Friday, April 8, 2011
Safford to Safford
18 miles
Well, it was really windy in the morning, possible gusts up to 40 mph windy, so I figured I wasn’t going anywhere. I could just spend another day at the Essence of Tranquility Spa, soaking in mineral pools and hanging out in the living room-like common area. Should have been a no-brainer.
I ate a bowl of cereal and curled up in a comfy chair with the iPad, and then several other visitors made breakfast together that smelled really yummy, which made me kind of jealous. For some reason, I longed for a piece of toast with jam! (and I only now just realized that I had a loaf of bread and a jar of jelly among my things, and there was a toaster in the kitchen!)
Anyway, I just didn’t feel compelled to soak, and I’d already had one day off, and around 9:30 it seemed like the wind was dying down. I decided to make a run for it. About a mile out, it became clear that it was still windy, but I wasn’t sure how windy, so I thought I’d see. I took a cut off road to the highway, and it was windy, but OK. It would make for a long day to Duncan, but what else did I have to do?
Once I got to the main highway, the gusting started. The crosswinds were pushing me around as I struggled onwards. I kept going for a few more miles. The gusts were coming from any direction, and nearly knocked me over when I got to the top of a small hill. I took a break, and decided I’d better go back. It just didn’t feel safe. The first few miles, the wind pushed right behind me, so that went quick. Then it switched around again, and I was crawling along again.
I wasn’t sure if I wanted to go back out to the spa, as it was an extra 5 or so miles off route. But I was sure, that if I had to return to Safford, I was going to eat more of that scrumptious fried ice cream! At least I’d salvage something from the day.
At El Coronado, I reviewed my options. I called two RV parks I had seen on the main road. One didn’t answer, and the other informed me they did not have the facilities to set up a tent. As a tent needs a smaller and less flat piece of land than an RV, I felt they just needed a better way of telling me they did not wish to have a tent at their park, even if I had ridden my bike all the way there just for one night.
There were a number of hotels in town, due to the mining industry, I believe, so there would be somewhere to stay. I checked couchsurfing.com. I had just finally signed up the previous day. Many people, including Liz, a Seattle traveling friend, and Milton, the Miami to LA runner, had recommended it. Surprisingly enough, there was a woman signed up to host in Safford. A kindergarten teacher, no less! I sent Libby a message right away and commenced waiting.
I sat around after I’d finished my fried ice cream, considering having another. I probably should have. I mean, why not? Instead, I decided to ride around Main Street and see what there was to see.
At town hall, the flags were blowing in all different directions, validating my experience, and reminding me it wasn’t that pleasant of a day for a cruise around town.
I thought about getting my nails done, but decided against it. And who wants to go thrift store shopping when all I can think about is how heavy everything would be if I were to carry it on the bike?
I chatted with a man at the recycling center who had seen me on the highway and was wondering about my trip, so I had to explain again how I had had to turn back.
Feeling dispirited, I popped into the Main Street Cafe, which had come recommended by the Chamber of Commerce, both for their fare and because they hired people with developmental disabilities. An Italian Soda is not quite fried ice cream, but It’s got whipped cream! I was even considering riding out to Roper Lake State Park to camp. It was even farther off route, but it sounded interesting. Even though I knew it would be ridiculous to ride another six miles in the wind, I didn’t feel like springing for another hotel so soon. And just then, Libby called!
So she met me at the cafe, and we talked about Kindergarten stuff. She’s 24, and this is her first year teaching. She did some of her student teaching in Australia, which sounds amazing! She went to Indiana Univeresity, and just started applying for jobs. Safford was the first place to offer her one, so off to this tiny desert community she moved. She didn’t mind it so much, especially as the first year of teaching can be so all-consuming. We stopped to visit her classroom on the way to her house.
Kindergarten is just like I remember it!
Of course, I talked her ear off about how we did things differently at the Xara School, and she seemed interested and even took a few notes. I passed on my Songs and Poems to her, too. I remember when I first started teaching, and I wanted to be able to try everything!
