Today was an excellent recovery/rest day for tomorrow, the hardest day of
the trip with 9,000' of climbing. We had very little climbing today and
the miles fell by quickly. I felt a little sick in the morning -- I've been
having trouble eating enough to make up for all of the calories I've been
burning the last two days -- and decided I needed to ride by myself today and
take it easy. As soon as I dropped off of the pace line I was riding in I felt
much happier. Usually when I decide a pace line is going a little too fast for
me, I immediately regret dropping off on my own as I see the steamliner
disappearing rapidly in front of me. Today, however, I felt relieved to be
going my own pace. At the second rest stop I had some salt and felt much
better after that, so I may have just been a little electrolyte depleted. I
did tell Susan I wasn't feeling well and she ordered some special food for me
that is easier to digest and that helped tremendously, too.
I spent most of the day spacing out, not even thinking about the fact that I
was on a bike or how far I had to go to the next stop or anything about what I
had to do next. I just rode. I didn't even look at the scenery really. I
didn't have to navigate either, since I don't think there was a single turn
for 120 miles between the two hotels. When I got to the rest stop after lunch
I thought, "Oh isn't that nice of them to put a rest stop here." I hadn't been
expecting another stop until the hotel, I hadn't even bothered to check for
one on the route sheet.
Gratuitous photo of the Wickenburg city limit sign. |
Since all I cared about for the day was feeling well and riding, I didn't even
take very many pictures.At the end of the day, however, I felt guilty about
not properly documenting my experience and did take one token photo of the
Wickenburg city limit sign.
Wickenburg is by far the nicest town we've stayed
in yet. For dinner I got a sandwich, smoothie, and piece of apple pie at a
funky ice cream shop, whereas the last two nights we ate at Sizzler and
Denny's. The hotel here is gorgeous, too, although I have a feeling I better
not get too used to either the decent food or the nice room. Yesterday, all I
could see on the main drag in Blythe were motor lodges and gas stations -- the
town seemed to be designed for people to pass through it. In El Centro the day
before, when I stopped to call the hotel for directions after getting lost,
the only pay phone I could find was at a deserted gas station. Overall, I'm
amazed at how much nothing we've been riding through.
I'm nervous about tomorrow. I'm glad I had a large dinner and plan to get lots
of sleep tonight. If I make it through tomorrow I feel like I can make it
through just about anything on the trip. The day is also my birthday -- and
the first anniversary of September 11 -- so everything feels very ominous. I
think because of my birthday I'd feel extra disappointed if I have a hard day
or am too slow to finish, but this whole ride is meant to be an adventure
anyway, so I might as well be open minded and try to enjoy whatever happens.
"I understood that no highway went on for long without getting rough, but I
couldn't break myself of the notion that whenever I hit good road it would
hold to the end. I just couldn't remember cycles, the circles."
-- William Least Heat Moon, Blue Highways