| Cross-Country Ramble 9:
Trying to Get Out of California Sent: 04/12/96
More Itinerary:
- Day 10. Palm Springs
- Day 11. East Shore Campground,
Salton Sea, CA, next to scenic
Bombay Beach.
- Day 12. Brawley, CA
- Day 13. Brawley, CA
- Day 14. Brawley, CA
We seem to be hung up here in Brawley.
One our first morning in Brawley, we woke up, looked at each
other and one of us said, "I think we're going to stay here today."
The other said, "I think you're right." So we did. Later that day,
after our naps, we decided that having pedaled 54 and 55 miles the
previous two days had something to do with our decision to rest a
day. Even later that day, we concluded that the fact that it's 66
miles across desert and sand dunes to the next place to stay with
nothing in between also had something to do with our decision.
Apparently we are not yet completely fearless.
This morning, rested and well stocked with water, soft drinks and
food, we left Brawley. But at 8 miles out, my front tire went flat.
It turned out to be an unpatchable leak at the valve stem. "Darn!" I
said, as the realization dawned on me that this is probably the
reason that many tourers carry extra tubes. My assumption that I
could patch any flat we might get had proven unfounded. The sun
really was glaring down like some "I-told-you-so" authority figure
now.
By the time Carol had gone back into town to find a tube and had
brought it out to where I was broiling, it was too late to proceed,
so we went back to Brawley and checked back into the motel we'd just
left. Carol put on 32 miles going nowhere four times up and down
that same stretch of road. By the time I'd gone to a real bike shop
in El Centro to get a complete set of spare tubes, I'd pedaled 45
miles going nowhere.
Tomorrow, we attack that 66-miles stretch of nothing again. This
time, we will not fail! Well, I hope not anyway.
Ken
PS: Here are some statistics after two weeks on tour.
- Average daily distance ridden on days when we rode: 35.8 miles
- Average daily increase in distance: 1.0 mile
If you believe that the past predicts the future, then you'd bet
that we'll be doing 100 miles per day by the time we get to Florida.
I'd cover that bet!
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