She was so friendly and fun! She had also done gymnastics through college, but unfortunately we ran out of time to try acroyoga. She did mention she hoped to go to Burning Man some day, so of coure I showed her my pictures and told her all about it. She has so many exciting plans for the future. On her bathroom mirror, she has written the quote, “You need a little chaos in your soul to give birth to a dancing star!”
Libby the Dancing Star in her Hello Kitty robe!
I didn’t make it out of Safford today, but I did meet a wonderful person and ate delicious desserts! Who knows where this journey will take me next!
Flowing
By admin | April 7, 2011
Thursday, April 7
Thatcher to Safford, AZ
8.5 miles
Everything came together for me to be lazy today. I didn’t want to be totally wiped out by riding 87 miles yesterday, but it felt so good to sleep in, in a bed, til 8am, and then I still hadn’t done my laundry, and there was still some question about which route I would take, and there was a place called the Essence of Tranquility Mineral Baths nearby.
When traveling particularly, there is the tension between doing something and experiencing the journey. Yesterday, for example, I passed on a Desert Vegetation Arboretum, as well as the Besh-Be-Gowah archaeological excavation site, even though they were both directly on my route. And if a point of interest is a half mile or more off the road I’m riding on, there’s no way I’m going to see it.
So did I do anything yesterday? Or, more germanely, did I miss out on anything? Today, I rode 5 miles off my route to spend the night at a ticky-tacky “spa” with a Carneval/Broadway Musical themed bathroom and a sign in the common area that says it “is NOT a bunk house, dorm, flophouse, or sleeping area in any way shape or form!”
Said bathroom decor.
One way to look at it is that skipping the archaeology got me here, and I like old Native American stuff. Was it the right choice? How am I to answer that? But here I am in the present again.
Here’s what I did do today:
1. Grocery shopping at Basha’s, a regional chain. Everyone pronounces it “Bashes,” and I was sure they must be mistaken, maybe Americanizing another language, until I heard Joe Basha himself say it that way in an add over the intercom.
2. Laundry. The laundromat had two wrinkled, gossipy ladies instead of a change machine and a soap dispenser. They wouldn’t let me use the restroom, but pointed me to a back corner that “everyone always used” so I could change into some regular pants and wash the bike shorts I was wearing for the second day. They were also a wealth of information about the two possible routes I was considering riding.
3. Checked in at the Chamber of Commerce information center. The gentleman at the desk looked through phone books and maps to help me figure out if a campground I was thinking about stopping at still existed. He had met the Wandering Wheels group a few days ago when they stayed at his church. He got another woman to help look up weather on the Internet to help me decide on a route. So friendly, and such a difference from the naysayers at the Globe office! Then he went and helped another traveller who wandered in jump his car.
4. Lunch. The Chamber of Commerce recommended a couple of places downtown. I ate at El Coronado, a breakfast quesadilla with green chiles. I have been told that green chiles are the first major regional difference I will encounter in Mexican food as I head east. Yum! Then I splurged on Fried Ice Cream. I mean, I rode 87 miles yesterday! I should have taken a picture of that. It was so delicious! Crispy and ice creamy. I will not be passing up fried ice cream again, I suspect.
5. Biked to the spa. Five slow miles. Good thing I wasn’t going any further for the day. Plus, it was one o’clock by the time I headed out there. Tomorrow I will start really early, I promise.
6. 7. 8. 9. Soaked, did yoga, and laid around. Played a 57 point Scrabble word! Guess I’ll eat dinner at some point and soak some more.
Wednesday, April 6
Oak Flat Campground to Thatcher, AZ
87 miles
This is supposed to be looking back on a long downhill. It’s hard to tell from the picture.
Here’s my bike leaning. My kickstand disappeared sometime yesterday. Finding somewhere to lean it when I take breaks on the road is an ongoing challenge.
I wasn’t done climbing when I left camp this morning, as it turns out. But I had already mostly passed the worst of it. There was a lot of wonderful downhill into Globe, and a lot of the day left. A storm looked like it was about to come over the hills any minute, but it was creating a tailwind. A local cyclist urged me to stay in Globe and weather the storm. The ladies at the tourist information office had no information at all. The reservation casino RV park 12 miles down the road told me over the phone they wouldn’t take tents, even if you rode in on a bike.
