Day 8 Thursday, Sept 11 Transitions

Leaving Santa Fe this morning was hard...perhaps that's why we got a late start today. I think it was close to 10:00 a.m. when we pulled out. It was sunny and 71 degrees...perfect riding weather! A good chunk of the road between Santa Fe and Albuquerque is impassable without four wheel drive, but we did catch the "El Camino Real" section between Algodones and Bernalillo, a very scenic drive. When you travel the back roads, you can't help but notice the contrast between the wealthy lifestyle in Santa Fe and the poverty in the out lying areas. 

We decided to by-pass Route 66 through the city of Albuquerque..we have found that it can be easy to miss a turn and lose time. Instead, we decided to see Albuquerque from above, via the tram to Sandia Peak. If you can't do a balloon ride, this seemed like a good option. At least I thought so. (Les isn't crazy about heights but he was a good sport!) The Sandia Peak tram is located within the Cibola National Park, so the area is shared with hikers and bikers and lots of others. In fact, on the way down, there was a couple in our tram "cabin" that had hiked up the mountain in record time of 3 1/2 hours. I'm sure they were happy not to have to hike down! Our "pilot" told us that once a year a group of unicyclists holds a competition using a service road to unicycle part way up the mountain! She also said that there have been tight rope walkers who set up and "practice" on the side of the mountain! Hearing that didn't help Les, who was feeling a little queazy. The little dips and bumps we felt up and down the side of the mountain didn't help, I'm sure! The 2.7 mile tramway is the longest in America and provides an awesome view from the 10,378 foot summit.

We have traveled through New Mexico, sometimes on the Mother Road and sometimes in the Interstate. We are getting pretty used to seeing the "dead end" signs by now! 

When Route 66 is available, it is so worth traveling this way. Today there was a tunnel, and peaceful rocky hills with building nestled in and colored the same as the hills.  

The town of Grants was one of the more thriving little towns we've seen so far. It was a mining town (we skipped the museum) that  had its hay day when uranium mining was big during the Cold War era. The Sands Motel is still alive and well...as it should be. Elvis stayed there!

Before leaving New Mexico, we stopped to chat with a native man who was selling watermelons and roasted chili peppers. I was interested in the chiles, as we had often seen locals roasting them along the road. We bought some chiles to try but yeeks...they were HOT! We packed a few on the bike...not sure why. (A watermelon  sure wouldn't have fit!)

Next came the Continental Divide. This is the geographic point in America where water on one side drains to the Pacific and on the other side, it drains to the Atlantic

 

As we left New Mexico, I felt a certain relief. I love the people and the landscape, but I did not feel safe on their busy highways.  In my book, New Mexico holds the record for quantity and quality of "descansos" or memorial markers. Not sure if that is because they have the craziest drivers but it did seem that way. I didn't take any pictures (mostly because they were in high traffic areas!) but I saw some unusual ones. There was a white bicycle with flowers, there was a almost life size basketball player, and the one that really got me was the front fork and handlebars of a motorcycle with a cross and flowers! I was told that the people of New Mexico celebrate these memorial markers, even putting notices in local newspapers when a new one goes up. 

On that subject, I should mention that we were SO fortunate not to be on the Interstate at the wrong time today. I've mentioned how Route 66 fades in and out. Today we had been on the interstate but exited to resume our journey on /Route 66  just in time to avoid a HUGE traffic jam that resulted after an accident that I am sure had fatalities. We could see hundreds of semi trucks at a standstill as we chugged along side on Route 66! 

Did I mention the system we are using? We carry 2 books in a clear baggie...wedged between Les and I when I'm not referring to them. Yes, I have learned to read as we go down the highway on a motorcycle!. The spiral one is our main guide with hints about bad roads and special things to note. It is written with pretty clear directions and large print so I can refer to it as we go down the road. (I relay info to Les via the intercom system in the helmets. When we make a stop, I check the other book for points of interest, things not to be missed. I use the Trip Advisor on my phone to look for motels when we get an idea how far we'll be going. We also read and plan in the evenings. So far, it seems to be working well for us.

As we travel, we are amazed at the transformation of the landscape. From the corn fields of IL, to the green forests of the Missouri Ozarks, to the the flat or gently rolling hills of Oklahoma and Texas, to the red rock in New Mexico, and now into Arizona, the changes are incredible. 

 Tonight we are in Arizona, near the Petrified Forest and Painted Desert. Then we'll be on to the Grand Canyon! Our timing couldn't have been better. We have missed any rain and the Southwest is experiencing unusually cool daytime temperatures...HIGHS in the high 70's/low 80s. What a ride!