78 miles in 7hrs 40mins (incl. 1 full tub of Pringles stop and yet another puncture
Total distance - 2,166 miles
I thought that yesterday had probably taken a lot out of me and, as I climbed the ramp onto the interstate at Kingman to set out this morning I realised I was wrong. It had taken more than a lot out of me. I felt empty; weak and exhausted. I stayed that way for the first hour-or-so, during which I felt my eyes closing with tiredness more than once. Which is really not a good thing while pedalling alongside passing trucks. I was seriously worried and even more so when, 18 miles in the road sign proudly advertised 56 miles to the next services. 56 miles I knew included a 1800ft climb. Having stuffed as much food into me as I could (including a whole tub of Pringles) I rolled, still half asleep, down the valley to the bottom of the climb.
And then came yet another puncture. I knew then that there was no chance I'd be able to make it the 70 miles further I'd planned for the day and wasn't even sure I could make it another 7 miles. To make it worse it was warming up again with the temperature already at 30C. Having fixed the puncture I got back on the bike and suddenly felt awake for the first time today and felt even better the more I climbed. The altitude also brought with it a drop in temperature down to a still-hot-but-survivable 27C. What was most striking though was the change in vegetation. It's a pretty basic rule of nature is it not that things are green and lush in the valleys and then as you go up, the plants and trees become smaller and more sparse? Not here it's not as the climb brought me from a land of small shrubs and dry orange soil onto the desert plains at 5,000ft, a place of trees and almost green fields. I even saw the first bit of naturally running water since leaving LA 500 miles ago. I suppose it makes sense given the temperature round here but it was just a bit of a (very pleasant) surprise just how much life there appears to be up here. However, one thing I couldn't make sense of on the climb were these rock/earth strata in the pic. and I found myself standing at the side of the side of the interstate for a good while trying to figure out a sequence of events to explain them. No idea though.
Then 7 miles outside Seligman the phone rang and it turned out that, by chance, my mum had just sat down for food in a cafe there. So I sped down the final few miles to meet her and I think she now realizes just why the topic of food is such a regular topic in my blog having seen how much I ate.
Another 100 mile day ahead tomorrow up to another geological (or should that be geographical?) wonder - the Grand Canyon. Can't wait. And to make it even better I've been able to put ninety percent of my kit in my mum's rental car as I'll be meeting her there at the end of the day. Not quite in the true spirit of touring cycling, I know, but makes for a pleasant, and hopefully fast, change.
