Spoking Up

It’s Tuesday the 20th and I am now at my parents house near Wickenburg, AZ.
I left San Diego on Thursday, the 15th on a very beautiful, sunny day.
I was studying my map, and feeling unsure about which way to go, in the
town of Lakeside, when up rides a guy named Doug who rode with me for
several miles through many turns and showed me the way. Somehow these
angel people seem to show up when you need them.
Leaving Lakeside, the road goes up and up and up over 4000 feet. I made it
about halfway up the mountain and had to go off into the desert to set up
camp. The next day I rode 46 miles of mostly uphill followed by 12 miles
of screaming, as fast as you can go downhill, into the desert and the town
of Ocotillo. In Ocotillo, I talked to Gary, who runs the trailer park, and
he told me to set up my tent in his trailer park which had running water
but no shower. The next day started my journey across the desert floor and
another night of sleeping out in the desert (and my 3rd night without a
shower). I spent the next night in Blythe and the next day I rode 75 miles
and was setting up my tent in the desert when I checked my messages and
discovered that my parents were looking for me about forty miles back.
Somehow I went by them and they didn’t see me. So, here I am at my parents
house about 10 miles north of Wickenburg, resting up after riding the last
5 days and almost 300 miles. I am getting stronger all the time but my
body still needs days off to rest.
I will be leaving here, for Phoenix, on Thursday 22nd and then heading
east. It seems that I have pretty much exhausted my supply of friends and
family so will try to just ride and ride from here with fewer stop-offs. I
know that I’m getting stronger because I rode 75 miles yesterday and feel
fine. I feel that I can now ride farther than the daylight will allow me.
Adios for now; I hope everybody is well.