:: shift7 ::

:: north/south adventure ::

california: day 23, sat 20 sep
blythe - mexico (algodones)

stats:
82.8 @ 16.0 = 5:09:57, max 38.1, trip total: 1,754

eats:
poptart, yogurt, yogurt shake, poptart, cinnamon harvest powerbar, margarita, queso con chorrizo, DQ cookie dough blizzard, lobster pizza, coconut shrimp

sleep:
Yuma Cabaña Motel, $14

thoughts:
we made it. more, more, more. san diego? seattle? yucatan? corpus christie? we said it jokingly, but we didn't laugh too hard- as if tomorrow morning one of us might be suited up again. not sure which of the three would be the first, but if one was ready, it would be hard to say no. it's been a tremendous adventure.

and it was a long day. it started as though we would race through the day with no sweat. just cruise through the plains of the colorado river all the way to the border, greeted by nice shops and restaurants. it was cool, not yet 95. we rode together early on, taking snap shots and laughing at chained up dogs. taking our time, with longer breaks. we even got up early but left a bit later than we could have. it was the last day-- the last day syndrome: you want to get there, you want to finish, but you want it to last, you don't want it to end. it happens every time.

the fields were well irrigated in the valley and the elevation was 248 feet in ripley (a town we passed through). everything was peaceful, and being saturday the traffic was low- and especially on these roads. we were headed south along the california/arizona border were the colorado river splits the two. it seemed easy.

the road took us away from the river and into the foothills of the chocolate mountains. this is when it got interesting. this is when i thought about when i was here last. this is when it became a challenge and not just a day on the bike path. the landscape changed so quickly. it began to get hot. the hills were steep and short, but one right after another. the sun was getting higher. the side of the road looked like sand and rock with very little vegetation- and most of that didn't look alive. it was a flash flood area- which means when it rains, if it rains, the ground is like cement and can't absorb the water quick enough and it just runs down the hills. it runs right over the road where ever and how ever it chooses. and it changes every time because the sand erodes into different beds. anyway, no sign of rain and no sign of water today.
sun all around clip

it was full steam ahead to the intersection in the middle of the desert. one road, that we didn't know if it was even paved- it was and that would take us to the border, or very close. by the time i was about 3 miles away from this T intersection we had climbed to 1250 feet. not exactly what we had in mind. well, there should be more down hill now i guess. maybe. you never know. i sat and waited for the others- and even though it seemed cool while i was doing nothing it was well over 100. actually it was about 115 degrees when it peaked. it was hot. the bike got hot, so you wouldn't want to touch it in the wrong place. the water in the tube of the camel back was like turning on the warm water tap. kinda nasty. as it turns out thomas had some flats- yeah, not just one. so it took them a while to catch up. i found this out from the policeman that came to let me know what was going on. nice guy. he went on to tell me how cold it is today and that this is uncommon. it was actually cold this morning. i kid you not, these are the words he used. but there's more. then he said that since it was soooo cold so early in the season it might snow this year. you know it happens about every 100 years. and it doesn't stick, it just melts when it hits the ground. i nodded politely and considered myself lucky i wasn't being arrested! snow? is he fucking out of his mind? hell, maybe it will.
the main intersection for the day clip

blister in the sun. i got that on 3 or 4 of my mp3 lists. how appropriate. it rang true.

after that it was down to the interstate at the border, get on for two miles and off to the border crossing. it was early afternoon and the heat was killing us- it was like a blow dryer on full blast about 2 inches from your face. the breeze was hot. we were drinking water but it wasn't even about the fluids, the water couldn't cool you down. there was nothing to do but go on. it was close. you could smell it.

we changed the path slightly due to the fact that one of the roads was sand. that will slow you down. it added another 10 miles at the end but there was no other way. the town we were going to stop at for a break was really not there. not a sign, not a building, nothing. it was the intersection of the road we were on with the sand road. no front porch with shade and ice cream that's for sure.

we finally got there and it suddenly got cooler. mexico is cooler. not sure why, it's farther south. but the margaritas were tasty and the satisfaction was immense. we hung out for a bit just on the other side of the border and laughed at today. we laughed at our self inflicted joy. it was too many things to say but we all knew what they were. we were all exhausted.
mexico clip

then we went to yuma, just on the other side of the fence and found a great motel with a pool, three doors down from a DQ. on the electronic sign it flashed 107 degrees... it was now 5:30pm. after dinner it was still 97. but we're all safe and snug with our AC wondering about tomorrow and thinking about all the good times we had.