Back to Fast    Meet the Riders    Bamacyclist Home

Day 02
Another great day!

ROUTE: 1000 Palms to Blythe DISTANCE: 117 miles WINDS: Mostly tailwinds...crosswinds on the interstate.
WEATHER: Unseasonably mild...63 at departure and 89 in Blythe TERRAIN: Flat for 30, gentle climbing for 25, then mostly down to Blythe. TOTAL CLIMBING: 3350 feet

DAILY REPORT: 

When I awoke today, the weather channel said, "Calm Winds."  But all I could hear outside was something howling that sure sounded like wind.  When I opened my door, the palm trees were bending at the middle and fighting to stay upright.  The good news was that they were leaning in the direction we were riding...whew, saved my mother nature.  We walked next door to Denny's for breakfast in the dark and the walk back to the motel gave us an idea what it would have been like if we were going the other direction.  Actually, the wind normally blows favorably for us on this day...luckily, this was no exception. 

Today's route took us south out of Thousand Palms toward Mecca (not that Mecca...the one in California).  The first 25 miles of our route was on flat, dry desert terrain dotted with irrigated date farms and we found several small venders all along the road selling dates.  When I told the riders last night about the date stands, they all wore an extra bit of after shave this morning.  Sorry boys...it's not that kind of date! 

After Mecca and our first SAG, the next 20 miles was in a beautiful canyon with interesting hill formations that have be shaped by thousands of years of erosion.  I love this road, it's beautiful albeit we climbed the entire way to the interstate at about the 50 mile point.  After getting on the interstate, they still rose steadily until they got to Chiriaco Summit at 1700 feet.  Today was our first real day on the interstate riding.  We only rode a mile or two on the first day, but after today we'll spend lots of miles crossing AZ and NM on Interstates 10 and 40.  Today's portion of the interstate had a smooth shoulder except for a few miles around the last SAG and we picked up quartering tailwinds for most of the final portions.  So today's experience was a good one...all things considered.  

We have several interesting challenges when we ride on interstates.  Out west, if the interstate is the only road connecting areas, it is legal for bicycles to ride on the shoulder.  One of the challenges is not getting a flat tire.  Shoulders on the interstate are collecting grounds for debris that play havoc with bicycle tires...little wires off of radial tires are the biggest culprit, but there are lots of other sharp things that tear into our tires all along the shoulders.  Another challenge is negotiating the exit and entrance ramps with high speed traffic.  Luckily out in the west, the traffic is usually fairly light so, although dangerous, maneuvering through these hazards is not too difficult.  Finally, the biggest challenge for the staff is supporting everyone on divided highways.  When we go back to help someone, we cannot just cross over to the other side anywhere.  Sometimes we have to drive an additional 10 miles before we can turn around.  But in spite of all these "challenges" interstate is relatively safe. 

Today I got to ride from the General Patton's Museum at Chiriaco Summit to the finish.  This is the area where General Patton held his desert training during WWII.  After seeing this area, I can understand why it was an ideal spot. 

I shared the riding today with Shane again...I let him ride the "uphill" part...he's younger than I am and he was supposed to be waiting for me at the summit with Karen and Jay.  When I arrived at the summit, all I found was 3 riders about to leave.  I had parked in plain view in front of the store there but they were no where in sight.  I thought they must have ridden on without me...that was OK I probably didn't need to ride so far anyway.  I went to the bathroom and checked out the local milkshake waiting for the riders to get down the road a little piece before leaving...I was probably there for about 15 minutes and as I was about to pull out, Shane was standing by the van..."Where did you come from?" I asked.  We're sitting in the shade around the corner and have been here for about a half hour waiting for you...well, I've been here for 15 minutes I told him.  I had walked around all the buildings in the area, but they were sitting about 30 feet from where I was parked the whole time...geeze!  I almost pulled out and would have never seen them had Shane not gotten curious and walked around the corner.  I rode with Karen and Jay the rest of the day and since I was only riding 70 miles, we picked up the pace a few times when we had the chance.  At least enough to make me feel like I had a good workout...I surely wouldn't ride at that pace if I were riding the entire distance.  I haven't the miles in my legs yet to ride an entire day and still work in the evenings so I'm trying to ride a little every day for a short time.  I'll be ready to ride a full day by the time we get to Texas.

Everyone seems to be doing well.  No real problems...oh, we have a couple sore butts and minor bike issues, but the nice weather and temperatures for the desert have made these first two days very nice.  We usually have a couple people with heat issues but this trip the temps are only in the upper 80s and not in triple digits.

Sorry for the late entries on the net...I was having difficulty getting my server to respond...I think it's OK now.  Thanks for tuning in.  See you tomorrow as we enter our second state...Arizona.
DID I REALLY SAY THAT?:

"Now I know what they mean when they say, "Dry Heat."

"Yes the canyon was beautiful, but I hate Mike said this would be the most beautiful scenery we'd see on the trip and it's only day 2."
"Yeah, but where he lives he only sees cotton fields...so maybe this is the most beautiful scenery he's ever seen."

"Boy, I sure learned something from that last leg...never forget to get water from Barbara when she goes by.  It's really dry out there."

"I was standing there taking photos and all of a sudden it occurred to me that I might not be as high on the food chain as I'd like to be...are there mountain lions out here?"

 

 DID I REALLY DO THAT?:

Barb's van's radio doesn't work if the engine is turned off and she asked me if I'd changed the wiring to make it work.  I told her I hadn't and that the wiring wasn't long enough to get to a hot fuse...so I'd call her on the cell phone if she was camped at a SAG. 
She said, "But then I'll have to give my cell phone number to all the riders."
"Barb, the riders don't call you on the radio!"
"Oh yeah.  Never mind."

DID I REALLY SEE THAT?

In California not even the palm trees aren't real.

Secure in his masculinity, Geoff wasn't afraid to use the "Pink Pump."

Steve wasn't expecting to get his bike washed when he laid it in the grass at luggage load.  He had to scramble when the motel turned the sprinklers on.  Don't worry Steve, this is the desert, it will be dry in no time.

Augh!  Calf cramp!

The new ABB SAG support vehicle.

OK gang...let's tighten up that pace line!

Karen and Jay were riding so fast I had to remind them they were being watched.

We fully expect to see cattle skulls laying in the desert, but not a biker's helmet shell that we found beside the interstate.  The good news was, there were no bones laying nearby.

Copyright © 2007 by Bamacyclist  
All rights reserved.