It's a Desert!

morning camp @ Home Depot

Thursday, July 21st
El Centro, CA to Yuma, AZ

My brain is worn out. My stomach feels worn out, too. All day it's been filtering various grays of drinking water.

Ran out of water two hours into my ride. There was road construction much of the way into Yuma, with one of two lanes open to traffic. So I passed by several maintenance workers sitting in trucks by the roadside, and they gave me various brands of bottled water.

'Daddy' dumpster

I also found two unopened bottled waters in a ditch off the freeway. Nothing else was available at the time, so I tested a sip of each. Somehow bacteria can grow inside unopened bottles. It was not safe to drink.

I poured the water into my bottle anyway to rinse my mouth or something. Later, I poured it over my head to cool off but the water scalded my scalp. The water had been sitting out in the sun for a long time.

People offered me abundant generosity. I nearly forgot I ate breakfast. It was too long ago. Two apples on the road. A bagel and sliced turkey breast donated to me for lunch. Now dinner. Beef jerky and bakery sweet breads. Also donations. If I don't eat both loaves tonight they might become sticky garbage in the morning.

--- The apprehensive man

I intended to ride the freeway from start to finish, but encountered an apprehensive man early into my ride. He was with the construction company doing road work. I saw him in his truck to my right, on another road they were building. He slowed down and picked up his cell phone. Motioned me over with his hand and pretended to be doing me a favor. Said, take a rest.

OK, I do look kinda douchebaggy with my bright orange sneakers, yellow jacket, sunglasses, and running shorts. So I get that someone might look at me and think, look at this asshole on his bicycle. But if you're going to stop me, give me an explanation.

I'm saying hi to him. Guy goes back to his phone. He won't man up to confrontation. I get the ball rolling, What's the issue? You can't be on the freeway. I'm going to Yuma, this is the only road available. You can't - stay here, take a rest, I'm calling CSD (? County Sheriff Department ?).

He's not cooperative at all. You're with the construction? Okay, look I'll get off the freeway. Can I use this road you're on, which has no cars on it? No. It's under construction. Okay fine. Can I do this? Do this? Still no. Take a rest, wait for CSD. You're not giving me any options here!

"You could cause a three car pileup!"
I could cause an accident if I were driving! I'm not drunk, or feeble, or reckless. People can see me for miles because of how flat it is, and their speed is slow because of road work. There is a super wide shoulder - I am not in the driving lane at all. What danger?

"I've driven to Yuma, it's a desert!"
Wow? In a car? I've heard of those things. But please tell me, what's a desert?

"You will not like it."
Sitting here watching you fumble with your phone isn't helping me get me to Yuma, guy.

This man has no authority to detain me. And he's got no balls to call shots of his own. If he wants his area free of bicyclists, I'm willing to comply. That's part of his responsibility to his job. But he can't passive aggressively tell me not to go to Yuma, on account that it personally worries him.

I got a long road ahead of me, it's 9:30 am at the best traveling time while temperatures are low, I'm not waiting here for an hour while someone on the phone gives you the runaround. Don't waste the sheriff's time and mine. When he gets out here, he'll tell me to do what I'm about to tell you.

You are soooo apprehensive about the situation and can't resolve it, so I'm telling you what's going to happen. I'll take the next exit at that bridge right up ahead. I'll be off the freeway, off your road, and won't be any danger to you, your workers, or any of the cars driving by. You do what you got to: call CSD and have them pick me up if you have to, I have no problem talking to anyone.

It took me an hour and a half to get back on the freeway because of that spineless schlub. There were closed on-ramps and detours down the road. Afterwards, no one else bothered me. I counted at least five law enforcement cars that drove by without caring that I was on the freeway.

Road Closed.
LOL Rejected
Not today, concrete barrier!

A mere three stranded barbed wire fence separated the cracked bumpy road (which was closed to traffic anyway) from a smooth freeway. Eventually, I came across a cut in the fence. Beer bottles and tracks in the sand. Apparently some drunks wanted to dirt bike in the desert.

---

The trip. 8 am to 9 pm.

