top of page
Search

Day 87, Sunday Night, Aug 13th

anthony5736

Arrived in Parker, AZ shortly after 5 p.m.. Yesterday travel was from Wickenburg to Salome on route 60 West. Rode in the heat of the day, but much easier compared to Phoenix. Shoulder width on the road was good and the terrain was mostly flat. Made good time. Recharging of one of the external range extender batteries stopped. The Southwire portable powerstation may have shut off due to the heat. I plan to make more frequent periodic checks on charging while riding when weather is above 95°. All systems on the bike are performing well otherwise. There is a battery powered headlight which is not charging well. I have 4 other lights and can manage without it, but so far it works well enough. On arrival to Salome for the overnight I was greeted by another cross country biker. He spotted me immediately and ventured across the street to learn about my travels. He noted seeing me was a rare event. He commented people do not ride in this heat. We had that in common and it was a nice bond. He went back to his bike and I proceeded to check-in to the motel. The manager went out of her way to turn the A/C on in my room so it would be cool on arrival! So thoughtful!

The Aruzina State Police Public Saftey Person I spoke to on the phone in Wickenburg stated it was a negative for travel to Quartzsite on I10 from Salome where route 60 meets 10. My cabby from the night before suggested I just do it anyway, but it remained not an option for me. From Salome I traveled north on route 72 and landed in Parker after a day with some heavy side winds. The weight of the bike helped me here but it was no pleasure cruise at times. About half way to Parker I stopped in Bouse, AZ for lunch. A gust of wind hit while seated outside. One customer called out "that must have been a 45 mile an hour". As long as my lunch did not blow away I was not overly concerned. If the weather were to become too much I would stop and wait for it to pass. Shoulder was about 8" putting me on the roadway with traffic. Not a problem without oncoming traffic, which at times there was. Radar was helpful to time traffic behind me with my estimate of oncoming traffic. Key was to pull off the road when a crunch ensued. That did not stop one trucker from attempting to teach me a lesson when he passed intentionally too close. The cyclist who greeted me the day before shared that a menacing trucker intentionally missed him by literary an inch. The strategy to be off the road when there was oncoming traffic worked well. Being well rested, fed, and hydrated, and alert, kept me out of trouble. People like to honk too. Some friendly and some up to no good. Sometimes the rules of the road are straight out of an old Mel Gibson movie.

Doing laundry now. Wash is sitting, waiting for me to transfer to the dryer. Tomorrow I head south to Blythe, CA. I am 14 miles from a remote, in the middle of nowhere, bridge, to cross over to California... Being nowhere, many times has been somewhere, and I am looking forward to the crossing. Then another 43 miles to my motel waiting for me with a ground level room. Folk at the motel in Blythe are pleasant. It is not a Motel 6, but I feel like they shall have a candle burning in the window waiting for me. After Blythe, I continue south for a bit and then make a remote desert run 🏃‍♂️ west. I expect my last RV park stay on this trip to be tomorrow night. The manager is a cyclist and let me know the die-hards round there don't do ebikes. I did promise not to talk too much about what I was riding and he was gracious and is allowing me to stay upon arrival. And I really am grateful to any RV park that will take a "Tenter". They are in the business generally to support people traveling with RV's, so I think I understand their business model and appreciate leeway greatly.

52 views3 comments

Recent Posts

See All

Day 85, Friday morning, Aug 11th

Woke up to a flat rear tire yesterday. Went to the Vulture Bicycles shop here in town (Wickenburg, AZ). The owner is an astounding man...

3 Comments

Rated 0 out of 5 stars.
No ratings yet

Add a rating
Michelle B.
Michelle B.
Aug 15, 2023
Rated 5 out of 5 stars.

😁I feel like I'm watching this cliff hanger movie series! I'm sure Hollywood would love your adventure and all the encounters with 2 legs and of course the 4 leggers! The good, the bad, the indifferent, the core is that you cross the finishing line each and every day with grace & victory on your side! Look forward to the next episode!

Like

Diane Reiter
Diane Reiter
Aug 14, 2023
Rated 5 out of 5 stars.

I agree with the other comment - report those truckers that are approaching too closely. It's prob hard tho when you're on the bike moving along and then have to slow down. Kudos on your perseverance on this trip. Keep going.

Like

kmw477
Aug 14, 2023
Rated 5 out of 5 stars.

Day 87. Outstanding riding & informative post. Since most people have cell phones with cameras, I cannot imagine that any driver in a truck or a car would be so stupid as to crowd a biker. If I witnessed it, I would speed up, photo the drivers’ tag, call 911, & stop & tell the biker. I’m praying for you & a safe ride & arrival. You have goals & guts. I always wanted to take a trip like yours, but I was too chicken to do it. My suggestion is for you to write a book, magazine articles, take lots of photos, become famous, give speeches, & appear on TV shows. Put you Winslow photo on the cov…

Like
Post: Blog2_Post

©2023 by Anthony Anrig. Proudly created with Wix.com

bottom of page