I went to Jack in the Box and had a milkshake while I considered my options. If I passed the casino, it would be about another 25 miles to the next campground, but that would take me nine miles off route. But if I passed that up, I’d have to get to Thatcher, which would be about 85 miles for the day.
I pulled out my rain jacket and went for it. It rained, but only for a few minutes. I soared downhill for almost 20 miles, riding between 20 and 30mph. The tailwind pushed me past the first campground turn off! On to Thatcher!
After my rest days, I’m able to stay on the bike for much longer periods at a stretch. My butt is getting used to the saddle. So I felt pretty good all around. About five miles later, the tailwind gave out. The downhill gave way to rolling hills, most a little more up than down. I just kept going.
The terrain eventually evened out, but the tailwind remained elusive. For a short time, i had a headwind! I met a runner going the other way. He’d started in my Miami, and had a cooler of beer, among other things, in his jog stroller. He told me I wasn’t the only crazy one out here!
Check out Milton at 100daysofmadness.com
I kept going.
Mile 74
The landscape was awesome today, as in horrible and wonderful at the same time. There was so much empty space, and I just rode right through it. I even managed to carry enough water.
I ended at a motel in Thatcher. I tried to stop five miles earlier, in Pima. I frightened residents dining at a Tastee Freeze with an apparently wild-eyed request for a campground or an RV park. Except for one woman, who just wanted me to move so she could see the ice cream flavors. There used to be a little motel right next door, but it was shut down.
I rode the last five miles in the dark, holding my headlamp in my mouth. It would take too long to explain how it came to that, but it gave me the best angle of the light on the road. The tailwind even sort of came back.
There’s something pretty satisfying about just throwing all my stuff all around a hotel room. Today was an awesome day!
Tuesday, April 5
Apache Junction to Oak Flat Campground, 4 miles east of Superior
35 miles
The ride today was great until I started climbing into Superior. Then it still felt pretty good, until I bonked, which means just falling apart exhausted, I guess. I ate a sandwich less than 3 miles from town to stave off the bonking, but it didn’t help. After barely making it there, because it was up a slight hill, I wandered around the grocery store, examining everything and being very indecisive. I finally bought a tuna helper dinner and went back down the road a bit to a restaurant. I ate another lunch and sat still for about two hours. I looked at my maps and made a list of what else I needed from the store. I quickly got my water and milk, then headed to the post office to mail home another pound of excess stuff. Unfortunately, this did not offset the nearly eight pounds of water I had taken on to finish the days ride, camp overnight, and ride another 13 miles in the morning without a place to refill.
And the rest of the day was uphill, a lot. And there was a tunnel. I couldn’t really spin at all for most of the climb. I pedaled as much as I could, and rested whenever I came to a pullout. I walked and pushed the bike for a few stretches, just to vary muscle use. It was hard and slow, but doable. The tunnel was loud, and kind of scary. I couldn’t stop in it, but I sure was glad to take a break as soon as I could after I got out.
Taking a break at the first pullout after the tunnel.
When I got to my campground, I thought I might have basically gotten to the top of the hill, though the pass looks like it’s still further along on my map. I felt like I could have kept riding the 15 to 20 miles to the next camping spot if I knew I’d completed most of the climbing. But I didn’t know. I pulled into Oak Flat Campground, National Forest service, free, but also dry. With cattle grazing in it.
I immediately came across Al, a climber. We spent the rest of the evening chatting about India and Nepal, yoga, Patagonia, Bend, Oregon, and how my gear is too heavy. We met another camper who belongs to the Gold Prospector’s Association of America. Al shared his dinner with me, a delicious curry he threw together. The prospector started to ask me if I get lonely traveling by myself, then looked around at the three of us talking and stopped short.
Monday, April 4, 2011
Pheonix to Apache Junction
42 miles
If you look closely, you can see needles in my shoulders and forehead.
Last night, Jessica filled me full of needles to get me ready to ride again. Chi was moving everywhere! I could still feel it moving around this morning, particularly in my neck and shoulders. I still don’t always know what acupuncture is doing, but it’s doing something! She also fed me a great breakfast. I am so grateful for how well my friends have taken care of me as I travel!
