Pacific Coast Highway Day 1
Pacific Coast Highway
Day 1 - April 17, 2003 - Monument, CO to Flagstaff, AZ
We got up this morning at 5 AM MDT and we were out of the garage at 5:57. It was a gray, with ground fog as we drove out of Monument and got on I-25 going south. As we got to Colorado Springs, the full moon was shining directly over Pikes Peak. It was an eerie sight.
By the time we got to Pueblo we were out of the work traffic and the road was wide open all the way to Raton Pass. We got some much appreciated sunshine south of Pueblo but at Raton, we covered again in ground fog. It was 36 degrees as we came down on the New Mexico side of the pass, a little after 8:30.
We stopped and gassed up in the city of Raton and proceeded south on I-25. There was very little traffic all the way to Santa Fe and we made good time. We were able to cruise at 80 MPH and the car handled well. We began to get some cross winds but it was not too bad.
At mile marker 372 we passed a black S2000 going north toward. South of Santa Fe the traffic increased and the sun was out. We again gassed up, this time at the Santo Domingo Indian Reservation Phillips 66 and we were able to buy premium 91for $1.61. Probably the last time we will see reasonable prices.
As we drove into the Rio Rancho area we saw another S2000 (white with the top down enjoying the beautiful weather). We arrived at the home of our friends Pat and Don at 11:45. Don was waiting in the driveway and I had a great look at his new car - a Dodger blue 350Z. It is a beautiful car.
Pat had a great lunch all ready for us - Taco Salad, chips, guacamole, salsa, and raspberry lemonade. For dessert we had vanilla ice cream with homemade brownies - YUMMY! I had a chance to drive the 350Z and it is a plush and beautiful machine. All the amenities and bells/whistles are well thought out.
After a great catch-up conversation, lots of photos of the two cars, and promises to meet in May, we left Don and Pat’s at 3 PM.
We drove to Albuquerque on I-25 and then turned west on I-40 on our way to Flagstaff. This portion of the trip was difficult as the winds were at least 50-60 MPH with gusts that rocked our vehicle. But we made it through the Painted Desert, the Petrified Forest, and Lava Beds to finally reach Flagstaff, Arizona at 6:45 MST.
We had gained an hour as Arizona is not on daylight saving time. We found our motel easily and checked in. It is colder (about 40 degrees) with possible snow showers tonight.
We had dinner at Chilis after picking up a few things at Target. In retrospect, it was a very difficult day to drive as the wind really pushed us around. Larger vehicles had a much more difficult time.
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