Day 30: Back to the Grind.

Finally got back on the road today after a bunch of rest. Felt great to run again. I've only run 2 out of the last 6 days, so my body has had plenty of recovery time. I made it from the east side of Mesa to Gold Canyon today, and I am now officially over halfway thru Arizona. Only 10 more running days til I reach New Mexico. I am excited to conquer another state, but I will definitely miss Arizona. We have met some wonderful people here who have really helped us throughout the trip.
Today started out quite interestingly. We got a much later start than usual, probably because we had trouble leaving the Radisson Hotel. Man, I am really gonna miss that place. Had to drive about 15 miles to get to the starting point for today's run. When we got off the interstate and stopped at the off ramp, I noticed that the van was hissing at us. The hissing got worse very quickly as we continued driving. Suddenly I started to smell the distinctive scent of antifreeze. I asked Mom if the gauges were okay, and unfortunately, the van was suddenly beginning to overheat. By the time we pulled into the gas station where my run was to begin, there was water spraying out from under the van. Not the way we wanted to start the first day back on the road. Luckily, Adam was here to pull road crew duty, or I may have had to scrap today's run. Mom just happened to meet a good sumaritan at the gas station. We only got his first name, Jim, but hopefully he reads this blog. This man, out of the blue and with people waiting on him, stopped what he was doing, and in very nice clothes, crawled on the ground to assess the damage. Then he jacked the van up to find that a water hose was broken and spewing water. He took 15 minutes out of his day, got filthy, lost a clip, diagnosed our problem, and found a place for Mom to take the van to be fixed, all out of the kindness of his heart. So thank you Jim, wherever you are.
With Mom and the van sidelined for the morning 12 miles, Adam took over as road crew. He drove 4 miles ahead, and then rode his rented mountain bike back to meet me while I was running to keep me company. He had originally planned to run a little with me, but he sprained his ankle badly just before he came out. Having him ride along with me made the morning 12 miles just fly by. Mom was stuck at PepBoys til 5, so we grabbed lunch at JB's Restaurant, and then crashed out in his rental car. Not quite as comfortable as the back of the van, but it did the job. Finally, after 6 hours, $170, and a re-routed waterhose, Mom rejoined the crew.
The afternoon 8 miles felt just as good as the morning 12. Very little pain today. Finished up at Gold Canyon after dark this evening, which I would prefer not to do. Maybe I can actually get up on time tomorrow and get back on schedule. Hopefully the van will cooperate as well. Adam insisted on treating us to another hotel for the night, and he found a great deal at the Superstition Inn and Suites. Another big thanks to James McCallum at the front desk for the discounted rate. James is also a 27 year Army veteran. Once again, I was humbled as the 27 year Army veteran thanked me for what I was doing. I just wanted to mention James and thank him again if he happens to check this blog. Like I said, leaving Arizona is going to be tough, but if I meet even half as many wonderful people the rest of this trip as I have here, I will be truly blessed. Well, that's all for now. Gonna' check for holes in my eyelids now. Night all.