John made the Prescott to Albuquerque run today.

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Mea Culpa

Editor's note to any artistically sensitive viewers out there: Please remember that if you had to write some software for a project like this, it might look pretty scary too!

Seriously, I know this is a little rough. Lots of this stuff is just placeholders as I try to get time to thrash this together. Anybody who wants to make snide and useless comments, please do so behind my back. If you actually have ideas about colors and layout and other things like that, let me know!

John's Journal

Day Three

Mileage- 493 miles

Route- Hwy 89-Alternative to Flagstaff, I-40 East to Albuquerque

Well, my day started with a touch less sleep than desired, thanks to the guys I met last night. And, since I never went back into town, I never got any water for my fresh, morning coffee. Oh, well, there is always coffee at my first stop.

I packed up easily and left the campground around 8:30am after a great night, nearly full moon, lots of stars, even a glimpse of the comet. The road from the campground is a great road with some wonderful views, curving up into the hills. I went through a neat little town, Jerome, that looked like it had some good shops and lovely houses perched on the hills. The town is built all on the steep hills and reminds me a bit of Mill Valley, CA. There was a cool-looking artist complex I passed coming out of town that I wished was open. It seemed that every single home and shop had an extraordinary view.

I stopped in at Sedona for breakfast and coffee (although why I feel like I need to be that awake when I am just sitting down all day long, I don't know) and met a couple of German guys walking out. They are here on holiday with their families and had rented Harleys for a few days for their selfish part of the holiday.

Off to the major highway to make some time for a while. The scenery is gorgeous, alternating between the wooded hills and then down into the more monochromatic desert. The desert is a bit hot, but not really that much. Since I am not stopping to go for a hike, the wind keeps me cool.

I have finally reached a somewhat "road-trip" zen-like state. If anyone has done a lot driving, you know what I mean; that point at which you know you have to go on, you no longer think of where you came from, but where you are going, and a sense of sort of kinship with the other travelers begins. That same sense exists on the motorcycle, except the kinship is even greater with fellow motorcyclists. It is unwritten law that you must wave or signal others when passing, even if you are on a divided highway several hundred feet apart. It is nice, though, to have a feeling that you always have someone to talk to, take a break with and ask about the weather in the part they came from and you are going to.

The trip on this 3rd day of my trip was filled mostly with making good time to visit my sister Amy, her husband Paul and son Ben in Albuquerque. I plan on spending a whole day there which will help to break up the trip out. Still, I feel a sense of slight urgency to make sure I get to New Orleans by Thursday. I know that this means I can't see some of the sights along the way, but I know that I have a lot more time, well, OK, SOME more time, built in later on in the trip.

I had several wonderful moments were I came around the corner and was greeted with a spectacular vista of the expansive mesas in western New Mexico. It brought back fond memories of coming here for Christmas and driving out to California nearly 7 years ago. It was great to be greeted by loving relatives after a somewhat long day.