Day 10 - Dust Devil Delights

I was already awake when the 05:15 alarm went off, fretting over whether it was really the brightest move to attempt my longest days cycling ever (115 miles) in an area not only I don't know, but is also technically the Arizona desert. These doubts were put aside  in the pre dawn as I tucked into my $10 Denny's breakfast with some truckers, and one of them amused me by informing us "guys like us have the most fun in life." Considering he'd just slept in a truck cab, and was eating a Denny's at 05:50 on a Thursday morning next to the I-10, this seemed unlikely, but I admired his positive mental attitude and it set me on course for the day.

It was then a short 5 mile ride into the rising sun to the banks of the Colorado River, and the pedestrian bridge to cross. Arriving in Arizona definitely felt like an achievement, and after some celebratory photos it was onto the I-10 freeway hard shoulder for 25 miles. As the roads in this part of Arizona are so limited, state law allows cyclists to ride the Freeway all the way to Phoenix if you fancy. I didn't, and was glad to duck off on a side road for 5 miles short of Quartzite, and then off completely at the US 60 junction. It was perfectly safe on the freeway, and the shoulders are vast, but the relentless noise of lorries that close is not fun.

Arizona opens up almost immediately over the border, and you are soon into serious big sky country. Cacti dot the landscape, and the views from each new ridge gets wider and wider, and ever more breathtaking. Aside the RV parks that dot the landscape it's surprisingly heavily populated, given I honestly can't for the life of me work out what actually goes on out here, bar RV tourism. It's probably ranching, but I saw almost no evidence of it for the bulk of the day.

The majority of the 90 mile odd slog after the I-10 was dominated by the wind. The ride was mostly uphill on shallow gradients, but that was really a side show compared to the wind. It was roaring up from the South West hard. If I was biking East, it was hard work fighting the cross wind as it caught on my panniers. If I was heading North East (which thankfully was the majority) I was flying uphill and down on the tailwind.


It also brought with it the horrors of dust devils, sometimes small and sometimes engulfing the road. They are one of the most unpleasant things I've every had to cycle through. Dirt gets in your mouth and nose, and when I arrived in Aguila, the first town I might have stay in, they had driven everyone inside, leaving a weird creepy ghost town with Mexican music blaring from the min-mart porch. Very cinematic but eerie enough to spur me on the final 25 miles to Wickenburg.

And frankly I'm glad they did. Wickenburg is a twee country suburb of Phoenix complete with cool Mexican inspired homes and a Disneyfied cowboy heritage centre. After a few days in the back country I'm actually very happy to see the smug joys of the suburban dream. Not that I'm really partaking, as I promptly pilled into the bath with the last of the beef jerky to hand, and ordered a pizza to my room.

However there is another reason for staying in the motel room. Thinking tomorrow was an easy 50 cruise into Phoenix I wasn't intending to do any planning tonight, but there is a looming problem appearing in my plans. In Washington there's a barny going on over budgets, and it appears that last year's is not going to get approved, which will lead to Government shutdown (which sounds more drastic than it is). This will affect my plans, as it will close all national parks, and I'm trying to work out if I need to reroute as a result. Trying to work out what's happening from CNN, ABC and Fox News is just confusing me further, although I have discovered Fox is hilarious to watch on mute, as everyone looks just so angry, especially Donald Trump, who's hair doesn't move.

In response to a number of requests I've put a map at the bottom of the page. It's not perfect as my route (with some pedestrian crossings) means the google bike option doesn't work, but the car option is a good proxy. Also on the feedback received, I would love point out whilst my diet has been fast food heavy, on the route I've taken there really hasn't been much option. I'm actually very excited about getting back to my yuppy roots and taking down some salads and sushi in Phoenix tomorrow.

Route - Blythe - Quartzite - Salome - Aguila - Wickenburg

Breakfast - Bacon and Eggs - Dennys in the pre-dawn with truckers
Snacks - G2 Gatorade and big bag of beef jerky
Lunch - Arizona burger and tatotots - Don's Catus Bar, Salome. Cracking burger, but not sold on the tatotots. Awesome place, the real deal. Vast service bar with everyone sat up on stools, old boys with Stetsons on the counter, impeccable manners from everyone, and Fox News in the background for company.
Supper - Bag of microwave popcorn, and Pizza - Cary's pizza, Wickenburg. Not bad, but only really better than Dominos, not much else.