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!

Salome to Wickenburg

The sky was bright blue after breakfast at the cafe so we bundled up against the 40 degree air and ignored the threatened rain.  The morning soon warmed up and we were back to our standard riding clothes.  Desert farmland soon gave way to plain desert with armies of saguaro cacti. 

We met a local cyclist, named Ron.  Then we met 2 other bikers riding across the country and rode with them a few miles until we stopped for lunch. They expect to do the whole thing in 40 days so they are riding much farther than we are today. 

We put in 57.5 miles today and our odometer said our average speed was 10.1.  We left Salome at 9:30 and arrived at Wickenburg at 4:30.  The wind was against us nearly the entire way. 

Then we checked into our motel and took the walking tour of the town.  There are incredibly life-like statues of historic people around the town and Ruth took up with a miner.

We bought a newspaper.  The top headline is "Cow/Vehicle Accidents Continue on US60."  It's that kind of town.

The truth from Ruth: I have to admit I've been getting a little tired of the small diners we have been eating in lately.  Food not so good and really expensive.  So my favorite part of today was finding a delicious Mexican restaurant with reasonably-priced food.  The small motels in the tiny towns don't usually have much in the way of amenities.  So I am enjoying the nice Best Western hotel we're staying at tonight.  It's got lotion and even a hair dryer - yay!

Quartzsite to Salome

We got off to a late start today.  The town of Quartzsite is a giant swap meet so we went exploring.  Then stopped at the museum and took the above picture of the model city.  We got on the road at 10:45 bundled up against the chilly air.  The day was a 42.1 mile ride through the desert.  Lots of saguaro cacti and beautiful desert and mountain scenery on the wide open road.

We stopped at a fruit stand and bought and ate a whole bunch of fruit: bananas, cherry tomatoes, an apple, carrots, and trail mix.  There were two big climbs but we made it there by 5pm before the rain started.

We passed through that tiny town of Hope.  The illegible sign in the picture above says "Your Beyond Hope".  And yes, the sign is misspelled.

I want to mention that yesterday after we checked into our motel, Ruth went for a 1.5 mile run.  We are feeling good and having a great time.

Palo Verde to Quartzsite

This morning we said goodbye to Nancy at 8:45.  The air was chilly in the desert was silent as a grave.  We were still trying to warm up and flush out the soreness from Monday when we crossed into farmland.  The cotton fields went on and on with a few other crops mixed in. 

After 29 miles we stopped for lunch at KFC.  And since today is Valentine's Day we stopped at some other stores and bought chocolate to celebrate.

With energy from the chocolate we pressed on into Arizona, a new state and new time zone!  Then up and over the mountains into the mining town of Quartzsite for a 52.6 mile day.

We checked into the Quartzsite Yacht Club Motel, which is made of mobile homes.  Then we watched the auction down the street for a few minutes and had dinner in the diner. 

The highlight of the day was when we got an email from our children pointing us to a website.  On this website was a valentine message just for us and recorded audio interviews of each of our children and 2 of our grandchildren.   Every year they do something special for us for Valentine's Day but this year we were so far away that we were totally surprised.

The truth from Ruth:
Today was my favorite cycling day so far.  We crossed the Colorado River and it was beautiful.  As we rode into Arizona, the land spread out wide before us.  The mountains in the distance were majestic, the sky was blue, and the sun was shining.  It was a glorious day.   
We decided to stop and get off the bike at least once every hour.  This really helps with sore and stiff muscles and joints.

Brawley to Palo Verde

Today (Monday 2/13) we got up at 6 am.  We've been sleeping like logs, so it was easy.  We got breakfast across the street at a donut shop and a Jack-in-the-Box.  Then we loaded the bike and rode to Vons for lunch food - cheese, ham, crackers, buns, and an orange.

We rode through flat farmland for maybe 20 miles, then 6 miles of sand dunes.  In Glamis we ate our lunch.  Then it was 39 miles of hilly, brush-covered desert.  When the terrain was too boring, we told each other stories from books we had read.  Even dull stories make the miles pass quickly.

Just before the end of our ride we found the sign pictured, assigning a name to someone's desert land.  So we and our mascot, The Wiz, have been to The Other Side.

We are spending the night at the home of Nancy Dean Mercury, who graciously provides a place for bikers to camp just south of Palo Verde.  She's a fascinating woman who has traveled the world and now teaches Yoga and does massage on cruise ships.

Overall, today was a nice ride of 68.4 miles with great weather, some tailwinds, and gentle hills.

Rest in El Centro and on to Brawley

We took the day off Saturday so we would be near an LDS chapel for church.  There was a camp breakfast where we made some friends.  Then we walked around camp to the patio sales where we bought some hats.  The day was spent swimming, reading, and napping until the dinner and sweetheart dance.  We were surprised when the MC announced our bike ride to the group of about 80 people.  Everyone was so friendly and nice and we had such a good time dancing the swing, jitterbug, polka, and chicken dance that we forgot to blog.

Sunday was another beautiful day.  We rode into town to the LDS chapel for church.  We were surprised to see some people we knew from San Diego.  There was also a couple from Utah staying in our campground that invited us to lunch.

Then we went to the camp ice cream social.  As we packed up to leave, campers gathered to see how we were going to fit everything on the bike.  We met so many nice people at the camp.  We'll always have fond memories of the time we spent there - dancing, food, parties, swimming and a beautiful golf course.  It must be one of the friendliest camps in the country.

At 3 o'clock on Sunday we made the short ride to Brawley for a total of 21.8 miles.  Now we're settled in a motel, well rested, and ready for a long ride tomorrow. 

The truth from Ruth:
It's been a fabulous 2 days!  The wind picked up on Saturday and I thought our tent might blow over!  But it didn't. The noise did not even keep me awake.