Day 37 74 miles 4668 feet of climbing 11.9 ave

Brawley CA to Julian CA

When we woke up this morning we all knew only 140 miles remained to complete our transcontinental journey. The Pacific Ocean and the end of our ride in Oceanside was closing in on us fast. That distance could be completed in one day but we decided two days would be more reasonable. Once in Oceanside there would be plenty to do preparing for our departure for the east coast and home. Large cities have busy roads and they are always best traveled in the light of day for safety.

You know you are getting close to the California shore when you hear “The Surfing Report” on the news channel.

Today the heat of the dessert would not take us by surprise. Our bikes would have plenty of fluids on board this time.

None of us really expected so much dessert to be in California. We had all thought the largest part would have been in Arizona. But most of the Arizonian dessert expanses are actually just south of our route.

We still had at least 50 miles of dessert in California left with temperatures again well over 100 degrees before we would start a big climb to Julian CA.

Unlike the east coast, off-road use by ATV’s and other four-wheel drive vehicles is legal in many places. Along our route we have passed thousands of acres of land put aside for this use. Immense sand dunes and miles of dessert roads are there to transverse. This time of year the dunes are empty though. The off road season shuts down April just before the heat turns on. They start up again in October.

About thirty miles into our desert crossing we came upon the Blu-In grocery store. This is a small store in the middle of the dessert being operated by three friendly women. They told us the store is a very busy place during off-road season but now is slow. A couple of their kids were playing Monopoly on one of the tables. We sucked down glass after glass of ice tea and loaded our bottles with water. The store had a “Go RAAM” sign in front of the building. Remember RAAM (Race Across America) is the route we are following. And in fact we should soon see the first of the bicycle racers going by tomorrow if we are lucky.

The women took our photo for the stores web site being impressed with our adventure. http://www.bluincafe.com/ Is their URL address.

Today our route would take us from below sea level to over 4000’ feet. All of this elevation gain was in one short steep climb off the desert floor up the mountain to Julian.

It is amazing to watch the sparse dessert brush change into pines in just a couple thousand feet of climbing. One of the first things you notice is sweat appearing on you skin. In the dessert our skin was dry as the sweat evaporated before it even had a chance to cool us. This would be the final climb of the tour. From the top of this mountain we basically have a downhill ride to sea level.

Day 36 90 miles 2194 feet of climbing 13.3 ave

Blythe CA to Brawley CA

Who turned up the heat?

Things change fast when you venture into the dessert as we found out today. Our day started at 7:30 AM with an air temperature of 62 degrees and by noon we were roasting like pork sausage links at 104! Oh but it is dry heat…. Yea right, the sweat never has a chance to cool your skin it vaporizes before it even emerges.

104 is the temperature in the shade. The temperature in the direct sunlight is much hotter. And as any car racing fan will tell you the asphalt (track temp) is always much higher. That additional heat radiates up off the pavement at a cyclist .

Our little traveling band left Blythe and headed south towards Brawley CA. The terrain was flat and winds light so we were making good time for the first few cool morning hours.

The sun started getting higher in the sky and the sparse vegetation became even thinner as we pushed forward. The few houses and farms soon disappeared and all we had left was a baron scorched landscape. We had also reached our lowest elevation of the tour. Lower than any of us have ever ridden a bicycle before. 90 feet BELOW sea level!!

We all loaded spare water bottles in the morning and figured we should have plenty. The first available fluid stop appeared to be about 60-65 miles away in Glamis CA. It really was not all that hot out right now anyway. Well we were dead wrong on that calculation. About half way to Glamis it was apparent we were not going to make it on water.

Running out of water in the desert seems like a bad way to go for sure. Without some more fluids we would be in trouble. Ken waited for the next car to pass and put his hand up like he was drinking water with out having a bottle. Bingo the car turned around and the driver offered the two bottles of water he had in his car to us. Next was a pick-up truck and they stopped and turned around after seeing the same hand signal. They had about a half-gallon to share. More great Americans. This should be all we need now.

Well as that sun beat down on us more and the temperature went up the water supply again started looking bleak. We would make it but it would be ugly.

Then about 20 miles from the Glamis we came upon on a US Border Patrol checkpoint. Joe pulled right in and asked for water. They gladly filled our bottles with nice cold water. What water we had left was already at least 100 degrees.

Then a car pulled into the checkpoint. He rolled down his window and said “Hey I saw you guys in Cottonwood Arizona a couple of days ago”. He was a contractor returning from a job somewhere in California. “You are easy to spot with the bright yellow shirts and bags.” That is a good thing to hear, at least we stick out in traffic.

