Day 47-51: Aguila, Blythe^2, Brawley, Ocotillo

Day 47: Phoenix to Aguila - 82 miles

Day 48: Aguila to Blythe, CA - 94 miles

Day 49: Blythe to Blythe - 0 miles

Day 50: Blythe to Brawley - 93 miles

Day 51: Brawley to Ocotillo - 40 miles

Leaving Phoenix I made really good time in the morning and by noon I already had 55 miles under my belt.  I stopped for some lunch and when I got back on the bike the winds had shifted and now I had a headwind of 15-20 m.p.h. for the last 27 miles.  Thankfully, it was mostly flat so I was able to do those last miles in about 2 1/2 hours.  I ended up splurging in Aguila once I got there and decided to get a motel.  My first since Austin.  I stayed in Burro Jim's Motel and spent the rest of my night eating peanut butter and jelly sandwiches, listening to music and doing some reading.  A good night indeed.

The next morning I was up and at it early again and the winds were too blowing at 25-30 m.p.h. but mostly in my favor so it wasn't so bad.  I made good time all day and finished in Blythe, California by 4:00 p.m. that day which was a small town just West of the California/Arizona border!  Entered my last state of the Southern Tier....

I made my way to B&B Bait and Tackle Shop where I was going to be spending the night and once I arrived was greeted by workers/patrons/locals alike and informed of how great the place was.  And I must admit it was quite unique.  The scene was truly hilarious.... It was basically a spinoff of Cheers happening before my eyes.  All the people there were ripping on eachother and giving eachother shit and laughing and drinking beers and coming and going throughout the entire day.  And it really pulled you in... I met a fellow touring cyclist, Maria, who had gotten so attached that she'd spent the last 2 days there and had no plans of leaving in the near future.  

I had a really great night there, that is until about 10:00 p.m. that night when I was laying out in my tent on the dock and was suddenly awoken with severe pains in my stomach and that gurgling feeling in my stomach like something was trying to get out.  I barely scrambled out of my sleeping bag and unzipped my tent just in time to hurl my guts into the water off the side of the dock.  Once I finished, I sat up catching my breath and the pain came back and that feeling of something having to come out crept in again only this time it was trying to go out the other direction.... Anyways, without getting too graphic I spent the rest of the night either sitting on the toilet, or leaning over the toilet, or laying next to the toilet.  Let's just say that toilet and I spent some real quality time together...

By about 3:00 a.m. my stomach had settled a bit and I was able to get back to  my tent to sleep, and then at 6:00 a.m. I woke up again and again barely made it out of the tent to puke for the second time into the water off the dock.   At this time I was still thinking that I might be able to make the ride for that day so after that puke I began to pack up my stuff and left B&B Bait to get some breakfast and hopefully ride en route to Brawley.  Wishful thinking...

I got to McDonald's and ordered some pancakes and was sipping on some watered down powerade and was struggling to get down a bite of pancakes every few minutes... After about 30 minutes I'd almost gotten through half of my pancakes and that feeling came again and I had to jump out of my seat and ran to the bathroom and puked out a delicious blue-pancakey puke everywhere.  I then came to grips with my situation and decided that it was probably not a good idea to ride.  At this time it was close to 9:00 a.m. and I decided that I would go try the Motel 6 that was down the street to see if I could get a room.  Thankfully, the woman at the front desk felt for my situation and allowed me to check in to the room right then and there (6 hours early).  I spent the rest of the day laying in bed somewhere between sleep and consciousness trying to put down as much liquids as I could and trying to put calories back into my body.  Overall, I slept close to 14 hours between that day and night and by the next day was feeling better and ready to ride.

I packed up and got riding and did 60 miles between 8:00 - 12:00 and stopped in Glamis at the local store there to get something to eat and drink.  It was already above 90 degrees and after a short break I rode another 33 miles and finished at Bill and Theresa Meister's house.  These two, again, were warm showers hosts who welcomed me into their home and as always I was just blown away by the generosity and hospitality that was afforded to me.  I got a much needed shower, was able to do some laundry, and had a delicious spiced blackened chicken and steak meal with rice and corn.  After dinner Bill showed me a lot of his photography and underwater photography that he'd shot all over the world and we finished the night with a few episodes of The Americans.. A great night with two really great people.  

