Albuquerque - the third day is completed!
The day, Day 3 (5-25-09), began with plenty of sunshine and us rolling out a little late and filled with energy. We head west on I-40 and stopped at the Cadillac Ranch - 10 cadillac’s nose first buried in the gound and covered in spray paint. A very interesting view in the middle of nowhere. Our next stop was Adian, Texas - the midpoint of Route 66 and the town’s only claim to fame. We stopped for lunch at the MidPoint Dinner and it was wonderful - the meal was topped by home made three berry cobbler and ice cream. A wonderful little place with a very friendly atmosphere.
We headed west into New Mexico, looking for route 469 to take us north to route 39 with the gola being Taos. As we headed north the terrain become more rugged and we finally climbed several thousand feet and came out on a plateau. our destination was Roy, NM. Our hope was for gas and we were out of luck - we had enough for 50 miles. Checking the sky - we had dooned our rain gear - and seeing the sky darken with the occassional lightening bolt - the decision was made to head west to Wagon Mound and gas while avoiding the impending storm.
The ride to Wagon Mound was tremendous as we entered a canyon only to ride out the other side - very cool. The storm did not totally miss us and we encountered some heavy rain. As we entered Wagon Mound the wind picked up and began gusting to what felt like 50 miles per hour. It was a new experience and I was grateful the rain had stopped. Wagon Mound had gas and we had to make a decison - head north to Taos and hte storm or southt to Santa Fe. Given the time of day and the darkening sky north we headed south on I-25 with occassioanl side trips on the old Route 66 such as Pecos.
The ride to Santa Fe and Albuquerque was marred by wind and the occassional down pour - these conditions amde rain gear a must and we were able to keept the wheels moving. As we checked into the hotel in Albuquerque we met our riding partners from Tulsa who had been turned back by the winds in their ride to Gallup.
We had a good meal and mapped out the ride on Tuesday - Gallup to Holbrocke and end in Flagstff. Hard to believe we have only been out for three days - 1600 miles and lots of experiences and sights have been seen.
Have a terrific day!