Daily Miles: 46
Total Miles: 2823
Avg: 12.9
Max: 22.1
Time on the bike: 03:33:07
Last night got much colder than I thought it would but I still slept okay. There was ice frost on my tent and the moisture that had settled on my bike was also hard and frozen. The mountains began returning to color on the east facing side as I emerged from my tent. Low tan hues gave way to pink and orange tones as the sun crested the mountain ridge just behind me. It was a quiet morning and the birds chirped their songs, until gunshots started firing from the nearby outdoor firearms club. Pop. Chirp. Bang. It was like eating the NRA equivalent of Rice Krispies. A little snap, crackle and pop to start your day off right.
I pedaled back through the pass and stopped at the Usery Park visitors center to fill up water and take a dump in thier bathroom. It was a free dump. The best kind of dump. I felt satisfied like I had won. I never gave them any money and pooped in their bathroom. I really showed them.
The ride through the Phoenix suburbs of Mesa, Tempe and Scottsdale was very good. I was pleasantly surprised by the very good bike infrastructure they had implemented. All the roads the route was on were less busy side roads that pretty much all had a nice and wide bike lane. At intersections they even had push buttons like the ones used for cross walks, but they were by the road and intended for cyclists to push to signal a light change. This was great. A lot of times when you are at an intersection and there is a red light and no other cars there, the light won’t change because there are no cars to activate the pressure centers, and you just have to cross on your own.
I reached my friend Sandy’s house around 12:30 after a good ride. Her home was only a mile and a half from the route and it was safe and easy to get to. She had a welcome sign for me and I felt right at home.
