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TenLinks Bike Across America |
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Day 3 - 105 Degrees Seems Cool
The temperature is still the big story but mercifully, it dropped down to a high of 105. I still cooled off in the pool afterwards but this was the first day where it didn't feel as if it was a medical necessity. Today was almost all Interstate and highway driving. It wasn't as bad as it would seem. True the cars and trucks are going very fast. However, Interstate 10 has a rumble strip that separated the road from the shoulder which was very wide and smooth. Highway 60 in Arizona, which may be the longest straight road in the country, also had a nice wide shoulder.
The scenery was still of a desert variety. Winds rolled tumbleweeds across the road. Some were big enough to bring down a cyclist, I'm sure, so I had to be careful. Unlike the California state emblem of the grizzly bear (long departed), Arizona's emblem, the Saguaro cactus, is very much in evidence. As we crossed the state line, they began popping up everywhere.
I didn't want to leave Arizona without seeing one up close and personal so I hiked a hundred yards off the road to one prize specimen. There I was rewarded by seeing another desert inhabitant, a rattlesnake. It looked unharmed on the side of the road but was very still. I prodded it with my bike pump and sure enough -- dead.
This little fella (about 18" long) did not survive his attempt to cross Route 60. Anticipation is already building for tomorrow. A couple of mountains await me and there will be 9,000 feet of climbing! For more information, please contact: Roopinder Tara, CEO/President, TenLinks, Inc., Novato, CA 94947, USA (415) 897-8800 x 221 |
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