Day 11 -- Gallup NM to Route 66 travel center NM -- Crossing the divide

It was a little difficult to get back on the bike after a day of rest, but I managed to leave Gallup around 8:30. The wind was gentle and behind me to begin with just like before, and I decided I should appreciate it while I could because you never know when it will suddenly change. Today's route was mostly frontage roads and the old 66 so it was nice to get off the freeway for a while.

The wind made the initial uphill totally manageable and it wasn't long before I crossed the continental divide. That felt good because it should be generally downhill from here to the Mississippi. The downhill combined with the wind kept my average speed at 29 km/h for the day, a significant increase from the last several days.

After getting sprinkled on a few times, I arrived at my planned destination, Casa Blanca NM at about 3:00, and rested for an hour before deciding to press on.

Shortly after I took off again the sky turned dark and I could tell it was raining off to the north. I decided to stay on the highway to get to my new destination as fast as possible and hopefully beat the rain. Again I got sprinkled on a bit, but the hill and wind helped me move fast enough not to get hit. I even got some good use out of my new, higher, 7th gear.

I arrived at the travel center around 6:00, stood by my bike relaxing for a bit, took a "shower" with some wet paper towels, and made my way to the buffet for dinner where I'm posting this on the free wifi. After dinner I'll find a secret camp site out back or just down the road.

Today's distance: 198 km (I thought about riding around the parking lot a few times to get 200, but didn't.)
Average speed: 29 km/h
Trip odometer: 1389 km