TOM:

Day 11 – Wind....Wind....Wind...still a matter of degrees!  Today started out cooler than any day since Tehachapi - gloves and a second sweat shirt were in order. The trip from Flagstaff, AZ to Holbrook, AZ was a long 94 miles. Fortunately it was gradually down hill and had a small component of the wind behind us most of the time. This route descended from 6900 feet to 4850 feet at 60 miles, then ascended to 5200 feet at Holbook. The up and down was so gradual that most of the time it appeared to be flat.  The wind today was from the southwest.  Shifting  relative angle of the wind a few degrees caused a slight push from behind. The wind was much stronger today - don't know the velocity but it felt like at least 25 mph.  The wind blowing on your right side all day is somewhat tiresome.  The good news was that with the combination of down hill and a little push from the wind we had an average speed of 16.9 mph.  This made it possible for us to cover the 94 miles in about 5 and 1/2 hours, an hour less than yesterday's 75 miles.  The scenery went from the green at Flagstaff to the browner grassy area to red rocks and lots of red dust blown up by the wind.  As I was riding along I thought of Helen Medvez's beautiful friendly smile and her sparkling bright eyes.  She passed this week and we will miss seeing and talking to her when we return to Belmont. Another great day.

Day Eleven - 5/03/2003

Much of today's scenery

Flagstaff, AZ to Holbrook, AZ. This route descends from 6900 feet to 4850 feet in the first 60 miles then ends at Holbrook at 5200 feet.

High desert plateau - red rocks

San Francisco Peaks north of Flagstaff

Total Trip Distance: 962.17

Standing on the corner in Winslow, AZ taking it easy

ERIC:

Day 11 - (5/3/03) We blew down from Flagstaff and ended up in Holbrook, AZ.  Tomorrow will be our last day in Arizona.  In about 65 miles we will be in New Mexico.  Today was a very windy day.  It made for a hard strenuous day.  I was glad that our efforts at least made the trip fast.  We started by going downhill and by the time we reached the flat area the wind was to our back.  Kind of.  It helped.  It was still hard riding in the strong winds even if the wind is behind us.  One thing I noticed during the trip is the amount of trash on the side of the roads.  We are a very messy country.  I think someone could be rich if they picked up all the trash and recycled everything that is recyclable.  Most of the trash seems to be bottles and cans.  There are many hub caps, all sorts of tools, hats, bags, wheels, reflectors and other great road treasures that could make someone a fortune on ebay.  I think the reason nobody picks up the side of the road is that the most common items are bottles half filled with a yellow liquid.  Can someone tell those truckers to use the rest stops please!  When I did raise my head from the road the scenery was beautiful again today.  We went from the green mountains near Flagstaff back down into the red desert.  We had a great lunch stop today in Winslow, AZ.  I decided no matter where we go there is always something going on.  Today while we sat in Winslow, the police came by and closed the street.  A minute later a parade of children on bikes went by.  There were all ages, starting with preschool kids on tricycles on up.  It was a fun way to eat lunch.

Traffic-stopping bike parade in Winslow, AZ

Lucille:

May 3 - Saturday -  Last night our email had sad news from Pat.  Her mother and our good friend Helen Medvecz died Wednesday.  We are so sad and will miss her terribly. Before leaving Flagstaff this morning I went to a laundromat and a car wash.  We're somewhat clean again.  In the laundromat, I used their  restroom while the clothes were washing.  This sign was in the restroom:  "Don't write on the bathroom walls.  We try to keep a clean decent business for clean decent customers.  If you don't want to cooperate, take your tacky habit and business somewhere else.  We don't want, need, or appreciate  your riffraff ways." I've decided that I don't want to run around each day in a hurry trying to see "everything", so there are decisions to be made each day about what I do want to see.  Today there were several places that would have been interesting - exploring Flagstaff, Walnut Canyon Historic Marker, a meteor crater, Homolavi Ruins, or Winslow.  I decided to make Walnut Canyon my first stop.  I'm glad I did.  It was a national park with the main attraction being the 800 year old cliffside homes of the Sinagua Indians.  The Sinagua lived in the cliff dwellings for little more than 100 years, then departed for reasons that are still unclear. It is generally believed that the Sinagua were eventually assimilated into Hopi culture. The cliffside dwellings are amazing.  They were made from shallow caves eroded out of the limestone cliffs by water and wind.  To form walls, they gathered limestone rocks, shaped them roughly, then cemented them together with a gold-colored clay found in deposits elsewhere in the canyon.  Wooden beams reinforced the doorways.  Finally the walls were plastered with clay inside and out.  The thing that is so amazing is how narrow the space is in front of each dwelling. The tour was a 1 mile loop, down many stairs to reach the loop and then up those same stairs to return to the beginning of the tour.  Whew!  Good thing I have all that practice with stairs at 2409 Read Ave.  After the tour I found a bench in a pretty spot to eat my lunch.  The wind was so strong today!  I was holding onto my glasses again during the tour and later each time I got out of the car.  I decided to make the Homolavi Indian Ruins my other stop for the day.  This site is a state park.  After driving a few miles through some desolate area to get to the visitor center, I talked to the ranger in the center about what was to be seen there.  The only site within walking distance of the car was a cemetery, but the wind was blowing so hard I couldn't make myself walk out to see it.  The actual ruins were reached by very narrow roads about 4 miles from the visitor center.  Since I was travelling alone, the desolation and  narrowness of the road made me a bit nervous, so I decided to skip the ruins and just go on to Holbrook, our destination for tonight.  I regret having not stopped in Winslow, but by now I was ready to just settle in at the motel.  A bit out of Winslow, I spotted Eric and Tom.  I pulled over very briefly and took Eric's bike rack and pack to lighten his load for the last 15 miles.  They arrived in Holbrook at about 4:10.  Our dinner tonight was at Jerry's Cafe.