Friends (Benning, Brenda, Christi, and Tauru) in Flagstaff, Arizona where we stayed at Benning's for 3 nights to recover and ...to consider "Are we really going to bike across the country?".
In Arizona it's legal to ride on the Interstate when there's no other alternative route. Here we are on I-40 on our way to Winslow, Arizona.
John Kynyk, a friend of ours from Phoenix, spent the weekend providing us car support. While waiting for us he felt inspired...
On the Interstate, flats were common due to steel meshing used on 18-wheeler tires.
Pulling into Winslow, Arizona.
Christi, John, and Dee (friend in Winslow we stayed at) with "Standin' on the Corner" ...made popular by some band.
New Mexico near Gallup just off of I-40.
The lonely road from Gallup up to Shiprock, New Mexico. Christi's view -- road, occasional mound of dirt, and Tauru's back.
Another flat near Farmington, NM. Check out the tree -- super wind storm followed by a super dust storm followed by a massive rain storm.
Getting into Colorado.
Our first homestay just outside of Durango, Colorado. We were just walking our bike uphill near their house when Barb and Tom invited us in to stay with them for the night. Awesome people.
Two or three days later we crossed the Continental Divide via Wolf Creek Pass at some 10,800 ft. Met this awesome family from Austin, Tx. The boys were adorable.
Further east, we had another "homestay" (if you can call it that) at a gas station in Monte Vista, CO. Here, Christi wakes up inside an 18-wheeler's empty trailer. The trucker parked at the gas station truck stop said, "You guys can camp inside the back of my trailer if you want." Why not!
Somewhere in there is Blanca Peak, one of Colorado's 14,000-ers in the Sangre de Cristo mountain range.
Another pass -- Walsenburg is on I-25.
Halfway to Walsenburg we decided to camp for the night since it was getting late (dark).
East of I-25 (still in Colorado), we had to walk the bike because we were going slightly uphill and had a strong headwind. Here Christi walks ...into the storm.
We passed into Kansas ...and had a lot of windy days (headwind). Tauru's eye must have caught a lot of dust. We had to get a hotel and use the shower to wash out his eye. Yikes!
In Kansas... we passed into the Central Time Zone. Wow, we are now committed to make it to the Atlantic!
This is Kansas. Nothingness ...except the occasional silos.
Pulling into town...
Almost! Just made it to this gas station to avoid a massive downpour in eastern Kansas.
More than half way there...
Amish land...
We had heard that the bridges over the Mississippi and Ohio Rivers (border between Missouri and Kentucky) were so narrow that it was scary for a trucker to go over them. We decided to hitch across. Here, Tauru fancies the thumb just a mile before the bridges.
After only 15 minutes or so, this man picked us up. People are good!
Here's the bridge going over the Mississippi River. Glad we hitched.
We didn't stay long in Kentucky -- down into Tennessee.
Yelp, Tennessee!
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