The Longest Day

The Longest route of the tour.185.3 Kms and 1125 metres of climbing,the result in one word-exhausted.
We set off at 07.00 and almost immediately started a long gentle climb,right at the bottom I had another puncture,a tiny wire filament,gave me a slow leak.Just started to fix it when Peyton,the young mechanic,came along and did the deed for me.Sadly I failed to notice that we were on an exit and so when I set off I went up the ramp and away from the correct route.Only noticed when I wished to photograph the welcome to Arizona and it was nowhere near me,Hence the poor photo of the sign-only added 200 metres to the route.Caught Elizabeth up at a service station,she had been left on her own as everybody,one by one,suffered with punctures.One poor fellow had five today.

Anyway we cycled along to the first refreshment stop after 40 miles.Elizabeth decided she should cycle on,but I persuaded her to stop.Having acquiesced a trifle reluctantly,she soon changed her mind as one after another cyclists stopped and took to the cars.Soon after I left the stop I came across two of our party trying to extract another wire from a tyre,they called me over and said a surgeon should be able to do it-fortunately I could.And so the day went on,hot,but some cloud cover limited the damage a little,long and tiring.At first I was counting down the distance in 10 Kms sections,then five and you know you have hit rock bottom when 0.1 Km seems progress!! Fortunately the last 10 Kms were all down hill,if not one or the other of my numerous aches,toes ,bottom,neck,arms could well have induced me to plead disability and stop.But I arrived to a very welcome bath and another shandy.

So we have left the desert,left California,arrived in Arizona and seen the beginnings of cultivation.

Photos of the Colorado river, scenery and a poor view of the Arizona sign.I do not know what the large waterway is,but there was also a sign after Hope of Beyond Hope-just as I felt!