| Cross-Country Ramble 11: In
the Afternoon Sent: 04/17/96
It's lunch time. I see a small square building with a cafe sign
coming into view near the roadway. I don't want to get my hopes up
yet. Many cafes, motels and gas stations we pass are vacant. As we
get closer I see cars and pickup trucks in the driveway. We roll up
to the sidewalk and lean our bikes against the outside of the
building. A few patrons are leaving. They glance in our direction as
we take off our bicycle helmets and gloves. I fish around in the bag
for the black, cotton knit baseball style hat my son, Kevin and his
girlfriend Gen gave me. I put it on, hoping this adequately covers
my matted, wet hair.
We both order the special of the day: chicken-fried steak and
mashed potatoes with gravy over all, plus two big glasses of iced
tea and two glasses of ice water. We can see our bikes from where we
sit. Two old men, one in blue jeans and a T-shirt and the other in
khaki pants and a plaid shirt, stop in front of them and look them
over. They discuss them for quite a long time before getting into
their pickup truck.
As leave the cafe, three boys about 12 years old come riding up
to us on their mountain bikes. "Hey, are those your Bikes?" "They
are way cool." "How much did you pay for them?" We smile and start
to answer their questions but they have already zipped out of the
parking lot and on down the street.
We put our helmets back on and start pedaling. Hey, what happened
to the wind when we were eating lunch? It is coming at us sideways
now. The sun is still high in the sky. I wish for an overcast,
cloudy day or even just a cloud to break the sun's intensity.
My mind wanders to the scenery. The wildflowers look as if they
were in spectacular bloom two weeks ago, except for the ocotillo.
They are in bloom now (see picture right), nodding their heads in
animated, breezy conversation. The mountains ahead look like chunks
of chocolate with heat bloom on them. The creosote bushes continue
along with us as a constant in our desert travels. The sun's
intensity increases as the afternoon wears on. We look for shade for
a break and find it under a deserted gas station's canopy. We search
through our panniers for the grape juice and the peanut butter
crackers. In the shade the temperature feels moderate and the breeze
cooling.
We start out again. Only ten miles until we reach our
destination, We'll stay at a motel tonight. The campgrounds here are
level gravel beds, with no trees and no picnic tables.
Just as we crest the hill we see town. We ride in going downhill,
a pleasant end to our riding day. We check into the motel. Ken pays
$32 for the large room with the queen size bed. As we enter, I
glance around the room. It's OK. The walls are painted a neutral
sand color. The bedspread is has a brown print and the floor has an
old variegated brown carpeted with cut pile. We flop in a chair to
cool down and rest our legs. Soon, I can't stand the grit and salt
on my body any longer. I go into the bathroom. The lower part of the
wall is covered in maroon marble plastic tile with a black tile
border. The upper part is sand colored. I shower. I feel so much
better. Alas, my clothes still are gritty. I put them in the sink,
wash them and hang them up to dry In the desert air.
After Ken finishes his shower we walk down the street, observing
the one or two stores open. It's a bit early but we decide to look
for a place to have dinner.
Carol
Itinerary:
- Day 14. Brawley, CA
- Day 15. Palo Verde, CA
- Day 16. Blythe, CA
- Day 17 Quartzite, AZ
- Day 18. Salome (pronounced Sa-LOAM), AZ
- Day 19-20. Wickenburg, AZ
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