Roaming Cage Free

 Day 5 – Casa Grande (AZ) to Gallup (NM)

(670mi)

After four days off the bike, soaking up the good times with family and friends over BBQ, poolside chats, and tacos, it was time to hit the open road again. We exchanged our goodbyes and went our separate ways, with me heading to TN.

Today’s ride promised an adventure, taking me north into Utah and then south into New Mexico. Need help turning a 300-mile trip into an epic journey? Follow me! Remember, the ride is the destination!

A bucket list item for today – Monument Valley. It also holds the Harley-Davidson coin for Utah. A quick pit stop at Four Corners as well. These are the main attractions for today, as I expect the roads to be pretty straightforward.

AZ-87 looked more promising on the map than it did in person, and the 5-minute rain shower and wet roads right outside Phoenix didn’t help. Don’t get me wrong – it wasn’t bad, just a major road for most of the morning, so let’s crank it up to get to Winslow.

Breakfast stop in Winslow, fueling up with some great cinnamon rolls at the travel center there. Winslow sadly looks deserted, so not much time spent there. 

Continuing north, the first rock formations appear on the horizon as I make my way towards Monument Valley.

And there it is! The iconic views. A mandatory stop at “Forest Gump Point.” I think about how a different bike (Pan Am, maybe?) could have been a lot of fun here, as the dirt roads point towards the rocks left and right.

Oh well, next time, maybe? It’s been a fun (yet rather short) ride through the valley. Unless you go dirty, that was likely it. But I can check off one item from my ever-growing list.

Now it’s time to get that Utah photo. ‘Mexican Hat’ is on the route, and that town with the same name is a good place to top off. Snap. It also marks the turning point for today. The overcast sky is a relief from the otherwise scorching sun.

Off US-160 lies the “Four Corner Monument.” Hey, when in Rome… It wasn’t too busy, but you have to take your time and join the queue to the spot where the four states meet (AZ, UT, CO, NM).

The rest should be uneventful, headed due south towards Gallup. I’ve been on this stretch before, so I rather get it over with. US-491 (renumbered from Route 666, the “Devil’s Highway“) has the last ordeal for me, as just within 15 miles to go, hell’s flood gates open in a heavy downpour. I was trying to outrun it, but no luck; for great riding, the devil sometimes wants (and gets!) his dues. Add rain to otherwise dusty roads, and you’ll have a great new color scheme on pants and bike. 

Arriving at my stop for the night, and parked next to a garden hose 😉. “Get your beer,” I heard a voice, “clean it!” And so I did… good night!