November 18, 1997

BIG FIND

It was a rough night last night camping out between the small towns of Aztec and Sentinel, AZ. There was a lot of noise coming from the nearby I-8 and the bombing range at the Luke Air Force Range. They were flying helicopters on night maneuvers. Also, there was an a occasional train that passed quite close to the abandoned farm where I was camping out at.

I got on the road around 7:40 a.m. but I wasn't feeling very well. I headed out eastward on the shoulder of the interstate. The shoulder was really rough for about fourteen miles. I was glad to get into Pinal County from Maricopa County because the highway improved greatly.

I stopped at the rest stop a few miles in from the county line for a short break. I was really surprised when I found two twenty dollar bills. They were loose on the side of the road when I found them. This was a big surprise and a blessing. Also, I found a small water bottle that was in good condition.

I got into Gila Bend around noon. I had a hard time finding someplace where I could fill up my water bottles. Just before getting back on I-8, I stopped at an old gas station for lunch.

I rode down the interstate for a few miles but I started to feel a bit worse. I wanted to go on but I didn't want to backtrack into Gila Bend. I decided to try and hitch a ride into Tucson. After about an hour, I got picked up by a young couple in a van from Canada. They were on their way to Guatemala.

We arrived in Tucson around four in the afternoon. I got dropped off at the visitor center. I tried to get hold of somebody with the local Habitat affiliate but there was nobody in the office that could help.

While walking through downtown Tucson, I got stopped by another tourist who wanted to know what I was doing. I talked with him for around ten minutes. I was really surprised when he pulled out a brand new fifty dollar bill. This was wild.

On the way into S. Tucson, I found a wallet on the side of the room. I backtracked about five blocks to take the wallet to the police station that I had passed. I pedaled on to S. Tucson. I decided to stop and get a motel room for around twenty-five dollars.