Slow start. I left Salome at about 8 am, after saying goodbye to Kat, Patti, and Theodore.
Almost 1000 feet of climbing today, but it didn’t even feel like an incline, as the elevation gain was over 50 miles, and there was a bit of a tailwind at times. Not as strong a wind as yesterday.
On occasion, I’ll see something ahead in the bike lane, and wonder what it is.It’s still not clear to me what this is. The white stuff is like a lab coat or something – it’s not toilet paper.The shoulder was often worse than the regular road, so I would sometimes ride to the left of the shoulder line. See the gouges in the road for the rumble strips? The pattern was 60 feet of gouges, followed by a 10-foot gap. This allowed me to move back to the shoulder when I saw or heard a car coming.
Stopped in Aguila to look at a flea market (see previous post).
Patti told me yesterday that all Saguaro have personalities, and you can see the pose if you use your imagination. Except for the Saguaro, all the Mesquite could be Kiawe on the dry side of Oahu in Hawaii. Also notice all the clouds, which kept the day from being hot.
I got into Wickenburg before 2 pm. The first place I stopped was Goodwill. Their Goodwill store is probably the biggest I’ve ever seen. A T-shirt from Hope, Arizona spoke to me, since it was the only store that was open on my ride the day before. $2.99, but Tuesday was senior day, so I got 25% off.
My next stop was Safeway, to get money as cash back. The motel in Salome only took cash, so drained me. Often there is no branch of my bank in a town, but there will sometimes be a grocer that will allow cash back on a debit card. I got ceviche and a cucumber tomato salad. Everything came to about $3.This is the Western Motel in Wickenburg (not to be confused with the Westward Motel in Salome). It was full, so I moved on. One thing I noticed was that the sign said something like “USA – England – Hindustan”, and the place was absolutely plastered with “God Bless America,” American flags, and Trump/Pence “Make America Great Again” signs. I wonder whether it was just a patriotic activist as the owner, or simply that they were trying to protect themselves from vandals? I also noted that the motel was for sale.
I checked into the Best Western. It was a step up from what I would usually choose. $81, but that included a full breakfast.
The motel room was small compared to Salome, but had all the amenities, including an iron and board in the room. I used it to iron my url onto the shirt I got at Goodwill.
For dinner, I just had a salad bar and root beer float down the block. Then I crossed the street to the theater in town, which was only showing one movie. It had been quite a while since I had seen a theater that was not a multi-plex. Guardians of the Galaxy 2 was playing. $8, and I just walked in for the 7 pm showing. No lines.
Yup. 5 would fit on a sheet, and I used 2 on the shirts I brought, leaving 3 extra transfers for shirts that anticipated buying along the way. If I can lose the water jug, I’ll have a lot more room. The Hope shirt I got is a Large, so loose on me, and also a heavyweight material, so bulkier than I would like, but the picture on the back spoke to me.
The shirts are not so easy to find. All size and weight are at a premium, so I can’t afford something that doesn’t have function. I want a shirt that is light-colored, to reflect the heat, one with local content, and my size. A neon color for visibility is a plus. This shirt has a cartoon on the back that says “Your (sic) beyond Hope”, so it’s clearly not mass production.
You packed T-shirt transfers?
Yup. 5 would fit on a sheet, and I used 2 on the shirts I brought, leaving 3 extra transfers for shirts that anticipated buying along the way. If I can lose the water jug, I’ll have a lot more room. The Hope shirt I got is a Large, so loose on me, and also a heavyweight material, so bulkier than I would like, but the picture on the back spoke to me.
That sounds like an interesting souvenir. (Tee shirts are problematic for me, so I tend to collect magnets and mugs.)
The shirts are not so easy to find. All size and weight are at a premium, so I can’t afford something that doesn’t have function. I want a shirt that is light-colored, to reflect the heat, one with local content, and my size. A neon color for visibility is a plus. This shirt has a cartoon on the back that says “Your (sic) beyond Hope”, so it’s clearly not mass production.