Last night we didn't sleep the greatest. When the alarm went off this morning I had already been awake for the better part of three hours. Between noise around the hotel and bad dreams I knew I was going to struggle waking up today. Even with that personal battle though, it was one of the fastest times we have gotten ready and loaded. We took off from the parking lot of our hotel in Holbrook and within the first couple miles I was riding on the I-40.
Riding on the side of the highway was the source of many of my bad dreams. I was stressed about being that close to the fast moving traffic but having to cross over the exit and entrance ramps were probably the most terrifying part of the ride. We made it to Joseph City where we stopped to grab a quick snack. While I was eating my mom and Steve ran into the gas station we stopped at and when he came back out, Steve handed me a surprise. He got me a little stuffed bear with a Route 66 hoodie on. I have been looking for a bear to go with the Marine bear I brought with me. I named him Joey after Joseph City where he came from.
From there it was just over 20 miles to the next stop and another spot I have been looking forward to for the entire ride, Winslow, AZ. I rode my bike right up onto the park created for "Standin' On The Corner". We checked out souvenir shops where I was able to finish getting the presents for the members of my team I wanted to do a little extra for. We also had lunch at a Route 66 diner called Falcon in Winslow before heading out to a now defunct trading post called Meteor City near a large meteor crater and then another trading post in Winona.
The last leg was from Winona to Flagstaff where I had to climb up hill after hill because Flagstaff was built on the top of what feels like a mountain. Shortly after getting off the highway for the final time today I was able to get on a bike path and take that all the way to the end. It was beautiful and well maintained but the best part is that there is a section of the original Route 66 built into path so I was able to ride on a part of history. I made great time getting into Flagstaff so we had time to check out some Route 66 stops and even a museum. Tomorrow will be my last day with any significant distance on the I-40 and I know my mom and Steve will be relieved to get off that part. It has been even more work for them keeping me safe than it has for me to ride it.
After tomorrow I move into California and will be in my final state as well as getting to some shorter milage days. It is bittersweet that there is only 1 week left but at the same time I am ready to have accomplished my goal and get back home. Thank you to everyone who has been following this adventure, I hope you have enjoyed it so far.
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