Today was slow, as there was a lot of navigating and stop and go getting out of the city. I rode through Pheonix, Tempe and Mesa. I passed the historic governor’s mansion early in the day, and Fitch Field, winter home of the Cubs, later. Mesa has got the best bike lanes I think I have ever seen. The lanes are nearly wide enough for a car, and there are special crosswalk buttons placed where cyclists can get to them without having to dismount or go up on the sidewalk.
The Old Governor’s Mansion
Quick Trip is my new favorite convenient store. The have at least 15 different slurpee flavors. I had frozen Horchata. It was just the thing for a hot afternoon in the desert. Though not that hydrating.
A cyclist named Elvis rode with me for about a mile today. He’s planning a trip from Canada to Baja in the summer. He makes sure to always stop at Dairy Queens when he travels by bike, even ones that are closed because they’ve burned.
I chatted with three older cyclists out for a day ride in Mesa, as well, and with a number of other friendly, curious people at gas stations and stoplights today.
I’m camped at a KOA tonight, which is like luxury camping accommodations. I did a little yoga when I got here, cooked dinner, and sat in the jacuzzi for a while. I have a noisy neighbor who’s having a problem with his girlfriend, unfortunately.
There are some big climbs coming up the next few days. It will be interesting to see how they compare to the first two days out of San Diego. I have so much to be grateful for on this trip, but I wouldn’t mind that tailwind finally showing up!
Sunday, April 3, 2011
Phoenix
No riding
This morning I slept in a lot! Lovely! Then I was very excited to have a cantaloupe for breakfast, because I am certainly not going to carry a cantaloupe on the bike. Way too heavy! I spent some time reviewing my maps, and have a pretty good idea of how the next few days might go.
We went to Landis Bike Shop and I got my new Armadillo heavy duty tires. The old ones served me well, but their time had come. The hipster mechanic with turquoise ear plugs at Landis was horrified by my bulging tire. “It’s like you just carried a bomb in here!”
After replacing the tires, he checked out the brakes and the shifting. There was some tension between him and the tattooed mechanic, who thought he was doing it wrong. Jessica convinced ear plugs he needed acupuncture while tattoos took over the bike checking. He realized the hose clamp Ben had rigged to attach the third water bottle cage was not letting the derailleur shift into my lowest gear. He took out the shim, giving me another, lower gear! That was an unexpected gift! There are some big climbs coming up, too.
Then Jessica and I went on a Midwestern rampage down memory lane.
Subs at Jimmy Johns!
Jessica and Gracie showing off Culver’s frozen custard! (which is exactly the same as Julie Ann’s in Crystal Lake, even in Arizona)
Well, back on the road tomorrow, new and improved!
Friday, April 1, 2011, part 2
Aguila to Wickenburg, AZ
25 miles
After spending midday in the Aguila library, I headed to the Coyote Flats cafe at the edge of town for a late lunch. I had decided to head for Wickenburg starting around 3pm to get closer to my day off in Pheonix. If all went well, I would make it there before dark. The elevation profile on my map showed a small uphill, and what looked like a long downhill to a town by a river. I had called the campground, and they said they had a little patch of grass all ready for me! The wind didn’t seem to be blowing much at all.
I was to stay on highway 60 to Wickenburg, and so far it was a very low traffic road with a large shoulder and a pretty smooth surface. I was pretty sure I could get there before dark, but also felt reasonably comfortable about having to ride in the dark under those conditions if necessary.
Well, it was a terrific ride! I was able to stay in my middle chain ring for most of the flatter parts. Riding yesterday for a little while without panniers reminded me of another riding strategy. Even if I wasn’t climbing, I could change into a higher gear, stand up to pedal a ways, and then coast with one foot down, then stand up again and coast on the other side. It gave my seat some much needed time off the saddle. It also worked well because I feel much more comfortable handling the bike with all the gear on it. There were a few short, easy climbs, occasionally with the tiniest breath of a tailwind, and then the last eight or so miles I coasted downhill into the river valley.