Just as we were about to leave the Border Patrol checkpoint they told us the store we were counting on in Glamis may not even be open this time of year. That was not what we wanted to hear.

Lucky for us when we arrived it was open. We drank our fill and then some. We also purchased a few additional bottles to take with us. Even this cold water was warm as tea within 30 minutes. Hot water is very unsatisfying in the sizzling heat BUT it is much better than no water at all.

Tomorrow we will not make the same mistake with fluids.

Again our daily mileage was determined by the availability of a sleep spot as everyday is. With the desert heat and lack of watering holes we stopped at 90 miles.

Day 35 63 miles 1576 feet of climbing 12.8 ave

Salome AZ to Blythe CA

As soon as the sun came up we made our escape from the dingy red light motel. One nice thing about staying at a dumpy motel it gets you on the road quicker in the morning. We picked the bed bugs and other critters off our bodies hopped on the bikes and made a quick getaway.

The next available sleep spot was either at 65 miles or 150 miles away. Our route takes us into such remote areas the availably of motels is very limited. Knowing today we would be entering the final state of the tour we opted for the short day. That way we could get the laundry done and hopefully get to bed at a reasonable time for a change.

Arizona is a very mountainous state. Every time we cleared one set of mountains another massive mound of mountains appeared in front of us. This all started to change as we approached the state of California. For the first time since we left Connecticut we actually descended more than we climbed. We are now at elevation 250’. A far cry from the 10,800’ we were at a few days ago.

The wind gods were not as harsh on us today. The 30+ mph winds of blowing dust and heat were replaced with light winds and mild temperatures.

The Arizona landscape stayed flat and bland. Patches of saguaro and prickly-pear cactus mixed in with the low brush. Most places we passed were closed for the summer. Unlike the east coast where establishments close for the winter, here summer is the harsh season. It is not uncommon for temperatures to reach over 100 degrees for weeks at a time.

Today would be a new experience for all of us. We will actually be riding on an interstate highway for the first time…ever. This is legally allowed in Arizona on the approach to the California border. We merged onto I-10 about 32 miles from the border. A sign on the entrance ramp said for bicycles to say on the shoulder and off the roadway. Duhhhh. With the highway speed limit at 75mph and semi’s buzzing by we had already figured that much out.

Believe it or not the 32-mile highway ride was not all that bad. The shoulder was plenty wide and traffic light. The smooth surface and gentle grades made for some fast riding for a change.

The final major river crossing was just ahead. We have crossed the Connecticut, Hudson, Mississippi, Missouri and even the Rio Grande rivers. Now it will be the Colorado. The Colorado River is clean and dark turquoise almost like the Caribbean Ocean is. It is a truly beautiful site to see.

At the center of the bridge we saw the sign. “California State Line” ….. Wow, that sure is a long way from Niantic, Connecticut.

Once over the bridge we had to touch the Colorado. A boat launch just below the bridge served this purpose well. The air temperature was over 90 degrees and the cool river water felt nice even if it was only for a minute or too.

Blythe, CA would be our sleep spot for tonight. Unlike western Arizona this city had plenty of motels to choose from. We do not need the Ritz-Carlton or Hilton but please not another dump tonight.

We stopped at the first few nice hotels and shopped price. When we checked at the Regency Inn and Suites the manager at the desk recognized us! Hey, I saw you guys a couple hours ago on the highway outside Quartzite AZ.

Come to find out she was the regional manager for this chain and was traveling in from Phoenix at the time. She asked of our journey and was impressed with our feat. We then found out she had just completed her first full marathon and had the medal to prove it. Having suffered for 26 miles in the heat running she knew what it took to ride cross-country. For this we were given a nice room for a mere $49! THANKS!

Today may have been one of our easiest cycling days of the tour and was welcomed.

Day 34 102 miles 3676 feet of climbing 11.6 ave

Prescott, AZ to Salome AZ

And let the beatings continue…….

The wind has become sick and tired of the light and fluffy daily reports we have been posting lately. The wind no longer wants to hear about nature’s scenic beauty, perfect weather or the good bike spirits being with us. The cycling fantasy world we have rode for the past few days came to an end today.

Our morning started with the sun shining and pleasantly cool temperatures. Prescott is in the higher elevations of Arizona around 6000 feet. We left the Hampton Inn at 7:15 and started a relatively easy climb over the mountain.

Once we cleared the mountaintop a winding road of switchbacks appeared below us. This turned out to be one of the better downhills of the tour. Fast turning and with only one-way traffic made this decent fun and fast.

