Departure: Gila Bend, AZ Finish: Casa Grande, AZ Distance: 75.7 miles
Elevation gain: 1,559 feet (gradual over the miles)
Winds: Enjoyed a 5 to 6 mph tailwind before lunch, headwinds (and more) after lunch.
Weather: Scattered clouds & 52 degrees on departure. Thunderstorms, rain & hail after lunch
On bike duration: 4 hrs, 50 minutes. Average speed: 15.5 mph
The hotel at Gila Bend was called the “Space Age Lodge”. It had a serious Flying Saucer motif. Statues of space aliens. It was out of this world.
The day started so well, and ended with a challenge to my fortitude. For the first hours we rolled along through the Sonoran Desert with purple flowers on the side of the road and majestic Saguaro Cactus dotting the landscape with rugged mountains in the background. Everyone was quite happy.
We stopped for lunch at a park in the Ak-Chin Indian Community, in Maricopa County. Shortly after we made our sandwiches at a picnic bench, the storms began to roll in. The downpour was accompanied by a couple of peals of thunder, so we waited it out inside a nearby gas station/town restaurant. The locals noticed us - of course - in our crazy cycling getups. One of them and asked me where we were headed. I said, “The Atlantic”. He paused as if to conjure up a memory of a town by that name nearby and said, “the ocean?” I said “Yes, specifically Florida.” He immediately held up his car keys as if to give them to me. I thought that was hilarious.
The showers passed and we got on the road, thinking we were home free. God had other plans. About seven miles down the road it started sprinkling, then pouring. We carried on, even though we caught sight of two bolts of lightning behind us. We made it to the last water stop for the day (at another gas station) with 15 miles left to go. Suddenly the temperature dropped dramatically and it began to hail (pea-sized). We retreated into the gas station along with two couples on Harleys and waited it out for about 40 minutes. When the hail stopped and the rain diminished slightly, we continued on - all of us now very cold and soaked to the bone. That last 15 miles was the most miserable cycling I can recall since I started this in 1980. (Although, I told one of my companions I certainly had Colorado cycling days where I got snowed on, but I have conveniently forgotten any of those.)
We slogged on through the cold rain as I watched my digital map tick down the tenths of a mile. When I saw that we had “only” 1.9 miles remaining, I picked up the pace and purposefully splashed through the massive puddles on the city street.
This “Cycle Of Life Adventures” tour group is the BEST. When I clipped out of my pedals, they had my room key waiting for me and my bags outside my hotel room. I collapsed into a hot shower and actually took a long, soaking bath before I was done. Then we went to dinner. Aa a wonderful punctuation to the day one of our members suggested we all share our “Highs & Lows” for the day. Everyone had a momentary gripe about the weather, but nearly everyone focused on the adventure we are having, the beauty of the Sonoran Desert, or the camaraderie we have developed over these few short days together.
After we returned to the hotel, I found a hose and gave my bike a good bath.My wet clothes are now almost dry.
As we sat in the gas station waiting for the “go” signal, I thought to take a snap of my foot, with a sock that was Bright White when we departed this morning. I plan to spend some time in the laundry room in Tucson.
Sounds like a tough day. Hope you don't have many (or better, none) like it again.
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