Road snapshots

I didn't get many pictures, because the heat would shut off my phone each time I tried to use it. But, there's not really much to photograph anyway.

The land becomes barren. Lots of cars passed on the freeway, so I could always flag someone down if I had a health emergency. Call boxes and phone reception were available too.

There was a 5 mph breeze from morning to evening that helped me get through the high temperatures.

On the road to Yuma, I found a bathroom near a water processing plant with air conditioning. LOL.

It was 117F at 2 pm. No drinking water. 20 miles to Yuma. 

I got a flat tire. Luckily, a rest area was a mile ahead of me. It was just one building with four outhouses and a single wash basin. I laid out all my possessions in the shadow on the narrow cement in front of the bathrooms. First I get water, then I fix my bike.

Rest area

The rest area didn't have much, but people stopped by. Some people complained to me about the heat, about the outhouse smell. It's funny to hear it from them. I didn't say anything back. Some ignored me. But more than a few gave me water. One man gave me lunch. Another supplied me with spare tubes and offered to help get my bicycle fixed in Yuma. Altogether, I got the help I needed to make the rest of the trip.

I landed at Quechan casino about ten miles outside of Yuma.

Husky Ulix

Hopped to Paradise casino just north of town.

people who warn you its not safe...
are the ones you need to watch out for

Saw a shooting star. it was like someone flicked the lights on and off, but then i realized i was outside where there were no lights. I look up and this bright trail breaks off from a point in the sky like the tip of a sparkler.

Thursday night was hot. I did not have energy to camp anywhere nice. Drank a smoothie at Albertson's grocery and slept between two walls nearby.


Friday, July 22nd
Yuma, AZ.

Flies were picking at my face in the morning. I was not in any condition to travel.

morning camp

My right fingers are tingly numb. It's been like this for two weeks, maybe more. A combination of handlebars, backpack straps, and computer mouse. And when I sleep, I always feel a constricting pain in my right hand. The knuckles lock up when I flex them.

I got a motel room around 8:30 am. It's a short walk from Golden Corral. The shower works, the air conditioning is cold, I've got electricity and slow but reliable WiFi. It's a much needed relief and it cost me under $40.

Sleep. Slept. Sleep. The only two times I left my room were for lunch and once in the night to buy water.

A rare lodging was not without its labor.

The room was cheap because it needed renovation. Killed a dozen drain flies. They came out of a crack behind the toilet. A dozen more flies replaced the previous ones. Endless. I still killed them, on principle. The room smells mildly of old ventilation and sink.

The first thing I did was take a shower. My bags and gear came next. I washed and wiped as much of my stuff as I could. Cleaned out the inside of my backpack thoroughly. No ants, but a pair of round bugs were in there. Two months of outside dirt takes some cleaning.

Ulix got his bath too.

Ulix wonders how long bears live. I told him, it's best not to live longer than our dreams. 'Cause what would we do after? It's better to live always having something in front of you. Then to have someone else finish your dream afterwards.

Am I going to live after you're gone, Jonathan?

Sure, Ulix. You're going to live on and finish my dream. Then you'll get to do whatever you want for a long time, and then you can pass along your dream to someone else.

Well, I don't want to live for that long. Just a little longer than you.

Why's that?

So I can poke at you with a stick.

How come you want to poke me with a stick after I'm dead, Ulix?

Well, you might not let me when you're alive.

But why poke me?

Or anything else. It doesn't really matter.

You just want to poke something with a stick?

Yeah. It looks fun.

I'll find you an extra long stick to poke with, buddy.

He looks so clean at lunch.

I gave myself a haircut. I noticed an open wound on my face from sun acne. I was scared of flies laying eggs inside. Picked at it to be sure. The white tissue I took out was normal.

I need to carry a lot more water in the desert. Water is heavy, so I had to rethink my pack. I threw out anything in my bags I hadn't used. Cords and tie downs were useless to me. Camp shower, plastic attachments, junk tools. What I took out was still far less than the water I put in. One tub in each saddle bag, to balance the weight.

Acclimated to surroundings. After being indoors with air conditioning, I don't know how I'm going to face the heat again. From my prior position, it was unpleasant but navigable. Now it seems impossible.