135.79 miles; 7 hrs, 27 minutes;  2,890 ft ascending,  avg speed 18.1  mph; max speed 44.0 mph; 9,737 calories

Day 7 of the journey across America has ended, as has the first week. Today's 135 mile jaunt started in very chilly weather (28 degrees) in Gallup, and ended up in Albuquerque. Wearing every bit of cold weather gear I could muster, I departed the exclusive La Quinta of Gallup, and promptly had a flat 5 miles out. Not a great deal of fun changing tires with numb fingers. We left historic Route 66 to get on I-40 for a roll up to the Continental Divide at 7,275 feet. So it must be all downhill from here! (I guess it is if you're a raindrop--we still have a lot more climbing on this adventure, unfortunately). By 2 PM things had warmed up into the mid-60's, so most of the extras clothes came off. The rest of the journey traversed some very desolate terrain into Albuquerque. One more flat to attend to. Much subdued winds, but still basically from behind.We are all looking to a much-needed day off tomorrow to rest, stock up on some supplies at the bike shop, and hopefully wander over to the Old Town section of Albuquerque.