Blythe, California to Wickenburg, Arizona
115 miles
7,744 ft. of climbing
Riding time: 8 hours
Today we would be leaving California and making our way into Arizona. By the end of the day, we’d be out of the desert and therefore will no longer be subject to heat stroke, hallucinations or hyponitrania. Our route started out on the shoulder of Interstate10. The two best things about riding on a major highway is that (1) there is always a wide shoulder, and (2) the draft you get when an 18-wheeler comes flying by you at 80 m.p.h. The two worst things about riding on a major highway is (1) all the potential tire-puncture debris on the wide shoulder, and (2) the scare you get when an 18-wheeler comes flying by you at 80 m.p.h. We would be gaining some elevation today, which means that the temperatures would be more tolerable than they are in the desert. In fact, today’s temp was predicted to be 92 degrees, winds out of the southeast with a 40% chance of thunderstorms. I’ll tell you, after the intense heat of the last two rides, a good soaking rain sounds pretty darn good!
The sights really got interesting after we left I-10 and got on Route 60. We passed a few humorous signs. One sign was for a gas company called “Passmore Gas & Propane.” Another sign as we rode out of Hope, Arizona, said, “You are now beyond Hope.”
One of the cool and interesting things about doing this ride is the local people you meet. We've encountered the nicest people. At stops, some passers-by will strike up a conversation with one of us and ask about the bike ride and wish us good luck and safe riding. This afternoon, as I was riding through a small town, I rode by a lady walking her dog, and she yelled out to me, "Be careful, it's going to rain today."
Another example of local hospitality - at our 2nd rest stop, Jim (one of the PAC Tour crew members) pointed us to a building a short distance down the road in town and told us that it was the Chamber of Commerce. Jim said they had heard about us, and told him we were welcome to use their restroom. We were really thrilled about this news because we generally have to find a secluded tree, bush or cactus, which isn't always easy. So, as we left the rest stop, we rode on over to the Chamber of Commerce, parked our bikes and walked in the front door. Wouldn't you know the Chamber members were actually having a meeting at the time - right where we walked in. There were like ten people sitting around a long table, having this official meeting, and here we were traipsing through the room in our stinky bike clothes, forming a line to use their one restroom. They didn't seem to be distracted by us at all - a few of them said hello, but they simply carried on with their meeting.
The route today had some climbing, but it was fairly gradually most of the way. Despite the dark clouds in the distance, we had a couple bouts of light rain, but nothing significant and no reason to put on rain gear. I found the light rain refreshing (although I could do without the chain lightening). The most difficult thing we had to deal with today was the wind: it was a pretty strong headwind in the morning, and then became a crosswind, which created a brief dust storm we had to ride through at one point. Nevertheless, our "treat" at the end of the day's ride - a 10-mile gradual descent right into Wickenburg. It was another great day on the bike.
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| Fueling up with a hearty PAC Tour breakfast |
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| Entering Arizona on I-10 |
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| Lance Armstrong look-alike contest winner |
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