Day Nine

Arizona and New Mexico

Day nine started out very pleasant with a pre-sunrise departure to take advantage of the cooler temperatures, knowing today was going to be the hottest day of my journey. 

I rode through the red sandstone cliffs of Sedona, under the many hot air balloons floating above the majestic castle-like rock formations and then I made my way up the narrow mountain roads through Jerome and Prescott before dropping down to the floor of the desert to experience the brutal heat plaguing the Phoenix area. 

By the time I got to Phoenix, the radiating heat from the asphalt pegged the thermometer on my motorcycle. The photo, taken in the shade, registered 110!  I know you are thinking, it’s a dry heat, but then again so is a convection oven. Actually, in the shade, it was not bad. Unfortunately, I wasn’t able to ride in the shade until I got into the mountains of western New Mexico where scattered thunderstorms created shade and a brief sprinkle to wash off some of the bugs and dust accumulated over the last few days.

Enduring the heat in Phoenix was worth it to visit and have lunch with good CMA friends, Jeanne and Frank Hidalgo, and meet their staff at Azteca Glass. Pictures with Jeanne and Frank is Gilbert, a 15+ year employee. 

The predominately red sandstone of Arizona gave way to more tan-colored rocks and the black lava flow rocks just East of Grants, NM. 

Mileage through today is 4,326