In the morning I got breakfast with Bill at his friends cafe, Rock Coffee Shop and Cafe right in town, and then packed up my bike to make the 40 mile ride to Ocotillo.  The ride here to Ocotillo was relatively flat, but really hot!  It was 93 degrees when I finished at noon and now it is already 97 and sure as shit it feels like it.  Today was a short ride because tomorrow I take on the last big climb of the southern tier before I drop down into San Diego (you can see the elevation change on the bottom pic and it's quite the climb) Ocotillo sits right at the bottom of the climb at the I-8/SR 98 junction and there is a cafe, Red Feather Off Road Market and Cafe, that allows bikers to camp out behind it before starting the mountain.  So I have stopped here for the night where I will load up on as much food as I can stuff down and then try to tackle the hill early tomorrow before the worst of the heat comes again.. We are looking at over 100  degrees tomorrow.  Wish me luck!

The name my sister told me I should use for this post... Such a sympathetic soul she is.

Catching a D-Backs game in Phoenix

D-Backs v. Phillies at Chase Field

Amazing picture at Aunt Chilada's with Truman in Phoenix on my last night there

Rough winds en route to Aguila

Burro Jim's Motel, Aguila, AZ

Burro Jim's Motel, Aguila, AZ

En route to Blythe, CA

Crossing into California

B&B Bait, Blythe, CA

B&B Bait, Blythe, CA

B&B Bait, Blythe, CA

Cat on the roof at B&B Bait, Blythe, CA.. They kept throwing live goldfish up on the roof for the cat and it would catch them out of the air and scarf them down.

B&B Bait, Blythe, CA... Cheers set after the cast and crew were gone...

B&B Bait, Blythe, CA

Glamis Sand Dunes

Such optimism... Ride into Ocotillo

My ride for Day 52 and 53... Ocotillo is at the I-8/SR 98 junction.  Tomorrow, Day 52, will be from  I-8/SR 98 junction to Alpine.  Day 53 will be Alpine to San Diego.

Day 43-46: Three Way, Globe and Phoenix

The winds had calmed enough for us to ride again on Thursday so we busted out early and were on the bikes at 7:00 a.m.  after a quick stop at Don Juan Mexican Drive-Thru for some road burritos.  

Silver City sits at around 5,800 ft. and after a small climb out of the city we crossed the Great Divide at 6,230 ft.  This one was a little easier than when I crossed the Divide in Colorado on my last trip at Monarch Pass which had an elevation of 11,312 ft., but psychologically this crossing felt much better.  Along with the waters, I can feel myself being pushed towards the Pacific.  It's starting to feel really close!

The rest of the days ride took us through pretty desolate areas and small towns with post offices, little collections of houses and nothing else.  The end of the day we crossed out of New Mexico and into Arizona, travelled through the Gila National Park and the Apache National Park and then had an incredible 14 mile descent out of the canyons and down into the valley to Three Way.  Three Way consisted of nothing more than a Local Store and the Ranger Station that we were able to camp outside of.  We both ate our second burrito and called it an early night.  

We got out early again Friday morning in hopes of getting a good chunk of our riding out of the way before the winds picked up.  By noon we had already knocked out over 60 miles and after a little break we rode through the Apahe Reservation and finished the night at around 5:30 p.m. in Globe.  A nice 116 mile day!  We first stopped in at China Taste Buffet for some  "all you can eat" deliciousness and then set out to find a sleeping spot for the night.  We rode through Globe trying to find a little corner to tuck away into and after not finding much we finally found some grassy areas behind a U-Haul Truck parking area.  As we were setting up the tents I noticed that one of the trucks back hatch was open and being the opportunist that I am I decided to pop the old tent up and into that bad boy.  It was a fantastic night of sleep!  Thank you, U-Haul!

Saturday (Day 45) we rode out of Globe en route to Phoenix.  And despite Mother Nature's best efforts to throw down some rain on us for about an hour coupled with 25 mph winds in our face for most of the day we made it into Tempe by about 4:30 p.m.  

John had been talking about how amazing In and Out Burger was since we joined up in Texas so before we separated we stopped in at the old joint for some milkshakes.  I'll have to save the burger and fries for my next visit.... 

