
Day 5
(46 miles, 1186 ft gain, Strava map)
Waking up in the morning had started to become challenging. All of us were (are) consistently sore and creaky from muscles tearing with no time for recovery before tearing again. It takes a significant amount of effort to sit down and stretch, and we are usually too tired at the end of the day to do anything but eat and sleep. On the plus side, the sunrise at Oxbow campground over the Colorado river was unbelievable. As much as we wanted to stay, we had to meet up with Marshall and Dave, so we packed up our bags and said farewell to Atilla and Tee.

The morning was very pleasant as Casey, Uri, and I biked through more agricultural fields with the rising sun on I-78. When we hit Blythe, we stopped at ACE Hardware to pick up some Slime (for repairing holes) and a patch kit after Day 4’s flat tire debacle. Uri and I scored some homemade tamales out of an SUV in the parking lot, and they were *chef’s kiss*.
And then it happened. We made it to Arizona!! We crossed the California state line, did a happy dance, and then let the fact sink in: we officially finished our very first state. We looked back into California, which had actually started to catch on fire nearby, and we happily pushed on towards the land of saguaros.
The fun and breezy morning quickly changed as we entered I-10 for about 10 miles. On a Sunday, traffic was fast and busy with semi trucks blowing past us every minute. We dodged glass, tire pieces, metal bits, bungee cords, many bottles filled with pee, and other garbage that littered the highway shoulder that cars never have the time to see. It was hot, we were going uphill, and we pedaled as fast as we could to get off this stretch of the route. There were some tears.
Rolling into Quartzite was… interesting. There were neat cacti that scattered across the barren desert ground, a smattering of RV campers here and there, and people digging in the ground looking for gems. The closer we got to town, the more commercial it became. We ended the day at Tumbleweed RV park, a flat, dry, section of earth with run down RVs and dilapidated buildings. No other RV park would take us, and we realized it was probably because we made the mistake of calling ourselves a group of bikers (like, of the motorcycle variety) instead of cyclists. So, we ended up in a corner of the park with two thin trees on hard, rocky ground that was covered in dog poop, glass, and cacti needles. The folks were a little sketchy, so Marshall, Dave, Casey, Uri, and I chose to cowboy camp together to watch our gear. Marshall also sat as sentry outside the bathroom as we finally took the chance to shower.
Before bed, Casey, Uri, and I grabbed some dinner at the Horney Toad where we convinced the waitress to order us some veggie sandwiches since nothing vegetarian was on the menu. We hadn’t had vegetables in days, and we were all craving them! Tired, hungry, and sun fatigued, we relaxed in the shade and listened to country music. Here, we met Shelly and her date at the restaurant. Shelly was a super sweet, blonde lady who invited us to stay at her place in Wickensburg. Her date who was from Africa (never caught his name) seemed to think that Casey wouldn’t survive as a vegan, he questioned her ability to get protein, he compared bicep muscles with her, and he said that veganism was just as bad as homosexuality in Texas and to be careful. (Note: Don’t do this). Not long after, he gave us a motivational pep talk and encouraged us to write a book to inspire other people to do adventures like this, but the encouragement was spoiled by his prior comments.
Day 6
(66 miles, 2025 ft gain, Strava map)
Tumbleweed RV park turned out to be just fine, and no one bothered us all night. Our bike squad packed up and stuck together for the morning as we tackled I-10 for about 12 more miles, and the highway was much more manageable on a Monday than a Sunday.
Our soreness was starting to become overwhelming, however. Our quads ached, and we were not able to rest and recover. The development of saddle sores had started making sitting painful, but thankfully chamois butt’r exists.
Mid-day, Marshall chose to stay at an RV park with some amenities (read: jacuzzi), and the rest of us continued on to Aguila. On the way, we stopped at a cafe in Wenden, Crystal’s Cafe, which featured cowboy decor, shotgun shell stringed lights, and witty old fashioned signs. After this pit stop, Casey got another flat in front of a cute, artsy, hippy store called Mas Paz (more peace), but instead of cacti needles puncturing the tube, it was a thin, metal wire from car tires exploding. Now a functional pit crew, we changed the flat in record time, and I also managed to slip inside the shop and buy two cute “worry” dolls, about the size of a thumb. Made in Guatemala, the two dolls are for children to say their worries to, and, by morning, the dolls will take the worries away. It seemed appropriate for Casey and I to have one, plus they are really adorable.
Heading toward Aguila was our first exposure to extreme wind while biking. It was a gorgeous, sunny afternoon with clouds rolling in, and the wind was pushing us from the south. It took some effort to push against the gusts to avoid being moved out onto the road. We did catch a rainbow in the distance.
