Riverside to Indio

This is the end of day number 2 of riding. What a great day! We did 78 miles yesterday, and 85 today. I am really feeling well. They bike is doing great. So far, so is my aging body. (The latter is clearly the big surprise here.)

This morning we left Riverside and we had two moderate to hard climbs right away. My legs were barely warmed up before the first climb. The second climb was a 5 mile duration. After those two climbs however, this was a fast ride.

We went through Palm Springs, toward the end of the ride, before ending in Indio. Just before getting into Palm Springs, there is interesting topography. The road on which we rode was in a narrow valley inbetween two sets of mountains. With the hot desert air there, this rises and sucks in, apparently constantly, the colder air from the ocean. This results in a remarkably powerful and prevalent westerly wind. Testimony to that wind's predictability and strength is the enourmous wind farm there. When we rode through that, we experienced the most remarkable "favorable headwind". (Tracy is supersticious about the use of the word "tailwind", so she uses the term "favorable headwind" for the "T-word".) I was going over 30 mph with hardly pedalling at all! What a blast!

The downside of the above is the dangerous crosswind you have whenever the road goes to the left or the right. One rider was blown sideways literally off of his bike today. He broke his helmet and destroyed his rims, but he is OK, mercifully enough.

I really feel that I rode more securely and strongly today. I felt that I had more strength, and more confidence than yesterday.

I rode today, virtually the whole time, with Doug Squires. What a nice guy! Very interesting. He is from Coventry, England. I asked him where Coventry is, and he responded that it is near the center of the country. He added that it is very near Stratford-on-Avon, which he proudly termed "the home of England's most famous author!"

He made a point of not giving me the name of that author, probably to test me. I didn't want him to think that I was just another ignorant American, so I made a point of letting him know that, yes indeed, I am aware of that author's identity. I told him how much I have enjoyed the excellent works of J. K. Rowling, and that it is nice to now know where she is from!

Doug made a fake look of disgust, which I surmise to have been just his way of showing that he was impressed with my knowledge of British literature.

Tomorrow will be a challenge. It will be 101 miles in the desert. We will end up tomorrow in Blythe, California. I do respect that the desert may be brutal. I will be drinking my fluids and electrolytes well, even long before I get on the bike.

Life is good.

More tomorrow!