Day 7: Albuquerque, NM to Raton, NM

Summary:
    Miles:   268
    Average: 43
    Maximum: 76

Roads:
    550, 4, 502, 84, 76, 518, 64, I-25

Well, today is Friday. Pete's advice on scenic roads was really good until I got a few miles down highway 4. There was road construction going on and they had completely removed the road surface for several miles. In addition, we had to wait for pilot cars to lead us through the construction area. Between the slow pace and the sand and gravel surface this was a nerve wracking experience. I was very glad to get through this without incident.

The mountain roads approaching Los Alamos were great! The pass was over 9,000 feet so it was nice and cool. Unfortunately, on the downhill side, there was sand or loose gravel in every corner. I was pretty tense by the time I got out of the mountains and into Los Alamos.

The roads going towards Taos were pretty nice, the roads after Taos were even better. When getting near Eagle's Nest the skies began to fill with thunderheads, gradually covering the sky with black. There was rain and lighting in nearly all directions - but especially in the direction I was going! However, someone must have been watching out for me. By the time I went through the stormy area I had wet roads but no actual rain. It was still raining to either side of me, but not where I was! Hah! After I left the mountains and got down to the plains heading towards Raton the skies cleared up and the temperatures rose again.

The KOA in Raton was pretty nice as they had tent sites that had raised areas filled with pea gravel. That way if it rained the water could drain off very quickly. As they were projecting a 40% chance of rain that night I opted for a pea gravel site rather than grass. No rain though. Since the KOA was still near 6,000' the overnight temps were nice and comfortable.

I met a couple of fellows my age (old geezers!) who had just come up from Texas to Raton in one day - 700+ miles! One guy was on a full dress Harley with everything including cruise control. The other fellow was on a Suzuki scooter! They were on their way to the Colorado mountains to do some backroad touring and camping. We had a nice long chat before heading to bed.