I was at the CVS at the edge of town buying new sunscreen by 5:30, well before dark. The owner of the Aztec campground was thrilled to see I had arrived so early, and eat to show off “the only grass between here and San Diego.” I didn’t want to mention I had spent the previous night on a grassy football field in Salome. She also told me about the 23 neutered feral cats that lived around the tent area, who would likely scatter at the sight of me. I just wanted a shower.
As I was pulling out my camping gear, I knocked over bike. Setting it back upright, I noticed a strange bulge in the back tire. It looked most like a snake that had swallowed a mouse. I called Ben immediately. I can change an inner tube if I need to, but I’m lucky to have him as my mobile technical support. He explained to me how to deflate the tire and squeeze around it, to make sure the inner tube was even all around. I’d seen him do that a hundred times. They didn’t help, so that meant the tire was basically ready to burst and I would need a new one.
The campground owner’s husband and two locals were sitting around smoking, and they confirmed the diagnosis. They also assured me I couldn’t get “special” tires like that around here. Maybe a cheap one that could get me to Phoenix, 50 miles away, til I could get the right ones. They also thought they knew of a bike shop 30 miles away.
I turned to facebook. Maybe a friend from Phoenix could drive up and get me? Then I noticed my friend Levi was driving from his home in Vegas to Phoenix the next day. The locals said he’d pass right by here. Through the magic of facebook, I tracked down his phone number, and we arranged for him to arrive around 10am!
Saturday, April 2, 2011
Wickenburg to Pheonix
50ish miles in the car
Through a mis-set alarm clock, Levi arrived at 8am instead of 10. At 7:45, I noticed his text telling me to expect him earlier, and five minutes later he was greeting me while I scrambled to pack everything up, which really doesn’t take that long.
Levi and his wife Jaq are burner friends from San Diego. They moved to Las Vegas a few years ago to save money to start Jaq’s fashion business. He’s younger than me, but has had a long and interesting life so far, including the preposterous (to me) job of selling speakers out of a van at stoplights, basically. He dreams of someday leading his Apache people to create a sovereign state. If anyone could do it, I think he could! It’s so fun to listen to his stories! We drove through Phoenix to Tempe to have breakfast at one of his favorite places from college before he dropped me off at Jessica Ahl’s acupuncture office. It was a great and serendipitous start to the day.
Jessica Ahl and I have known each other since the 3rd or 4th grade. We both went to ISU, and recently reconnected through both facebook and last summer’s 20th high school reunion. She had generously offered her place to stay as I rode through. It was finally time for my day off!
I hung out in her cozy office with her Chinese Crested dog, Gracie, until she was finished seeing clients. Gracie looks like a little black dragon. She can’t walk right now, which is thought to be a reaction to vaccinations. She loves to sit in your lap and go places, though. Next, we headed out to Hudson Park to meet up with the local acroyogis for their weekly jam! I had spent the last few days playing “I think I’ll be able to get there! Oh no, I won’t make it,” with two acroyoga friends on facebook who I know from Jason and Chelsey’s workshops. In the end, I was able to be there, but Amber and Shana weren’t!
Later, Jessica gave me her quick tour of some cute neighborhoods. I love to see how craftsman homes are so distinctive in different areas! The ones in Phoenix have more Spanish adobe-looking elements, often with very large Southern-style porches. We also got locally made ice cream for a treat. Yum! We sat up talking late into the night, reminiscing as well as catching up on the intervening years.
What a joyful day, to not only have everything work out so smoothly, but also to connect with another welcoming acroyoga community, as well as two wonderful friends!
Friday, April 1, 2011
Salome to Aguila, AZ
28 miles
Dan from Alaska, Coach, and I
I said goodbye to the Wandering Wheels this morning after breakfast. They’ll be riding about twice as far and, of course, twice as fast, as me from here on out. They are a religious-inspired group, and at their breakfast meeting they discussed their responsibility to take care of the sojourner. I felt very lucky to receive their generosity and their friendship. They also kind of reminded me of The Circus Kingdom, the circus group I traveled with in college that was headed by a Methodist minister.
