Day 3, Tuesday, September 10

Blythe, CA to Wickenburg, AZ -- 118 miles, 3,100' climbing

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.

Quote for the Day

"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