Day 43-46: Three Way, Globe and Phoenix

The winds had calmed enough for us to ride again on Thursday so we busted out early and were on the bikes at 7:00 a.m. after a quick stop at Don Juan Mexican Drive-Thru for some road burritos.

Silver City sits at around 5,800 ft. and after a small climb out of the city we crossed the Great Divide at 6,230 ft. This one was a little easier than when I crossed the Divide in Colorado on my last trip at Monarch Pass which had an elevation of 11,312 ft., but psychologically this crossing felt much better. Along with the waters, I can feel myself being pushed towards the Pacific. It's starting to feel really close!

The rest of the days ride took us through pretty desolate areas and small towns with post offices, little collections of houses and nothing else. The end of the day we crossed out of New Mexico and into Arizona, travelled through the Gila National Park and the Apache National Park and then had an incredible 14 mile descent out of the canyons and down into the valley to Three Way. Three Way consisted of nothing more than a Local Store and the Ranger Station that we were able to camp outside of. We both ate our second burrito and called it an early night.

We got out early again Friday morning in hopes of getting a good chunk of our riding out of the way before the winds picked up. By noon we had already knocked out over 60 miles and after a little break we rode through the Apahe Reservation and finished the night at around 5:30 p.m. in Globe. A nice 116 mile day! We first stopped in at China Taste Buffet for some "all you can eat" deliciousness and then set out to find a sleeping spot for the night. We rode through Globe trying to find a little corner to tuck away into and after not finding much we finally found some grassy areas behind a U-Haul Truck parking area. As we were setting up the tents I noticed that one of the trucks back hatch was open and being the opportunist that I am I decided to pop the old tent up and into that bad boy. It was a fantastic night of sleep! Thank you, U-Haul!

Saturday (Day 45) we rode out of Globe en route to Phoenix. And despite Mother Nature's best efforts to throw down some rain on us for about an hour coupled with 25 mph winds in our face for most of the day we made it into Tempe by about 4:30 p.m.

John had been talking about how amazing In and Out Burger was since we joined up in Texas so before we separated we stopped in at the old joint for some milkshakes. I'll have to save the burger and fries for my next visit....

Our arrival in Tempe also signified the end of our riding together. We made it through some of the most desolate and hard country down on the Southern Tier together and it was awesome having someone to take on those rugged lands with for the last 28 days. But, now our paths diverge. John will be staying in the Phoenix/Scottsdale area for the next week or so visiting with his family before he continues on en route to Alaska and his big adventure up there.

As for me, I left the In and Out Burger in Tempe and rode another 12 miles to North Central Phoenix to meet up with Truman, a high school buddy of mine, and his girlfriend Amanda at their apartment where they have graciously allowed me to crash for the weekend.

Last night we made our way down to Mill Ave., the happening area of Phoenix, and got some delicious eats and beers at The Mellow Mushroom and then came back to the apartment to crash. It had been a long 97 mile day and I passed out as soon we got home.

As for today, Day 46, I will be off the bike and hanging with Truman and Amanda here in Phoenix. Today will consist of doing some laundry, exploring a bit in the city and some relaxing before I get back on the road tomorrow.