Aguila is a small town with some small Spanish-speaking groceries stores on the main stretch. We tried to pick up fresh produce to get a break from packaged food, but there were only a few wilted carrots and peppers. The wind caused the air to be dusty, the grass was yellow and dry, and very few people were out. We were advised by a WarmShowers host to contact the local fire department regarding sleeping in the adjacent park, and that’s exactly what we did. With approval from the firemen, we pitched our tents next to a soccer field, which was the first time in a week we were able to be on a real lawn instead of dirt and rocks.
"How do you have time to do this bike ride," the fire chief asked Casey and I. "Are you rich?"
"If we were rich, we wouldn't be asking to sleep in your park," Casey responded. This wouldn't be the last time we were asked this question.
From 12 am-2 am, a torrential downpour and lightening storm woke us up. The heavy rain on our tent was deafening and periodic flashes of lightening lit up the sky. Luckily, we remained dry, and our tents held up in the wind and rain. We all agreed that this was one of the highlights of the day!
Day 7
(59.6 miles, 1456 ft gain, Strava map)
First thing in the morning, Uri had a flat tire. The valve stem had opened in the night, releasing the air, but it was an easy fix.
We had a casual morning with a mild uphill, and we easily cruised to Wilkensburg. This town was more ritzy than other towns we passed through, and it had a lot of western themes throughout the downtown (horses, rodeo, cowboy boots, western murals, cacti, etc.). We made a beeline toward the Safeway where we were guaranteed fruits and veggies, a rare commodity. We sat on the ground and chowed down fresh produce and hummus tortillas which were an incredible break from gas station snacks.
The rest of the day zoomed by as we maintained an 18 mph average pace, racing downhill on the way to Phoenix. The saguaro cacti became more abundant, and it was exciting to see the diversity of the shapes and sizes of all the cacti. I also got my very first flat (more wire from tires), for a grand total of 8 flats in 7 days.
By 3 PM, we made it to Lake Pleasant, a campground on a large lake surrounded by saguaros. Taking the rest of the day to overeat and explore the local, short hiking trail, we concluded the evening by cowboy camping again under the stars.
Day 8
(58.6 miles, 998 ft gain, Strava map)
“It that a moose?” Casey said in the dark around 4 AM. I glanced up to see the silhouette of a burro (wild donkey) clopping down the park road after it tried to rummage through the panniers for food. With all of us sleeping on the ground, the burro was standing right over Uri, and it nearly stepped on Casey. With no luck at scavenging, it went to the next RV camp site to try again. Apparently, the burros have become aggressive in recent years while previously they were timid of park visitors.
This morning made our 9th flat in 8 days: Casey’s back wheel had flattened, but there was no hole this time, so we just had to reinflate. All of us were anxious to get puncture proof tires in Phoenix.
On our way to Phoenix, we spent a lot of time alongside traffic, zipping through the suburbs. Some hot air balloons were retreating back to the ground, but mostly the roads became increasingly loud and busy. For many miles, we took a bike path that wove through the city alongside the canal. There was a lot of homelessness along the trail with many tents and shopping carts filled with possessions; the smell of urine was overpowering. Somewhere along the canal ride, Casey got another flat (Number 10!!) from a thorn.
We also finally saw another woman touring. Mary and Don Williams were in the 60s and were doing a modification of the Southern Tier where they would stop in Kansas. They had been doing tours for a while and also were averaging the same miles a day that we were. It is interesting that most bike tourers are of the retired age, but I suppose touring is a great low impact sport that requires a lot of free time. But, where are all the rest of the women?
The day went by slowly, and 50 miles dragged in the city as we stopped for lights, waited for traffic, and navigated all the turns. I started to become irritated, and we were all getting hungry and dehydrated. But finally, we made it to Tempe!
Tom at the Bicycle Cellar bike shop was amazing. He helped us immediately, giving us puncture proof tires, dry lube (because in the desert, wet lube causes dirt to stick to your chain), new tubes, and he fixed my [very] worn out chain and cassette. He spent the time explaining the fixes to us, and Casey and I learned so much about bike repair.
The day ended fabulously. Ann (Uri’s lab mate) and her husband, Ritwick, allowed us to stay in their home in Tempe. After we were quickly ushered into the shower and our clothes were thrown into the laundry, we all chatted, snacked, and drank beer into the night.
At 3:45, Uri’s alarm went off, and I took him to the airport. I’m very sad to not have him here to bike with us, but hopefully he will be able to make some time at the end of the tour to rejoin!
Day 9
(15 miles, 124 ft gain, Strava map)
Rest day! This included stopping at Goodwill for some long sleeved tops, a bike shop for a front puncture-proof tire, and Target for snacks. We were able to stay at my cousin’s house, too! Pastor Monty stopped us outside a bike shop to ask us where we were going. He took our picture to show his congregation and wanted to buy us some energy snacks to keep us going.
Comments