Our arrival in Tempe also signified the end of our riding together.  We made it through some of the most desolate and hard country down on the Southern Tier together and it was awesome having someone to take on those rugged lands with for the last 28 days.  But, now our paths diverge.  John will be staying in the Phoenix/Scottsdale area for the next week or so visiting with his family before he continues on en route to Alaska and his big adventure up there.

As for me, I left the In and Out Burger in Tempe and rode another 12 miles to North Central Phoenix to meet up with Truman, a high school buddy of mine, and his girlfriend Amanda at their apartment where they have graciously allowed me to crash for the weekend.

Last night we made our way down to Mill Ave., the happening area of Phoenix, and got some delicious eats and beers at The Mellow Mushroom and then came back to the apartment to crash.  It had been a long 97 mile day and I passed out as soon we got home.

As for today, Day 46, I will be off the bike and hanging with Truman and Amanda here in Phoenix.  Today will consist of doing some laundry, exploring a bit in the city and some relaxing before I get back on the road tomorrow.

Just outside of Silver City, Crossing the divide

The New Mexico sign I didn't get coming into the state...

Crossing into Arizona

Day 43 views

Three Way General Store 

Sunset in Three Way

Dinner in Globe after our 116 mile day

First course, 2 more followed this plus dessert

Yep, slept in there in Globe...

View from Gonzalez Pass

View from Gonzalez Pass

Day 42: Silver City's Got It's Hold

A Wind Advisory with winds out of the West at 20-30 m.p.h. and gusts as high as 50 m.p.h. has sidelined us for one more day in Silver City.... Just means another day of exploring in this cool little town.

Corner of College and Bullard

Art is everywhere.

Everywhere.

Street mural off of Bullard Street

Kelly Street off Bullard

South Mill Street off Bullard

Off Bullard Street

Corner of College and Pope

Pope and 11th

Gough Park

Weird? Cool? Who knows....

Mural on the side of the Silver City Food Co-op

Art studio off Bullard

Yankie Street off Bullard

Ahhh, sí sí esta en español

I want this door on the front of my house one day....

Famous Buffalo Bar on Bullard Street

Gila Hike & Bike

Javalina Coffee House Building

Yankie Street

Day 39-41: Hillsboro, Emory Pass and Silver City

We left hatch riding down route 26 at the advice of a local in the convenience store we were in and then turned onto route 27, the Lake Valley National Back Country Byway and rode that all of the way into Hillsboro.  It added about 10 miles to the ride but was well worth it to avoid the traffic that we would have faced by following the adventure cycling route.  Also, we got some pretty amazing views on the ride of the mountains and some wind mill farms.

We rolled into Hillsboro (65 miles) just as a thunderstorm was rolling in and took cover underneath an awning to a store in town.  The whole town consisted of 200 people and had a very small Main Street with a few cool shops and diner-type restaurants and some antique and art shops and was naturally shut down for Easter so we sat under the awning and watched the storm come in eating peanut butter and jelly sandwiches, roasted garlic triscuits and canned pears.  A delicious Easter dinner.  Once the storm was beyond us we set up our tents across the street at the town park where they allowed free overnight camping so that the tents could dry and sat around reading and talking.  We were in a "dead zone" for any kind of cell service.  

Later in the night a guy by the name of Jim came over to check in on us and let us fill up our water bottles over at his water spigot.  Jim owned the building we were taking refuge under and he also ran the Black Range Museum next door.  He told us that in the morning he would make a pot of coffee and walk us around the museum if we wanted which we of course said yes to.  

Sure enough in the morning Jim came back over while we were packing up our stuff with a full pot of coffee in his hand and filled both of us up and told us to come back to his house when we were done to get a quick tour of the place.

When we got over there we first got a tour of his greenhouse that was filled with all sorts of exotic plants and cacti.  Jim was a college educated botanist, but had given up the material world when he'd moved out to Hillsboro in the early 2000's.  After looking around the greenhouse we went into the museum which really was just a random assortment of old junk, antiques, and a really cool collection of antique cameras. Somehow it all worked and was a really neat place to see.  