After being so burned out yesterday, I was looking forward to a short 30 mile day. All the locals had said it was going to get up to 98 degrees as well, so I wanted to get off the road as soon as possible. My first five miles, to the town of Wenden, went super fast, at 13mph! I stopped for water at the only thing that appeared open.
I guess there’s a lake around here somewhere!
I slowed down from there, encountering a small headwind on and off. I stopped often in patches of shade.
There weren’t that many patches of shade, so I tried to stop when I found them.
I pulled in to Aguila about 10:30. I mailed home one pound six ounces of stuff I don’t need. It might not seem like much, but it’s worth it to get rid of it when I have to carry it all.
I’m currently spending the afternoon in the bustling Aguila, pop. 600, library. There’s a lot of hubbub surrounding a girl, maybe 10 years old, who’s on crutches because she jumped off her roof. Everyone knows everyone here.
I feel surprisingly strong, so I’m considering going another 24 miles after it starts cooling down again.
Thursday, March 31, 2011
Quartzite to Salome, AZ
40 miles
My campsite in Quartzite on Thursday morning. Good thing I went all the back to the tent area! I might I have been in the way, otherwise. As it was, I wasn’t sure if I was in a site or in the road.
Still no tailwind. I started out on interstate 10 this morning for about ten miles. there was no crosswind, either, so it made riding on the freeway more comfortable. The Wheelers had spent the night in Blythe, about 20 miles behind me, but I figured they’d start passing me by the time I got off the freeway. Ten, fifteen, twenty miles, and still no Wheelers. It was getting really hot and I was feeling tired and crabby.
On the way in to the “town” of Hope, I saw a sign for a section of highway that had been adopted by the Little Church of Hope. I bleakly read it as the “Church of Little Hope.”
This sign leaving town didn’t make me feel any better, either.
The scrappy desert landscape full of decaying RV’s was getting to me, too. All I kept thinking was, “Watch out, Arizona, industrious brown people are coming to disrupt your way of life! They’re coming for your dust!”
As I limped toward my 30th mile, I saw a large sign up ahead. I couldn’t quite make it out, but I just kept repeating, “Please let it be a restaurant that is still in business AND open! Please!” It was! Dos Amigos, a Mexican place. It had a lovely patio area with shade and fountains and pots for sale, but I just wanted to be inside. I drank raspberry tea and ate chips for a good hour, and I finally caught a glimpse of one of the Wheeler’s neon green jerseys passing by.
I left the restaurant, not really feeling refreshed. A few blocks up–imagine the distance, without anything in it–was another cafe. The Wheeler’s truck was in front and a number of bikes were leaned against it. I had to go around a very new and oddly placed roundabout to turn left. Perhaps they are anticipating rapid expansion from nothing to something in the area. I went in to sit down some more and say Hello. They were all pretty tired from the heat, too, and glad there were only 10 miles left. Coach agreed to let me camp with them again, this time in a high school gym.
Feeling beat, I also asked if I could throw my panniers in the truck for the last bit. They’ll get out ahead of me tomorrow, and I won’t see them again, so I figured I should take advantage of the opportunity when it was available. That was a treat! Though even without most of my gear, I still couldn’t keep up with Dan, and two self-supported riders from Germany passed me going uphill!
We couldn’t get in to the gym until after 4:00, so we all relaxed in the Cactus Bar since we rolled in to town about 2:00. It was cool and dark, and it was nice to be part of the group as more and more riders arrived. I had heard that there used to be an ice cream place next door, and I was a little disappointed it wasn’t there any more.
At the school, a few of us set up our tents on the grassy football field, while most put out bedrolls in the gym. I did yoga in the grass, which was delightful after so much prickly sand everywhere. I flew Dan and Betsey, the younger members of the group, and another one of the older riders, and they all loved it! I was happy to be able to give back a little acroyoga to this group that had taken me in for a few days. I taught Dan how to base folded leaf, too. Releasing the lower back is really helpful for cyclists!
The Wandering Wheels have their own cook trailer. Their set up is really great!
I’ll really miss this welcoming and inspiring group!
Wednesday, March 30
Palo Verde to Quartzite, AZ
44 miles
Dan from the Wheelers passed me again this morning, even though I left before they had even started breakfast! He stopped and took some pictures of me riding, though.
