Today we crossed the highest point on the tour and completed our first 1000 miles, as clearly shown in binary form above. For those of you who, like Chad, don’t fully appreciate my nerd humor, there’s this: The day started brisk and clear in Santa Fe. We climbed about 1000 feet over the next 20…

Rest day #2 allowed us to sleep in, do laundry, wash the bikes, and do a little sightseeing in Santa Fe. Central Santa Fe was hopping on Saturday afternoon with art fairs, musicians in the plaza, and people everywhere. We couldn’t even get in to the Georgia O’Keeffe museum as it was sold out. Santa…

Today was a long fast downhill from Grants to Albuquerque, New Mexico. 79 miles at 20 mph for the first 2/3. Then some excellent fish tacos at a little place in Albuquerque. Dinner at Applebee’s was just a shade above last night’s feast at Denny’s. Chad was unable to ride today. To be more correct,…

Today we rode from Gallup to Grants, New Mexico, 66 miles. We climbed to the Continental Divide and then had a long, luxurious coast to Grants. On the way up we encountered construction on I-40 where the eastbound highway was one lane with no shoulder. With safety in mind we collected ourselves into one big…

This morning Chad and I left with the early crowd so we could detour through Petrified Forest National Park. The ride from Holbrook to Gallup, New Mexico went mostly east on I-40, which crosses directly through the park. Chad couldn’t resist the opportunity to visit national park #15. We had beautiful sweeping views of the…

Today was a 96 mile ride from Flagstaff to Holbrook, Arizona. It was nearly all downhill with a few drops of rain. The day was marred only by multiple flat tires. I had four, starting with one before we even began (a “hotel flat”) and ending with the last about 5 miles from the end,…

Today was the first rest day of the tour. The past few days saw a lot of climbing, and the 6900′ elevation of Flagstaff takes some time to acclimate to. So today we get recharged. The electronics get charged every day, but less so the riders. The day started with breakfast while washing clothes, bike…

Today was all climbing through beautiful Sedona, Arizona. From Cottonwood we had a steady climb into Sedona, where we stopped for snacks and views. From Sedona we went north through the Oak Creek Canyon, up a steep and narrow road with lots of switchbacks and lots of cars. The road climbed 1574 feet over 8.4…

Today’s ride was a 2040′ climb in 11 miles over Mingus Mountain. Mingus Mountain was named after someone named Mingus, but it isn’t clear exactly whom (apparently there was no shortage of local Minguses (or is it Mingusi?)). It was a tough climb followed by a screaming downhill. Halfway down we made the traditional stop…