After that we got breakfast at the Hillsboro General Store where I ordered the Route 152 Pile-Up at the recommendation of Jim.  It was 2 lbs. of sausage, egg, cheese, beans, potatoes, and red and green chillies served on a flour tortilla.  This thing was massive and I devoured it in hopes that it would help fuel me up and over Emory Pass and get us the 58 miles to Silver City.

Thankfully, it did.  Emory Pass was the highest peak we cross on the Southern Tier.  The climb started just as we left Hillsboro and it was 17 total miles of climbing.  Hillsboro sat at an elevation of 4,859 ft.  From there we first climbed 9 miles to Kingston at 6,224 ft. And then from there it was another 8 miles to the top of Emory Pass at 8,228 ft.  We climbed the hill averaging about 6.5 mph so besides being long it was not as steep as some of the other hills we've encountered already.  However, it still felt really good to get up to that top and look back down and see what we had just climbed up.

At the top while we were taking in the views we met two guys who were from the area who were doing some training rides up Emory and we told them about our dilemma of not having a place to stay in Silver City.  They looked at each other and then back to us and said, "you can try the bike house..."  They proceeded to tell us to go Gila Hike and Bike Shop in Silver City and ask them about the bike house and tell them that Black Larry sent us....  We didn't ask questions... Just continued down the rabbit hole.  

Once in Silver we went to the bike shop and the guy came over near us and without looking at us said, "Hey, you two!"  We looked up at him but, he continued to look away.  There were only two other people in the place and they were across the room so we knew he had to be talking to us.  He walked over closer and again whispered, "Hey, you meet a guy at the top of Emory?"  We shook our heads in unison hoping that we wouldn't have to say the words "Black Larry" who was an older man in his 60's of small stature and quite Caucasian.  "Well, who did you meet?"  We looked back at him..... Finally, I whispered back, "Black Larry....."

His head shot up and his eyes darted back and forth from John to myself and back again.  Then, without a word he walked back to the counter and reached under it fumbling around for something..  We were just hoping it wasn't a gun.  It would have been a shame to have gotten all of the way through Texas without getting gunned down only to get popped in New Mexico for uttering the words "Black Larry."

Thankfully, it wasn't a gun.  It was a map and he drew a few lines and arrows and then starred an intersection a few blocks away.  "Go here," he said and slid the paper across the counter to us.  We grabbed the map and left following the trail he'd put us on.  We ended at the  star on the map which put us in front of a house with a bunch of bikes chained to the fence outside.  We were going to be murdered we were certain.  We walked up the front steps and opened the front door and then it happened.... (Back to reality here)

We entered the Bike House and were greeted by Mike, one of the seven guys who live there on and off throughout the year.  He showed us around the house and to the bunkhouse where there were two beds for us and let us get situated.  

We found out later that night over some beers with Mike at the Little Toad Creek Tavern that the guy that owned it was a big supporter of bikers/hikers and has gotten all of the guys in the house on board with him so whenever they can they try to help us folks out.  Speaking of Silver City Mike looked both John and myself in the eyes and said, "It's a magical place, Silver, that's really all there is to it."  That gleam in his eyes and that smile on his face made us know that we had stumbled our way into the right place and we needed to give this city the time it deserved. 

i.e. BREAK DAY IN SILVER CITY!!!!!!  So today, Day 41 we are taking a day off from biking and enjoying this city... I've been chugging coffee at the Javalina Coffee House since about 9:00 a.m. and am a little wired but today will consist of chilling at this coffee shop, hitting up the local book shop, O'Keefe's, and walking around this magical little town to see what we can get ourselves into.  

Sparky's in Hatch

Cool mountains on the ride to Hillsboro

Wind mill farm

Old loading dock to the railroad that used to run along Route 27 to Hillsboro

Dark clouds rolling into Hillsboro

Camp spot in Hillsboro

Climbing Emory

Climbing Emory

Emory Pass

Being cool at the top of Emory

John at the top of Emory

View looking out from Emory Pass

The Bikehaus

The Bikehaus

The Bikehaus

The Bikehaus

The Bikehaus

The Bikehaus

The Bikehaus

The Bikehaus

The Bikehaus, our sleeping quarters.. One bed on floor, one bed bunked up top.

The Bikehaus

Javalina Coffee House