The "Final" Countdown

It's official, $4,250 raised to date!!! Just $250 left to go, which in the scheme of $4,500 feels like nothing. With all the stress of final exams, projects, papers, and should all that go well...graduating...it feels great to be nearing my goal. So, if you haven't already now is a great time to donate! & another huge thank you to those of you that have already & continue to read! :)

Time to squeeze in the exploration of a few more cities  & then hopefully heading to get my physical done for B&B.

Santa Fe, NM

• The full name of the city when founded was La Villa Real de la Santa Fé de San Francisco de Asís. I must confess how glad I am they shortened it to Santa Fe.
• An ordinance passed in 1957 made all new and extensively renovated buildings exhibit a Spanish Territorial or Pueblo style of architecture (Think adobe) As a result many houses are constructed with non-traditional building materials, or covered with what is known locally as faux-dobe, an exterior that meets ordinance standards.
• We spend a day building in Santa Fe & word is it will be a unique & interesting experience because of the non-traditional building materials the organizations there use.
• New Mexico is celebrating 100 years of statehood this year!
• Santa Fe, the state's capital, has the highest elevation of any state capital.

Abiquiu Lake, NM

Instead of information on Abiquiu, which is very hard to come by, I offer pictures. & the tid bit that this is where Georgia O'Keefe spent her last 40 or so years of life and painted many landscapes.

Cuba, NM

• We will be biking in to Cuba on July 4th, which seems ironic or something.
• There are 2 stories about how the area got it's name. The first is that the area was once surrounded by water and that the name was from the Spanish word for water tank. The second is that soldiers who had visited the island country of Cuba felt the village resembled the island.
• 54.1% of those under age 18 live below the poverty line.
• Leaving Cuba & biking the next morning to Farmington, NM will be our first official century ride (Ride of 100 miles or more) though I have a feeling that a few wrong turns on our 2 97 mile rides could push us over 100.