Total distance: 400.44 km (248.8 mi) / Total time: 9:08:18 / Moving time: 5:59:42
Average speed: 43.82 km/h (27.2 mi/h) / Average moving speed: 66.79 km/h (41.5 mi/h)
Max speed: 130.92 km/h (81.3 mi/h) / Average pace: 1.37 min/km (2.2 min/mi)
Average moving pace: 0.90 min/km (1.4 min/mi) / Fastest pace: 0.46 min/km (0.7 min/mi)
Max elevation: 2199 m (7216 ft) / Min elevation: 1489 m (4886 ft) / Elevation gain: 1794 m (5886 ft)
The Monterey Motel in Albuquerque NM is a very clean and well kept place to stay. The two elderly owners who emigrated from Poland quite a few years ago who run things very strictly are quite nice after all and keep an excellent motel – but smokers be warned – you are not welcome!
As breakfast was not included in the overnight stay we discovered a fantastic mexican pharmacy that also included a great cafe serving an authentic mexican breakfast to mostly the locals. Aside from filling a prescription, the Duran Central Pharmacy serves up fresh and wonderfully tasty food.
Just Northwest of town is the Petroglyph National Monument. This mountain littered with black volcanic rocks served as the location for the locals to Graffiti many years ago. Now visitors marvel at the primitive drawings that may have been an insulting joke once ago.
In this part of the country the roads are flat, long and seem to disappear into the horizon. Fortunately the views often alternate with red mountains and rust covered collections of old cars. With the weather so dry, vintage cars are stored by parts sellers in the open spaces knowing they will never decay.
In Grants NM the Mining Museum is a free to view the upper floor with its collection of Uranium mining photos and videos, but the real treat is the simulated mine in the basement. For thee bucks not only do you avoid the heat of the sun but experience the life of a miner.
At the continental divide there is a Indian trading post. It seems, from speaking to the staff, that most of the items on sale are acutely manufactured in China and Dominican Republic.. so avoid this tourist trap.
Red Rock park is an amazing area full of stunning vistas.
In Gallup AZ we stopped for a beer as we hopped to hook up with another Alfisti who has traveled from the east as well but several days later. Unfortunately we were unable to hook up but did find some craft beer in this crummy little town known best for their trains.
Holbrook AZ was our stop for the night. Another depressed town populated by many vintage motel (including the bizarre Wig-Wam) with many of them closed and crumbling.