But the fun and games ended abruptly at the valley floor when the wind handed down its sentence……20 to 25 mile per hour head winds without the possibility of parole.

The beautiful and colorful rock formations of the last few days were replaced with a bland flat landscape of low-lying brush and occasional cactus.... But at least you still had the surrounding mountains to look at in the distance through the clear sky. The wind was a steady 20 to 25 mph blowing in our face.

The wind robs you of one of you important cycling senses. That sense is hearing. All cyclists use their ears as well as their eyes and mirror to detect approaching traffic. When you have the wind screaming in your ears you loose the “eyes in the back of your head” so to speak.

About 15 miles outside the town of Congress we spotted another cyclist with panniers. He was flying from the opposite direction with the wind at his back.

The rider an economics teacher on his way to Chicago from San Diego. He was no cyclo-touring amateur either. Harley (the cyclist) was on his 9th tour from the west coast to Chicago! He was using part of the RAAM route as were we on this trip. Just before we departed he spotted one of Ken’s custom made mirrors and asked about it. “Email me when you get back home and I will make you one” Ken told him. We exchanged information and parted ways.

I think the wind was upset with our momentary socializing with Harley. It did not like the smiles on our faces as we chatted. It only likes to see pain and suffering.

Our little wagon train was now in for even more punishment. Our new sentence would be 25 to 30 mile per hour winds heated like a blast furnace to 90+ degrees. And the clincher, this would be high winds of blowing dust off the baron landscape. The huge mountains we once could see in the distance became nearly invisible now by the blowing dust.

Just what a cyclist needs to make for a perfect day. Heat, headwinds and air filled with fine dust to breathe. Gosh what else could anyone want? Air to ground lightning?

The availability of water to replenish supplies on the bikes in this part of Arizona are few and far between. And as far as motels go…. well forget it. We knew there were only two choices about 100 miles down the road. The “International Inn” …sounds impressive right? And another real sweetheart, the infamous Sheffler’s Motel. We could see the “International” was a real low life dump directly connected to the local bar. We went with Sheffler’s.

We knew this was a nice town when we stopped at the town’s only grocery store. The outside of the establishment was completely surrounded by a six-foot tall steel bar fence with razor wire garnishing the top. The windows and doors also had bars covering them. After we passed through the open gate I was not sure if this was a store or the entrance to San Quentin.

When we arrived at Sheffler’s we knew this was a 5-Star motel. The glowing red neon tubes surrounding the building was a dead give away. We asked the 150 year old women running the place where we could get some dinner locally. Well in the town of Salome AZ there are no restaurants. Just a gas station that will fix a flat change your oil and whip you up the most disgusting pizza you could ever want.

This would be our reward for a day of pain and suffering. Undercooked gas station pizza and a sleaze bag motel. Got to love it….

Day 33 88 miles 6167 Feet Of Climbing (Basically one BIG hill…ouch!)11.7 ave

Flagstaff AZ to Prescott AZ

We left Flagstaff for Prescott AZ under bright sunshine and warm temperatures once again. The route to Prescott would take us down the mountain through Sedona.

Our day opened up with a spectacular 30-mile downhill through Oak Creek Canyon. The road (89 Alt) was filled with steep grades and tight switchbacks. The beautiful red rock cliffs and Ponderosa pines that were everywhere made it hard to keep your eyes on the road. These sights are again something you need to see in person to truly appreciate. No description or photograph can describe the beauty nature has created in this area.

Sedona is a terrific picturesque western style town surrounded by its famous red rock monuments and mountains. This was a town that required a second look so we stopped for a quick lunch treat of hot dogs and ice cream. After sitting on a city bench for 15 minutes we did not want to leave. We could have easily spent the day wandering through the town’s shops and stores and looking at the sights.

As always we do not have the time to linger in any one spot for too long. After our small feast we hopped on the bikes and continued on to Prescott. Just as we were about to leave a man approached us to ask of our journey. When we told him our route to Prescott he chuckled. “You boys have one heck of a climb coming up”.

We already knew we had a climb - but after talking to him we realized this could be more of a climb than we had originally thought. In the next 12 miles we would give back all the elevation and more we dropped in 30 miles from Flagstaff.

You know the old saying …..”what goes down must come up”….. Well that is not exactly how it was originally penned but that is how it is in “bicycle lingo” anyway.

