Rose Pedals . . .: Ways to Beat the Desert Heat

Day 3
Tuesday, September 15, 2015
El Centro, CA to Blythe, CA
103 miles
1,883 feet of climbing

I am really starting to get the hang of dealing with the desert heat. Today was our last full day of riding through the desert, and I was able to do it with a minimum amount of suffering. I attribute my success to a couple of things. First, I have to thank God for the incredible tailwind we had all day. That helped us move along at a good pace, meaning less time on the road in that intense heat. I averaged almost 19 miles per hour for the day! Very unusual for me. Second, I have to thank fellow riders Bill and Jill, who gave me a tube sock (I forgot to pack one) that I filled with ice and wore around my neck. I kept refilling it with ice at each rest stop, and it kept me from overheating. The ice sock was the bomb! With all that going for me, I felt remarkably strong and energetic, despite the 100+ degree temperature and blazing sunshine. The miles clicked by fairly quickly as we rode up and over the rolling hills. We arrived in Blythe just before 2:00 p.m. Since we had plenty of time before our rooms were ready at the Quality Inn, Sid, Art and I rode over to the local McDonalds for a delicious and refreshing chocolate shake - an important recovery beverage. After we settled into our room, Art had a nice cold beer - another important recovery beverage. We had dinner at the local Sizzler, where no one even bats an eye when you go for your third trip to the ice cream machine. That's the kind world I want to live in - no shame. Hitting the sack early to rest up for a longer day tomorrow, as we cross over into Arizona.