:: shift7 ::

:: north/south adventure ::

arizona: day 22, fri 19 sep
salome - blythe (california)

stats:
60.9 @ 18.6 = 3:16:05, max 34.3, trip total: 1,671

eats:
yogurt shake, blueberry muffin, DQ cookie dough blizzard, tecate, chips, burrito/enchilada/taco platter

sleep:
Travelers Inn Express, $17

thoughts:
repairs and collisions. busted stuff. thankfully not mine- and not serious. bill scraped up his knee and thomas changed a flat twice or three times? (it was only one flat though). we're finally making use of my extra parts and goodies bag which has for the most part been sitting under the back seat of the van. use it up and move forward. we're almost there, and you can certainly tell- everyone is confident and strong.

we started early because we knew it was going to be hot, especially in the mid-day hours. we we're all up at about by 6:30 and on the road by 7am. it felt later for some reason, the sun was already pretty high but you could feel the coolness in the air. it was forecasted to get into the low 100's. i gotta tell you, whether its 100 or 105 its hard for me to tell the difference. its hot. the pavement makes it hotter- you can feel it radiate and as the day goes on it continues to multiply in intensity. so early is good. in 20 minutes it can be 5 degrees hotter. so tack on as many miles as you can was the mind set, everyone was anxious to get the major part of the day done. plus how bad can it be when you can have DQ at 10 in the morning.

we keep seeing these signs that say 'open in october'. the 'on' season is almost here! but not quite- every now and then there'll be a cafe that's closed. this brings me back to when we were in montana and i saw a bunch of signs that said 'open until october' or 'open from april to october'. well, it just occurred to me that it may be the same people that run both places- there in the summer and here in the winter. interesting. so these places really are half dead- i mean most of them look like there's nothing going on. the odd thing is that its cooler in montana in the summer than it is in arizona in the winter. so if they do switch back and forth they have the reverse effect of the seasons. ok, i had some time on the bike today--

we stopped at one of these closed cafes just to borrow the shade and get a break. as we were sitting there lizards started to roam around the bikes. small friendly guys checking out all our stuff. again, i think we're the ones out of place, especially when you consider the terrain. it's dry and sandy with prickly bushes and cactus. the ground is hot to the touch. as we were sitting there i noticed that thomas had a flat. how it went flat we don't know. it was full when we got there. talk about lucky though. a shady spot with benches and the van full of ice and food. that's the best option to have if you have to have a flat. we never did find out why. maybe the lizard did it.

after the first 25 miles we got on interstate 10. the only route that takes you from here to there- from the intersection we were at to california. at first it was ok. nice wide shoulder and not too much traffic- more trucks than cars, and the truckers are the ones that care about us the most. some cars pay attention but some don't care if they give you a few inches. it was up and over the last pass of the trip and then race down to the colorado river (border between arizona and california). it was enjoyable, cruising up hill. i was pumped.

18.5 and a truck would pass, 19, 19.5, 20, steady at 20, 19.5, 19 and another double trailer truck would pass, 19.5, 20.5, 21, 20.5 - pretty much all the way up and then as it started to crest the numbers went up into the 28, 29 range. just smooth sailing. dodging road debris, mainly busted tires. but going at a fast rate that kept you on your toes. then came the diagonal ridges that were cut into the shoulder. all the way across the shoulder- about 4 inches wide and an inch deep. suck. real suck. they were about 10 - 15 feet apart. bump, bump, bump, arhggg. not now- it's time to go down into the valley. i was concerned with the wheels it was so jarring. they place these ridges for safety in case someone starts to veer into the shoulder. not so safe for bikes. so i'm out in the right hand lane (i didn't need to pass anybody in the left lane). i'm not getting robbed of my downhill. oh, it was safe- i looked back every now and then to make sure there weren't two trucks coming at me side by side. and at times there were, in which case i would pull off. it sucked. there was one truck that came so close and so fast it blew me into the shoulder. i really didn't have the strength to keep it straight. then again, i was happy to get blown away from the truck- so it all worked out.

that took me down to the colorado river and the border. good, no more I-10. and that marked the end of the day except for going through town. california is good. you can see the wealth right away- the green fields in the middle of the desert. the palm lined streets as if it were vegas or beverly hills (no it wasn't that nice- but they were trying and had enough to at least try). the river was healthy- not dried up as i've heard it might be as you get to the mexico border. we'll see- we follow it down pretty much all day tomorrow.

it was a relatively short day but we couldn't really forge ahead because there is nothing between here and yuma- its 70 miles of sand. that and the fact that we've been a bit ahead of the plan the last couple days. all in all though it makes for a great rest before the final push. i got to the outskirts of blythe and the california border around noon.

so it was pool time. we hung out at the pool for a little bit and joked about who the hell would bike in this weather. i think it will be another early start tomorrow.