Frank's Biking Blog: Day 5 Blythe, CA to Sanome, AZ

High Temp: 101
Winds: None to light tail wind 24 miles
Rest Stop 1: Quartzite, AZ 40 miles
Rest Stop 2: Country Store near Brenda, AZ 60 miles

It was another early start due to the heat. My group left camp at 6AM and stopped for breakfast at a little family joint. Food was good and we were on our way.

First up was crossing the Colorado river into Arizona. It was still cool which made the biking good. A good part of the morning was on I-10. Shoulders were wide and traffic was light compared to Interstates I am used to.

We had 3 moderate climbs today. It was still cool for the first climb and the slope was moderate so no trouble. With most climbs the reward is a descent and this was no different. Near Quartzite, AZ we saw our first Saguaro cactus. Actually there were dozens of them near Saguaro. Of course we had to had a photo op for the first one.

After the rest stop at Mcdonalds we were off on the second leg. It started off with another climb. Again it was moderate but the temperature was now in the high 90's so much more difficult. Many of us were out of water before getting to the second rest stop.

After the 2nd rest stop we were on the home stretch for the day. It started off fast with a long but gentle descent of 9 miles. I was thinking this was going to be much easier than yesterday. Then the last climb happened It was still a moderate climb if there is such a thing when the temperature is 101. We stopped a couple of times in the shade to cool down a bit. Also tried stopping in Hope, AZ but the only business had closed. It was a long 4 miles to our KOA.

The good news is that KOA has many modern facility including showers, laundry, and air conditioned activity room. The bad news is that there is absolutely no shade anywhere.

I went into Salome with my 2 riding mates for dinner and Don's Cactus Bar. The fried chicken dinner was good but not great.