I got up at 5:15 AM, just before sunrise. The temperature was 42F. After heating water for tea I left the stove on to burn up the remaining fuel. I packed up and got on the road at 6:55 AM. It was overcast and cold, so I wore a jacket, tights, and gloves. The road climbs steadily to 7200 feet elevation at the junction with US highway 89 on the eastern flank of San Francisco Peaks. I turned south on highway 89, downhill towards Flagstaff. I quickly started passing fringe rural subdivisions. On the edge of town I stopped at a supermarket to buy packing tape and shed the jacket, gloves, and tights. By then the clouds were breaking up and the temperature warmed to 60F. I got on Old Highway 66 and pedaled through 5 miles of Flagstaff's eastern sprawl to downtown. I hoped to get photos of neon signs of old Route 66 businesses, but didn't see any really good examples. The strip has run-down old motels but they didn't have fancy signs. This nightclub sign will have to do.

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At downtown Flagstaff I took one last look at the quiet streets before turning south on highway 89A towards the airport.

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Actually I took the unmarked 'old 89A' because the new 89A is an expressway. The road was very familiar because tit was my 3rd time to ride this road on the tour. I took the airport exit and pedaled into the airport at 9:15 AM. That gave me plenty of time to wash up, change clothes, and pack up the bike for my 11:40 AM flight. I was earlier than necessary because I thought my flight was at 11 AM. I retrieved the bike box that America West Express stored for me, and leisurely packed up the bike. This time I did a much better job of roping my panniers and recumbent seat into a single piece of luggage. I packed the bike in front of the check-in counter with my name prominently written on the bike box. When I pushed my stuff up to the check-in counter the agent already had my boarding pass and claim checks printed. The check-in process happened so quickly that he forgot to charge me the $80 oversize luggage fee! I left one end of the bike box unsealed because I knew the TSA folks would have to remove the bike for inspection. Later I watched through a glass wall as the TSA people inspected my bike, rolled it back in the box, and began sealing the box with a crank protruding 2 inches from the opposite end of the box. I walked into their restricted area. They yelled at me for being in their restricted area, and I yelled at them to not seal the bike box with a large metal part sticking of the box. They rolled the bike out of the box and re-oriented the crank so it wouldn't poke out of the box.

Everything went smoothly after that. The boxed bike fit in the baggage compartment of the almost-full turboprop plane. I ate lunch during my 1 hour 45 minute layover at the Phoenix airport. My wife met me at Chicago O'Hare airport after my 8 PM arrival. Nothing appeared to be damaged on the return flight. Damage is always a concern because the cardboard box doesn't provide much protection for the bike.

Distance: 25.1 miles (40.2 km)

Climbing: 870 feet (265 m)

Average Speed: 12.2 mph (19.5 km/h)

Maximum Speed: 44.0 mph (70.4 km/h)

Hiking: none