My Great Trek to the Midwest
Day 2, Tuesday, May 9, 2006
California, Arizona, New Mexico

Day's Route Overview:
Boy, it's a good thing that I got a little ahead of plan yesterday.
Today was much more difficult to keep up such a good pace.
I hadn't taken into account that starting out yesterday was all familiar and fast roads.
Hwys 85, 101, 152, and 5.  Before I knew it, I had a few hundred miles completed.

Today, there was heat, wind, a dust storm, a bit of rain, and then
over 100 miles of very, very serious wind.

Also, with the availability of gas stations few and very far between,  They did not seem to be
where they would be the most convenient.  So, I stopped much more often, mostly after only
90 to 130 miles rather than my normal 150-165.  It seemed that there always threatened
to be long stretches with no signs of civilization on the map at just the wrong time.

I did arrive at Albuquerque as planned, but I used up my surplus schedule acquired yesterday.
Starting out:
Trip / Odometer / Time:
170.6 / 30818 / 8:00
Bummer, the Kingman Harley Dealer is out of dealer pins.  She gave
me her card and told me to email her in a couple weeks and she'd
send me one.  I'm going to try to follow up just to see what happens.
Yavapai County line.  "Y" is a very rare county letter.
The county seat is way South of where I'm riding so
I will have to try to catch a county line sign.

Just before I got to the turnoff to search the back roads
for a county sign, I decided that the city of Ash Fork
has too fun a name to pass up.  Too many pun opportunities

Exploring the town and what do you know,
a Yavapai County sign.  Evidently, not only does the
county not do maintenance on that road, evidently,
no one else does either!

There is also a motel with a very good price.  And, someone with See's Candy.
I don't know if they are selling or just bragging.
Grand Canyon HD in Bellemont just west of Flagstaff

There were a couple guys out front. One took this photo for me..

  
Flagstaff, AZ.  There was nothing compelling as far as
my ABC's and I was running slow, so I rode on through.		  
The old post office in Joseph City, AZ is falling down.

Further down the street is a newer one, but not so interesting.

  
Petrified Forest National Park an ABC point  
Rest Stop in New Mexico

As soon as I arrived, before I got off the bike, a woman
walked over to the visitor center, locked it up and left.
I filled up in Gallup, New Mexico.  Adjacent to the station is
an Indian "Museum" and gift shop.  Of course, not all that unusual
in both Arizona and New Mexico.  However, there were some
fun brass sculptures and murals surrounding the building.

The first mural is of a woman and a rug.  From where she's sitting
she can't be weaving this rug, she might be unraveling it.  And,
she does not look any too happy.

There were some interesting animals.

The Indian on the pony has moccasins with white-man soles!

The cowboy on a horse which has been spooked by a snake.  The
snake turns out to be a cobra.  Hmm, about an ocean away from
home.  I guess, though, that I'd be spooked also.


New Mexico is beautiful, big, full of emptiness, and windy!
The last 100 miles for the day were very difficult.  The wind was hard and gusting.  The steady, strong wind
dictated that Lola lean to the left to stay in a straight line.  Of course, I was leaning with her.
When the gusts would come, Lola gracefully adjusted her lean angle, but I was about blown out of the
saddle.  The gusts would grab and shake my helmet and try to pull it off.  Most disconcerting!
Albuquerque, New Mexico The destination for this day.
There's a HD Dealer here but I'll probably be arriving too late and leaving too early to catch them.
Bernalillo County Sheriff in Albuquerque This is left for tomorrow.

Done for the day:
129.2 / 31,294 / 7:00

  

ABC Letters: Cities: J, Counties: Y,
States: NM, National Park: Petrified Forest

Total: 476 miles, 11 hours
Trip Total: 1,075 miles, 22 hours 5 minutes

Updated: Monday, May 12, 2014 04:06:50 PM