Day 28: Del Prado Motel, Cuba, New Mexico, 0 miles, ~504 miles total

We woke this morning and decided why not take a zero day? We’ve done so in every town we’ve stopped in here in New Mexico.  It’s good to be consistent.

Besides our bodies benefit from rest. There are great hikers around. And from what we read ahead, the snow is still settling in the San Juans. No need to rush. We’ll be there soon enough; hopefully with better conditions.

Today is a day for catching up on rest, food, reading, blogging, postcard writing.

Mrs. Yang and her son manage the Del Prado Motel, they are great to hikers. They have an organized hiker box table. Keep a trail register. And even loan out a laptop. They make us feel welcome.

They even let the Marshmallow park near us. This was especially nice as the Marshmallow and its friendly inhabitants (Smudge, Groceries and Lucy) are a hub of warmth and community. Tonight we stepped out of our room, about to go find dinner and they invited us to join them, Not So Bad, and Shutterbug for a delicious meal.

Trail family. A reminder that trail magic is love and it can come from anyone; especially other hikers.

Tomorrow morning we’ll set out for Ghost Ranch. Some 53 miles from Cuba. We should be there in 2-3 days. In reading the maps for the miles ahead it is interesting to read notes of trail, clear flowing water, snow melt. We are beginning to transition to the next round of trail environs.

Note: I couldn’t sync my camera with my phone today to download all my pictures. Will post the last few days in Ghost Ranch.