Day 9 May 5th

 

A later start to the day @ 7:30 & up the canyon out of Sedona toward Flagstaff. This is the last major climb for the next week. It would be impossible to put into words or pictures the beauty of this leg. It would also be impossible to put into words the lack of a shoulder to ride on (there was NONE) & the amount of traffic on this road. This road is shrouded in a canopy of trees as it follows the creek up the mountain. After 21 miles of climbing I reached the summit @ a scenic overlook. After some pictures & a drink I pressed on to Flagstaff. When you climb up a mountain out here you climb to 8000ft then descend 2000 ft & climb 500 more descend 2000, climb 3000 then repeat!  

  
Reaching Flagstaff @ 12:00 I checked into a room & set out to send some “unnecessary gear” back home & try to find a repair for my dead GoPro. After a stop @ the UPS Store (where I shed 10lbs of gear) & Walmart I took the rest of the day to recover & prep for the final push out of Az. It looks like I will make Colorado by Sunday night, if I have favorable weather & winds. Tomo should put me in Tuba City @ the start of the Indian reservations. 

My thought for the day is what a beautiful country we live in! And with such a beautiful country why do we insist on throwing our trash alongside the road? It is truly disgusting. But we must have the cleanest car interiors in the world!
Now a shout out to “Nicks” in Sedona & Tom the bar keeper – great place / great guy . Also if your traveling through Jerome (and you really should) stop @ “The Haunted Hamburger ” for a delicious burger, cold beer, stunning view & great people.