Before hitting the road today, we strolled around the backyard of the inn. It was filled with all sorts of oddities, shrines, fountains and sculptures as the other proprietor is an artist. We had decided earlier to forego a big breakfast, but we were treated to pumpkin sweet rolls and coffee. We were pleased to see we still had a tailwind as we left Duncan. There were some minor hills, but more breathtaking vistas as we continued westward. At about 7 and 1/2 miles, we met Gary, cycling west to east. We chatted with him for about an hour and a half at the side of the road. A person has to be very engaging for us to stand on the shoulder that long- and he was! Gary is from Bristol, England. He is riding raising funds for Greenpeace. We loved hearing about his adventures bicycling England from Land’s End to John O’Groats, and his hike along the Camino de Santiago. We traded route insights, and we gave him one of our dehydrated meals, as he was lamenting the lack of vegetables in his diet. Bidding Gary farewell, we continued on to Thatcher. We stopped in Safford for lunch, little realizing our destination was only a few more miles down the road. The next day was a big day- Bruce’s 63rd Birthday! We were heading to Globe, AZ, but first we had a long trek riding through the Apache Reservation. We have had several folks along the way warn us of dangerous situations. (We have only had two nervous encounters: one with an RV Park employee who seemed unstable and one with a man in a rambling old truck who drove by our campsite twice and then pulled into our site in the middle of the night. That was a mace gathering moment!) We were warned by a fella about thievery in Apache Country. We also knew we couldn’t stray off the road. Therefore, we started through the large reservation with reservations. Talk about misrepresentation and prejudice! The Apaches were the nicest Arizonans we met on our trip. A young woman with her infant son warmly greeted us at an Apache convenience store and welcomed us to Apache Country. She spoke so warmly and respectfully of the elders in her community, and a relative who is suffering with Alzheimer’s. We met Clara at a second stop. She was an older woman who asked us all about our trip, and told us she would pray for us. At this same stop, we met Tex who had great reverence for the land and said a long prayer for us ,relating a fascinating anecdote about Geronimo. The ride through the reservation was beautiful, and we began seeing tons of Saguaro cactus standing like sentries on all the hillsides. It was so interesting to a couple of Louisvillians! The traffic was horrible into Globe. We stopped at the Drift Inn, built in 1902, for a drink and then grabbed some dinner before climbing a final monstrously steep hill to our Hotel. Total cycling mileage: 44+80=124 Total hiking mileage: 2+3=5Â