Not much of a post today as there’s not much to tell. I was up at my usual time today, 7:00. After a quick shower, I got everything loaded on the bike and headed out. It was another cool start but not nearly as cold as it was yesterday morning. It’s yet another sunny morning.
The road runs through the Arizona desert before climbing back over the lower mountains. It eventually brings me back to the town of Seligman and then Ash Fork where I stop for gas and some water. The wind is calm so far and I’m able to make good time. The gas station is packed with two busloads of kids, all picking up treats and snacks for their trip ahead.
Another run through some low lying mountains eventually brings me back to the trees. Flagstaff soon approaches and not long after, the desert returns. The desert winds remain calm as continue eastward, which is quite nice after yesterday. I consider stopping in Holbrook for lunch but decide to push on towards Gallup as it’s a larger town and should have better options for food.
Gallup is another 100 miles down the road but it doesn’t take me long to cover the distance. I soon find myself at the New Mexico state line and just a couple of miles later, my clock jumps an hour. Just a few more miles into Gallup where I pull off to find something to eat. I scroll and scroll through Google but find nothing that really strikes me as somewhere I’d like to eat. I ultimately decide to just fill the tank and continue down the road. Skipping lunch won’t bother me too much today and will also compensate for the hour I just lost.
Running east from Gallup I run into some rain clouds just north of me. The road becomes wet, which tells me those rain clouds have already passed through. But, I don’t need rain to get wet, the spray coming off the trucks is enough. Doesn’t get me soaked, but wet enough. I soon run under a small rain cloud that does start to get me wet and I contemplate pulling to the shoulder to suit up.
The rain lets up quickly, but there’s some very dark clouds ahead of me and stopping is still a consideration. I soon pass a small group of bikers headed in the opposite direction, all of them in bright neon colored rain gear. Seeing this confirms to me that I should pull off and get my gear on. A truck stop comes up so I jump off the road. It sprinkles lightly as I get my bag covered and pull on my rain suit.
My goal for today is to make it into Albuquerque which will give me almost 500 miles on the day. The sprinkles soon stop, but the dark clouds ahead of me draw closer. I hope the storms are off my path, the road however, keeps drawing me closer. The wind soon picks up and I’m getting pushed all over the road. The storm ahead produces several large lightning strikes. Rain is fine, but wind and lightning are not something I want to mess with. I’ve been in some serious storms before, the worst one probably here in New Mexico.
As I near the small town of Grants I start considering stopping early. The last exit for town draws close and I make a last minute decision to pull off and call it a day. I’m only about 70 miles short of my goal so it shouldn’t be a big deal. I’m also only about 700 miles from home, which I can easily cover in two days.
It rains briefly here in Grants, and the wind gets very strong. The wind alone would have been enough for me to want to stop riding for the day. I did get 400 miles in today, what I consider a full day, so I don’t feel too bad about stopping early.
Hopefully this weather moves out and I can make good time back into Texas tomorrow. I’ll lose another hour but if I can make good time I can push for a 500 mile day and get a short day on Sunday.
