Today's Ride
97 miles (though Strava says less, I forgot to start my Garmin out of the hotel)
2,697 feet of climbing (but with lots of downhills)
Miles Completed: 271
Miles to Go: 3,125
States Visited: 1 of 15
Feet Climbed: 7,884
We left the hotel and almost immediately got onto I-10 -- yes, the interstate, with tractor trailer trucks rushing by at 65+ MPH. After settling into a rhythm, it wasn't quite as scary as at first -- the shoulder was wider than many stretches of my "home" road 9W and the drivers refreshingly more courteous. Many of the truckers even gave us honks to cheer us on, reminiscent of the crowds lining the roads with cowbells at the Pan-Mass Challenge (PMC) (well, not quite, but still encouraging). The scenery was desolate desert, and didn't change much throughout the day, though at points it started to look a bit like "Thelma & Louise" territory (I think that's coming up in a few days!). I had some company riding up our nearly 10-mile climb (the only significant one of the day, thankfully!). Lots of lizards crossing the shoulder, and scurrying back in front of me to safety off the road (fortunately no other "bad animals").
The first rest stop provided not only the usual snacks but a Foster's (think Dairy Queen-esque milk shakes) and the General Patton Museum, where I took a "bike lean" photo, but given the day's mileage I didn't have time to stop for long.
The last 20 miles were tough, with hot feet, high winds, and lots of other sore parts. But got it done! |
And now to bed, as tomorrow is one of the longest and one of the hardest days of the tour -- almost 20 miles longer and another 1,000+ feet of climbing, especially during the back half of the ride!
The Route and Stats
Here's what strava had to say (but for once, it sort of lies, as there were another couple miles at the beginning before I started the route on the Garmin. User error!
Employee of the Day
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| Patrick posing for the camera. |
This is an easy one. As we rolled into our second SAG stop, we were greeted by the smiling face of Patrick, the US Postmaster General of Desert Center.
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| Not much available at the cafe! |
As you can see from the photos, there's not much going on in this "Center" other than the post office, which does not have running water (as Patrick assured me there REALLY was no restroom there -- he uses the library down the road, and downhill; I used a rock that I shared with a lizard!) But Patrick was one of the most glorious people I have met. He was so interested in our journey and wanted to follow us. I told him I'd post about him today (so Patrick, I hope I see you as a new follower and you're reading this!) He's apparently recently posted here (pun intended!), though he has been with the US Post Office for 13 years, and took the post to help out when they needed someone for the location. He lives in Indio, and does the commute that we rode to get there along the I-10. He loves the desert, and had lived in Cathedral City, near to Palm Springs, where we rode through the day before.
The town sadly looks like a demolished set of an old western. Patrick told me that someone had bought the properties, and planned to create a real rest stop "destination," complete with a gas station (the current one is not operational), hotel and restaurant), something that would be much needed for travelers in this desolate area with no other services for about 40 miles. Apparently, some policy decision at the federal level prevents the new owner (who had investors for this project) from getting the gas to the gas station (which I guess would be a problem!) so it doesn't look like much is going to change at Desert Center for the time being. But if you're passing through on the I-10, be sure to stop in to the post office and tell Patrick that Barbara says hi! He was the "people" highlight of the day!
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| The Desert Center Post Office, flanked by our SAG tent. |
Really enjoying following your adventures, Barbara! Your friends at PL are cheering you on!
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