Today doesn’t seem to be a holiday here in the States so everyone is back at work as normal, or not as the case may be. There are lots and lots of businesses that have closed down and we pass many every day in all the different states that we have visited. Let’s hope that the economy makes a upturn and breathe some life into some of the communities that seem to be struggling very hard at the moment.
Today has also started much cooler than yesterday at just below 60 degrees so loading up the bikes was comfortable for a change. I tried to contact Gina on my Ipod Facetime (better than Skype in my opinion) as it was now late afternoon back home but she must have been busy because there was no answer. I will try again tomorrow. But the good news is that cousin Penny who lives 60 or so miles east of Phoenix has replied to my email and is putting us up on Tuesday night – it will be good to catch up with her again, we haven’t seen each other for about eight years.
We left Alamogordo along the US 70 and soon met the White Sands for which it is “famous”. The desert area around White Sands was also the place where the first space rocket was launched and today there is a missile testing range testament to which is a missile set beside the road as it winds upwards into the mountains.
The long straight US 70 out of Alamogordo
The increase in altitude brought with it a decrease in temperature and it became decidedly chilly especially as I was riding gloveless to allow me easy access to my camera whilst on the move. It was also windy again and when we hit the Interstate 25 north the sidewinds were very strong and it was quite a struggle to keep the bike in a straight line. However, at Santa Clara we were able to take the US 15 west and a wonderful trip through the mountains was a reward for the not so nice beginning of the journey.
A dying breed - little gas stations in the country
We followed a route which took us past vast open cast mines just outside Silver City and we dipped south towards Lordsburg (awful place) and the took route 70 out of New Mexico and into Arizona to our final resting place for the day – the Best Western in Safford.
Thars bikes in them thar hills
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