California Here We Come!

Ready for Day 2

Wickenburg, AZ to Blythe, CA

Glenn and Greg hit the road at 8:20 AM MST

The temperature was 43 with a wind chill of 37!

A wind advisory was in effect for the area all day! 

To make matters worse, today was a ride

of more than 90 miles!  Welcome Winter!

But they both had a sense of humor about the situation!

The trivia winner was Barb Kay who correctly said that 

Wickenburg was named after Henry Wickenburg, 

the first prospector to mine there.  Sadly he died penniless 

despite the fact that the mine that he discovered produced 

as much as 70 million dollars' worth of gold during its course of 

operation, making it the most important gold mine in Arizona.

We happened across this site heading out of town today!

The landscape on our route today was not what I expected 

of a desert. It had more plant growth than I imagined and

had some majestic mountain ranges.  Glenn felt that he would 

happen upon Radiator Springs from the Cars Movie

at any moment!  Want to race Lightning McQueen?

Greg captured this technology moment!  

Checking the maps or checking email?!

Either way, it was a moment to escape the 

"wicked" winds.

At first we thought this was a natural formation in the 

foreground, then we saw a sign for a trash refuge area!

We finally found the tumbling tumbleweed that

eluded us in Texas last year!  I'm sure that the

area residents don't find it as entertaining

as we did.  See Melissa's video below!

11:19 AM Mountain Standard Time

Our first meet-up with Glenn and Greg today.  They are

still smiling despite the winds that forced them to

ride side by side and switch positions every two miles so

one of them could be somewhat protected from the wind. 

Drafting when you have a crosswind!

I hope you can get a sense of the wind speed from this video

We didn't need this sign to know that the dust was 

blowing!  You could easily see it in the air for miles.

Melissa and I ventured into the town of Quartzsite, AZ for 

lunch and a quick stop at one of the many Family Dollar Stores!

In the middle of summer, Quartzsite is one of the hottest 

places in the United States and has recorded temperatures as 

high as 122 °on 28 July 1995.

It wasn't hot today!!!

Lunch spot!

As many of you know, Glenn judges the wind speed on

the road by how the flags are flying.  I'm told by the

wind expert that these signify 20 mph winds!

Not too many signs that this route is bike friendly

but we did find this one today in Quartzsite.

 By Melissa and Greg :)

Top 10 things we think about while riding:

10.  Oooo look at that cactus!!

9.  Why is that mountain still so far away?

8.  When is the next turn coming? (answer: never)

7.  When is the next break? my butt hurts

6.  I wonder what I'm going to eat for dinner tonight.  Nah, forget that, what can I eat right now?

5.  When is the road going to be smooth again?

4.  What can i think about to distract me from riding this bike? because my butt hurts 

3.  Keep drinking fluids! but where am I going to pee?

2.  Oh man, my butt really hurts

1.  Is uncle Glenn ever going to get tired?

                                              

Greg and Glenn heading in to our meeting point at

the intersection of Rtes. 60 and 10 near Brenda, AZ

Greg joined Melissa and I in the van after an

amazing 62 miles in the wind, with blowing

dust and tumbleweed to challenge them!

Way to go Greg!

Bye, Glenn, too bad the wind is not at your

back today!   Maybe tomorrow!

The SAG driver heading to California after

a rider pick-up!

The moment we noticed we changed time zones!

Sign on the bridge over the Colorado River

Security checkpoint....they waved us right through! 

Our stopping place for tonight is Blythe, CA

Blythe is an agricultural area and part of the Colorado Desert along 

the Colorado River. Blythe was named after Thomas H. Blythe, 

a San Francisco financier, who established primary water rights

 to the Colorado River in the region in 1877.

3:27 Pacific Time

Arrival at our hotel in Blythe, CA

Day 2 is in the books!

Glenn says that his day was long and he couldn't have

accomplished this ride without Greg's help and some downhill

coasting into the Blythe area!

As he does often, especially on difficult days, Glenn thought about Ian 

to get through the tough moments. 

Yes, that says 96.77 miles and 4171 Calories!   I guess 

someone deserves a big dinner tonight!

Top 5 reasons Uncle Glenn is a "beast":

5.  He can eat a peanut butter sandwich in under a minute

4.  When you ask him how he's feeling, he never has a negative response

3.  He prefers to stand during his breaks instead of sitting, because after all he's just been sitting for the past hour

2.  He will finish any food you put in front of him at dinner

1.  He rides the same way on flat ground, up a hill, and in 20 mph winds (as we experienced today) 

                                                        From Melissa and Greg :)

A stunning photo of Glenn taken by Greg on the road today!

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Throwback Thursday

August 2014

Redwood Forest, California

From The Redwood Forest to the Gulf Stream Waters

We've covered it all...I Care I Cure I Cycle