Day 4 (Fri, 15 Feb)
I rode from Ehrenberg, AZ to Salome, AZ today. A shorter ride of 56 miles, which was
helpful/intended after a pretty long and rough ride yesterday. I rode 30 of those miles on I-10. This is legal in some parts of the west where
there is no practical alternative for cyclists (I had double checked this with
the AZ State Patrol last week). I just
needed to keep my speed under 75 mph J The interstate was a fairly smooth ride with
2 long climbs and descents over smaller mountain ranges. I then rode on US-60 for the final 26 miles
into Salome. Overall, another gorgeous
day with lot’s of sun, temps in the 70s and only minor crosswinds. I took my time and enjoyed the views and the
ride today.
In the pictures below you’ll see some of the sites from I-10
(I think this will be the only time I’ll be on an Interstate during the ride),
landscape and I’m starting to see more cactus as well (there weren’t many/any
in SW CA). Also a 9/11 memorial in Salome, AZ with a piece of I-beam from one of the Twin Towers. I’m about 70 miles now from
the outer edges of western Phoenix.
I started a list of “notable items” in my head today –
thought I’d share some of this with everyone:
1. How many burnt out locations for car/truck
engine fires did I see headed East along 30 miles of I-10 today: 24!!
a. That was a huge number and I’m not sure why I
started counting them other than when I came up to them I needed to be extra
careful with my tires to avoid debris.
b. This has to be well above average. I bet there are a lot of cars that come over
from the L.A. area that have not seen the heat, workout to get up the mountains
nor the oxygen (!) that AZ has and many of them ignite (those would be all of
the ingredients).
2. How many golden eagles seen thus far: 1
3. How many rattle snakes seen thus far (dead or
alive): 0
a.
Surprising – thought I’d see some by now
4. Favorite road type: US highways (2nd:
interstate; last: the CA highway I was on yesterday…)
5. If you walk up to a cyclist who says he/she is
riding cross-country, how do you tell which way they’re going (east or
west)???? Answer: Which side of their
face is sun burned?? (and figure it out from there…)
6. Coolest military jets so far: Blue Angels (I’m
intending for the USAF to replace this item in N.M. but the Navy has it so
far!)
7. Number of states: 2
8. Favorite Gatorade: Purple (2 parts Blue and 1
part Red – shaken, not stirred).
9. What’s a “cyclists tattoo”?: Cog shaped grease
stains on your legs (typically obtained when changing a tire on the side of the
road)
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