We really had a nice visit with Bill and his family. They took great care of us. We ate wonderful meals and had a lovely tour of beautiful Lake Havasu. In the morning, after another terrific breakfast, Bill escorted us out of the town. Today he rode his ICE trike. We zoomed down the hill, rode under the London Bridge and along the Lake. This was fantastic! Bill took us to the end of the bike path where we stopped at a Basha's market for supplies and then we pushed on saying goodbye.
Colorado River ride view.
On the California side after riding across Parker Dam, very cool!
View on the road to Parker Dam.
Wild California burros
We rode along Hwy 95 which didn't have a great shoulder but, luckily, wasn't too busy. At Parker Dam we turned off to cross the Colorado River and take a quieter rode along the California side. The dam doesn't allow trailers, RV's or pedestrians but bikes are fine. It was fun to ride across a dam. This area is famous for wild burros and as soon as we crossed the dam there were burros everywhere even in the road stopping the little bit of traffic. This road is very quiet but there aren't any services. We came prepared with enough food and water for the day stopping at a road side table to make lunch with a view of the river. There are lots of RV parks closer to Parker but the season is only just starting with snowbirds slowly arriving for the winter. We crossed the Colorado river again riding back into Arizona and booked into a tired motel in Parker. At dinner, our waitress showed us a picture of a guy who runs a bookshop in Quartzsite. He is famous for wearing only a loincloth. The waitress said he is thought to be very wise and encouraged us to go in and see him. We'll see.......
10 ft shoulder for 10 ft and then nothing, arg!
In the morning, after stopping for supplies, we started riding Hwy 95. This was not an enjoyable ride. The road is in poor condition, there was a very strong side wind and we had to deal with lots of traffic. At least the sun was shining. As we approached Quartzsite, there were lots RV's dry camping along the side of the road. There is nothing out here. No water or services of any kind and the landscape is parched. It's free to camp and the sun is shining is about all you say. I really can't imagine making this area a destination but, apparently, lots of folks are doing just that. We came into Quartzsite and looked for a campground. Most campgrounds in Arizona don't allow tents which has been a source of frustration. I have an app on my phone (Allstays) that shows almost all the campgrounds with a description. There are lots of campgrounds in Quartzsite but only one allows tents, the B-10 campground. They also offer a discount to cyclists riding the southern tier, $10/site. The campground had everything and the people running it were nice but, wow, was it unattractive. This was nothing more than a gravel lot with busy Hwy 60 on one side and the other side bordered noisy Interstate 10. We managed to get the only site with a table and it was a rickety old thing. At least we had a place to cook our meals. The people staying were, let's say, eccentric. The parked RV's were mostly very old faded things. I'm not sure anyone of them actually ran. Quartzsite is known for big gem shows that start up after the first of the year. This time of year is very quiet and the campground didn't have many people staying.
Quartzsite bike art
Ripping tent pole
While I was setting up my tent, I noticed the metal on one of the tent pole sections is starting to rip. This is something I've never seen before. I'll write to Big Agnes and see what they have to say about it. I've used Big Agnes tents for 9 years and never had a problem. This will be the 3rd problem I've had with this tent. Seems like I got a lemon tent.
Quartzsite camping
Famous sign of Hope - Your?
In the morning we got packed up and started riding the Southern Tier bicycle route. This route goes from San Diego, California to St. Augustine, Florida and offers the warmest riding in the US for the winter. There are lots of road possibilities to go across the US and this route has the benefit of having been ridden by so many cyclists there is a ton of information available. Weirdly, for the first 13 miles Hwy 60 merges with I-10 over a small pass. We had a nice downhill back on Hwy 60 into Brenda where there is a cafe that serves delicious food. I was impressed to find a good salad bar and organic produce in such a small town. We both had a salad and took a veggie sandwich to go. For the rest of the day we had a gentle climb. The very small town of Hope has a very famous sign. I remember passing this 4 years ago and it still hasn't been fixed. We met a cyclist going the other way to find work at the gem shows in Quartzsite. We told him about the good food in Brenda and he said the KOA up ahead doesn't allow tents. Hhmm...I thought all KOAs allowed tents. Sure enough, my Allstays phone app says they don't allow tents too. We carried on and by the time we got to the KOA, on the outskirts of Salome (pronounced with a long O, rhyming with home), I really needed a bathroom and pulled in. Interestingly, they do allow tents. The sites are $28 which would be very expensive if cycling solo. With 2 people the price is high but more manageable. This is a nice park in the middle of nowhere. We got set up on the gravel lot and then went next door to a restaurant for dinner. After our large lunch in Brenda, we shared an appetizer with a couple glasses of wine before going back to the KOA for a soak in the hot tub. That was nice! The KOA also had a big community room with lots of tables, a microwave and electrical outlets for charging up our gadgets. In the morning we took our stove inside to make breakfast. While cooking up the oatmeal, a very outgoing woman came in and we all got to talking. Turns out she is from a very small town in Wisconsin where one of my best friends grew up. She knew everyone in the family and it was fun talking to her.
Hwy 60 isn't in very good condition. Each of these tar filled cracks is raised making the riding very bumpy
Since we are now on the Southern Tier bicycle route, we were looking for opportunities to stay with Warm Shower hosts. Staying with hosts not only saves money but we have always had a very good experience. There was only one host on this stretch in the very, very small town of Aguila. Her reviews were amazing and I was bummed when she wrote back to say she couldn't host us. This host is a pilot in her 70's living on a airstrip. She has taken some of the cyclists who have stayed on short flights in her airplane. Wow, wouldn't that be something! In her response she said there is a city park across from the firehouse where we could camp. That sounded good as it is another 25 miles to the next town of Wickenburg.
Touring brothers from Michigan stop to chat.
We met a few cyclist on this ride. A young gal and 2 brothers riding separately but were all from Michigan. They were all going west and everyone crossed the road to chat with us. This was more touring cyclists than we had ever met in a day.
Nice downhill
When we got to Aguila, we stopped at a convenience store to get water. The store is also a gas station and was very busy. Quite a few woman were inside when we asked about the city park and they all said it wasn't safe. Actually, they were all quite horrified at the idea and said the 'park' is more like an abandoned overgrown lot and strongly urged us to find another place to stay. One woman, Lindy, offered for us to camp in a barn next to her house. So nice! She lives another 7 miles down the road and gave us directions. I'm always impressed when complete strangers step up and offer a safe place for the night and always wonder, if I lived in the middle of nowhere, would I have the courage to do the same. We started out and when we got to the turn off there was a mileage sign saying it is another 19 miles to Wickenburg. This would be a very big day for us but we decided to try it. I called Lindy to thank her for generously opening her home and we carried on. There was still more gentle climbing but the last 9 miles were a glorious downhill into Wickenburg. It was almost dark when we arrived looking, first, at a very skanky motel and then finding the Log Wagon Inn for $50. This motel was adorable, comfortable and each room had a little bit of manicured, bright green grass out front. We decided to take a rest day here booking in for 2 nights.
No comments:
Post a Comment