Sex Change Capital of the Workd

Got a request to show a map of my trip.  Hope this link works.

Santa Fe Bike Trek Map

Each city we are going to is highlighted with a red dot.  Click on the dot and it will give you a link to Wikipedia and provide some local color.

Today is a rest day and we are spending it in Trinidad CO.  It has an interesting history per Wikipedia ....

Trinidad was dubbed the "Sex Change Capital of the World",^{[citation needed]} because a local doctor had an international reputation for performing sex reassignment surgery. In the 1960s, Dr. Stanley Biber, a veteran surgeon returning from Korea, decided to move to Trinidad because he had heard that the town needed a surgeon. In 1969 a local social worker asked him if he would perform the surgery for her, which he learned by consulting diagrams and a New York surgeon. Biber attained a reputation as a good surgeon at a time when very few doctors performed the operations. At his peak, Biber was performing roughly four sex change operations a day, and the term "taking a trip to Trinidad" became a euphemism for some seeking the procedures he offered. His surgical practice was taken over in 2003 by Marci Bowers. Biber was featured in an episode of South Park where elementary school teacher Mr. Garrison undergoes a sex change operation. 

Like most small towns in the West and Central US, Trinidad's downtown has become a ghost town.  Trinidad is no exception.  Here are some shots of the deserted buildings on Main Street.

Clearly the town is struggling.   There are only a couple of places to eat in town (other than the local Sonic) and they are only open Weds - Sunday.  A couple of bars, Safeway Food and a liquor store round out the town.    

Now if I was the mayor I would make this the pot capital of CO.  It is first town after you leave New Mexico and I would do what New Hampshire does - instead of drive-in liquor stores on the interstate - I would strategically place a couple of drive-in pot shops (coming in and leaving CO).  Then I would add a big local excise tax to each sale.  This town would be buzzing in no time (mo pun intended) from all the people travelling on the interstate.  Shops would re-open and would give the farmers a new bumper crop.

I ate at Rino's Steakhouse last night as the school was serving bean burritos and my stomach was just not up to the task..  It appears that the highlight of the evening is that the waitresses every so often get up and sing.  They were pretty bad - here is a quick clip of Over the Rainbow (hope the audio plays).

Food was decent.  Beer was superb (first beer since starting the ride).  

Tomorrow is our toughest day.  It is an 85 miler to La Junta, CO.    The local forecast is predicting rain and thunderstorms with a high of 46 degrees with 15 mph headwinds.  This will be one tough mudder, followed by the fun of setting up a tent and trying to get clean, warm and dry.

Hope my rain gear works out.