Here’s the rundown on day 5, folks -

We left Santa Rosa early;  moderate temps and sunny skies with just a hint of wind.  Made good time enjoying the ride, and had to run a special errand for Frank’s stepmother Donna just outside of Albuquerque.  She wanted us to run up to Rio Rancho to check out the 4 lots she has for sale.  Easier said than done…with no real estate contacts and only the lot and block numbers to go by.  We got close, but didn’t find the exact location even after calling some local realtors.  Took some pictures of the general area, then got on the road again, heading for Flagstaff, AZ.  This excursion took 2 hours out of our day, and added 80 miles to our itinerary.  Mission only half accomplished; such is life!

Saw a lot of antelope on the way from Santa Rosa, NM, and did we mention the 2 prairie dogs we saw yesterday in Amarillo, TX?  Traveling through the rest of New Mexico was  uneventful, although the scenery was pretty cool.  Once we crossed into Arizona, the wind picked up and we almost lost Sharon to the wind shear!  We thought it was windy a couple days ago, but HAH!  This was quite intense - in fact, it was so windy we had to lean the bike to go straight.  Along with the challenge of the wind, it also brought two sandstorms for us to contend with.  Ok, Mother Nature, enough already!!

Our day 5 destination was Holbrook, AZ, but we decided to push on toward Flagstaff instead.  The time changes we have been through make us think we are making really great time to each destination, but we’re just going along as we feel able.  As we neared Flagstaff, the elevation went from 5,000 ft to 6,000 ft, and kept climbing.  As such, the weather changed as well, and not for the better.  We thought we were heading toward the heat, not the cold!  We left that behind in MI!!

For the numbers-minded folks, here are today’s stats:  total miles: 505.  Fuel economy: 37.4, 43.7 and 38.1 mpg.

Only 273 miles to Vegas, our week 1 destination.  Should be around a 4 hour trip.  Tomorrow we will be riding old Route 66 on the far west side of AZ - should be a special ride![gallery link="file"]

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