I made great time (for me) on the 20 miles in to Blythe this morning. Just over two hours! It was pretty flat and windless, right up until I could see the freeway ahead of me. I needed to cross over it and turn right, and a sudden headwind made that slow. After the right turn, the wind was a little weird, but not really affecting me.
I found Dan at Starbucks, as well as two other self-supported riders, Jerry and Galen, a father and son. They were also heading to Quartzite, having started in Ramona, but they were only going as far as Salome, AZ, where Jerry’s wife was at a horse show. I had first met them at Ripley, nine miles back, and they had quickly gotten ahead of me, of course.
From my calculations, I had 27 miles ahead of me for the day. (It turned out to be 24.) I spent nearly two hours at Starbucks, blogging and snacking and texting. I also chatted with a Harley rider named JD, who had lost a foot and was really into camping. The way to do this ride is to take it slow and stop a lot. A nice break in the middle of the day is really helpful, but this was the first day since the first day of my ride where there was somewhere relaxing to sit for a while. You can only stop by the side of the road for so long when it’s too hot or too cold out, and there’s nowhere to go but the shoulder where you’re standing. I haven’t been so thrilled to see a Starbucks for a long time!
I stopped at the grocery store on the way out of Blythe and ran into another group of Wheelers. They were having a short day to do laundry and whatnot, and Blythe was their destination. As I returned to the road, the wind grew stronger and stronger, and it wasn’t pushing from behind me.
Looking back after crossing the Colorado River into Arizona. The pedestrian/bike path is not well maintained.
I slowly made my way a few more miles to the Colorado River and the Arizona border. You have to walk across a pedestrian bridge on the north side of the 10 freeway. Then the route goes under the 10 and gets on the 10. The freeway has a huge shoulder, so it’s not to bad to ride on, but by now the wind was a strong and difficult crosswind, and the freeway was headed uphill.
Four miles on the freeway to a rest area seemed like it took forever, and it probably was nearly an hour, based on my speed. The climb wasn’t too steep; it was just long and windy. I rode and stopped, rode and stopped. The rest area had come highly recommended from one of the Wheelers who lived in the area. Apparently it had recently gotten a new water filter!
Unfortunately, I couldn’t really take advantage of the new water filter. As I attempted to fill my bottle at the drinking fountain, the water just blew away. Maybe they need some new faucets, too.
I met a woman named Kirsten, who was on her way to Truth or Consequences, New Mexico for a stint as an artist in residence. She was driving a hand-painted VW Eurovan with no air-conditioning from Davis, California. She said she had just started to feel sorry for herself with no AC when she saw me riding up the freeway! Then her directions blew out the window. We looked them up again on my iPad. Turns out she’s a burner, too. Perhaps we’ll see each other on the playa this year! (I have a picture of her, but can’t currently post it due to technical difficulties.) While we were talking, a man in a utilikilt stopped to say hello. It’s been so fun to meet so many great people over the last few days.
One of the rest area attendants also stopped to talk for a few minutes. He said he’d only had that job for a week, and already he’s seen at least a hundred cyclists heading cross-country!
About two miles after the rest area, the wind began to calm down. Though I continued to climb, it was a gentle slope, and I didn’t even have to be in my lowest gear the whole time. I couldn’t decide if I was feeling stronger, or if it was just an easy hill.
After about four more miles, I exited the freeway to a frontage road that ran past BLM free camping areas. It was pretty empty, as this is not really the season. I understand the population of the area balloons to a million over the winter, for the weather and the rock and gem shows. For me, it was about seven miles of downhill. It was a generally trending downhill, not a steep descent. Still, I only pedaled when absolutely necessary! I was parallel to the freeway, and that slope seemed about the same.
I rolled into Quartzite, found out which gravel lot trailer park accepts tents, and set up. I took myself out to pizza for a treat and did laundry. A few of the rock shops and flea markets are still open, but I would only buy something if it would make my gear weigh less than it does now. It’s hard to see all the sights when you’re traveling by bike, especially when you’re moving as slowly as me, but I think I didn’t miss out on anything today.