Friday April 8: Flagstaff to Holbrook

90 miles in about 6 hours. Mostly down hill with the wind to my right back side. Can't beat that. Sometimes I hit 28 miles per hour and I wasn't peddling!

About 15 miles out of Flagstaff the elevation was 6000 ft. About 25 miles later, the elevatiion 5000ft.

The main problem was avoiding tire debris on the shoulder. Large and small chunks of tire with wire mesh everywhere. Some tire chunks consisted of the entire perimeter of the tire. I've got a picture on one that lies completely across the shoulder.

Oh, I had my first fly-over-the-handlebar crash in many years!!! Usually, the chunks of tire are obvious. But in the shade of an overpass I didn't see one until it was too late. I had to hit it straight on because there was a truck on my left. I'm fine and so is the bike! - amazing. After I realized I was okay, I was sure the bike would be a mess. It is quite heavy with all the weight concentrated in the front and the rear. I thought sure something would be twisted. But nothing appears to be wrong.

My last fly-over-the-handlebars was in 8th grade. Riding slowly beside a girl walking home from school, I somehow got a foot caught in the spokes of my front wheel. And over the bars I went. And this was a girl I hoped to impress!!!

Ended the day at the library where I wrote most of the above. Leaving to ride back to the motel, my rear tire was almost flat. The truck tire wire got me again.

Motel also had a great dinner with live music and a display of beautiful petrified wood. Would have bought something if I was driving a car.