About halfway up the mountain is the old mining town of Jerome. All of its buildings are built into the mountain walls along the switchback two-lane road. It looked very much like a town in the Alps.
The climb was impressive to say the least. The road twisted and turned steeply on its way up the mountain like a snake. No complaints though. We will take a stiff climb over the wind anytime. And this was a stiff climb too.

We were rewarded with a swift 7-mile downhill to the Prescott valley floor.

This is another area we have put on the list of places we would like to return to and spend a little time to enjoy the sights.

Day 32 85 miles 3886 feet of climbing 12.5 ave

South Rim, Grand Canyon to Flagstaff, AZ

We took one more quick peek into the “big hole”, saddled up the horses and headed out of town.

All the effort of yesterday’s 30-mile climb up to the canyon rim was traded in for a quick down hill to the valley floor. Off in the distance we could see snow covered mountains. Without even looking at our route we knew that was where we were going. Seems like we climb all the mountains. Why miss this set?

Again our day developed into a great day to be riding. Sun, mid 70’s low humidity and almost no traffic. What more could you want…aahhh maybe a motor…. Naaa…too easy it would take all the pain out of it.

We pulled into a gas station for some fluids. For the next 40 or 50 miles there would be no services at all. So different than the east coast where you can’t go 10 miles without finding at least “something”. From the mid-west on there are vast expanses of undeveloped land with “nothing” … and I mean nothing!

At the gas station a couple of tour buses had stopped while we were there getting supplies. It was not long before we were in a question and answer session with the people leaving the buses. It seems like everyone wants to know where we are going and where we came from.

Flagstaff is actually at a higher elevation than the canyon plateau we dropped off from in the morning. That meant after a nice downhill and ride on the valley floor it was time to end the day's climbing. We completed our 25 mile climb by 5pm and entered Flagstaff ending up on the famous Route 66! Cool!

Today we reached the 3000 mile mark of the tour. Tomorrow we will again drop to the valley floor on our way to Sedona.

Day 31 86 miles 5060 feet of climbing 12.1 ave

Tuba City, AZ to South Rim Grand Canyon, AZ

The good bike spirits are following us again as the weather made for a perfect day of cycling. It was a nice sunny day in the mid 80’s with low humidity. The best thing is again we had little or no wind to torture us.

The slightly bland landscape again started to change for the better. Mountains, valleys and plateaus of pastel colors started to appear. You could tell something big was just around the corner.

After a relatively flat ride out of Tuba City we started a steady 30-mile climb up to the Grand Canyons south rim.

We had expected this stretch of road to be busy with lots of tourist traffic. To our surprise it was not. Even after we entered Grand Canyon State park traffic was very light with long periods with no cars at all.

Once we entered the park out first thoughts were for fluids. Not any sight seeing. Tim was completely out of water and Joe and Ken were low, only having a couple mouthfuls very warm water left to quench their thirst.

As we approached the park store we could see “something” just ahead. Obviously part of the Canyon. After drinking a belly full of cold juice and Gatorade we filled our bottles and headed to the rim.

I have enough trouble just typing theses blog reports, so I will not even bother to try and describe one of the 7 greatest natural wonders of the world. Also our photos are just for proof that we were actually there. This, as Monument Valley is something you need to see with your own eyes. Photos by even the best photographers cannot show the enormity of this place.

We stopped a German couple that had a rented RV to ask how they liked it and how much it cost to rent and operate. This would be the way to bring our families to see the west.

The park road is over 25 miles ling and follows the south rim. All along the way you have openings in the trees and other areas to see the Canyon. These “interruptions” slowed our forward progress. Now remember we are not on a sight seeing tour. It would be nice but was not our plan. All total we only spent about an hour gazing into the canyon from various points. A mule trip to the bottom, helicopter ride or raft tour would have been a blast. We even missed the best part of the day to view the canyon’s beauty …sunset. We were in our usual panic to shower, eat, do chores and get to bed when this happened….next time.

We ended our day at a Park Lodge. While waiting for a table at dinner some people had recognized us as the three guys on the bikes climbing the big hill. As with everyone we meet they had questions about out journey. I remember asking the same questions to the first person I met who rode cross-country. We never get tired if answering the questions. It seems like this kind of adventure is almost everyone’s dream.

Once seated the people at the table next to us spotted our Wild West Tour t-shirts. They also had seen us on the climb. After a few questions we found they had visited Eugene O’Neil Theater in Waterford, Connecticut. Our waitress had a distinctive New Your accent. She looked at our shirts asked what is the Wild West Tour. When we told her she replied she was a welder once at Electric Boat In Groton, Connecticut. Small world…..