davis, TX
On my last night in Marfa as I was riding from the Hotel Paisano back to El Cosmico something shattered followed by the sound of metal scrapping on metal. Wow…that’s a sound I haven’t heard before! Upon close inspection I found that my rear disk break pad had shattered after 5,000+ miles of faithful service. With many…
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Day 400 – Marfa, TX
Marfa, TX can be broken into three cohorts (my rough distinction) – those that existed before NYC artist Donald Judd bought a lot of property and started creating his art in the mid 70s, those that came after Judd was well established in the mid 80s and those that have been moving to town since 2010. Similar…
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Day 398 – Night Ride to Marfa
After sleeping most of the day away yesterday to rebuilt my energy reserves I decided to switch up my riding schedule to beat the heat. I also visited the massive liquid sodium and sulfur battery that powers Presidio when the sole electrical line that comes from Marfa is interrupted by storms. It can put out 4 megawatts…
Got any book recommendations?