Wickenburg to Tempe

We arrived in Tempe! The day started slowly as we window-shopped in Wickenburg until the Gold Rush Days opening ceremony, with the gunslinging demonstration (see photo). We finally got packed up by noon, had a Subway lunch, and hit the road at 12:30.

The ride was generally easy coming down from the mountains to town, so the miles passed quickly. Then we entered the Phoenix area with traffic and stoplights. I had figured that we could ride 75 miles in 5 hours, so we would have time to see the gun twirler. Unfortunately, we got lost, hit dead ends, and had to stop to rest a few times. By the time we got to Arizona State University, it was pitch dark and we were using lights the first time of the trip. So we stopped for a fast food supper. I tend to be overly optimistic about how fast we will travel.

Cara was waiting for us when we arrived at her home at 8:30. She showed us the map she was using to chart our progress (see photo.) So now we are settled in Tempe and plan to stay here 2 days and leave on Monday.

We traveled 80.4 miles today at an average speed of 12.9.

A note on fatigue: At the end of the first day we were exhausted, possibly from the long climbs. Since then we have ended our rides with plenty of energy. We do get saddle sore and tired legs, but riding and walking are so different that we are always ready to go for a long walk after a ride.

The truth from Ruth:

I had not planned to ever ride our bike in the dark. I thought it would be too dangerous. So when we were still about 23 miles from our destination and the sun was rapidly setting, I got kind of worried. I thought about what our choices were to avoid the darkness and finally decided that we would just have to go ahead and ride in the dark. We have two bright lights for the front and back of the bike, so after we strapped them on, I just stopped worrying. It turned out fine. The roads we were on after dark had less traffic than the ones we were on earlier, and since we were near Arizona State University, there seemed to be a number of students out on bikes, either without lights or with only one. I figured that people were probably used to looking for bikes in that area. We arrived safely. If you are wondering why this "truth from Ruth" is so much longer than my usual, it's because Cara is letting us use her computer. It's so much easier to type with a full keyboard!