First Taste of the Desert
Trip Start
Unknown
1
6
50
Trip End
Ongoing
What I did
105 miles across the Mojave Desert
Blythe, California
Tuesday, May 10, 2011
Basically start in the cool, join the I-10 and ride 105 miles as it gets hotter and hotter. It was hot by UK standards but cool by American standards; probably in the range 75F to 80F. Lots of debris on the shoulder to keep riders awake. The views to the mountain ranges that surround the desert were fantastic with unlimited visibility. Some of the time the shoulder was very rough with big expansion cracks.
One constant problem is that the truck tyres seem to explode at regular intervals and scatter bits along the road. The steel bracing structure breaks up into tiny fragments of sharp metal wire fragments that go straight through a bike tyre.
Mostly we had a tailwind but not always. When it turned to a headwind it required a strong push to keep rolling along at a reasonable pace.
Even with experience the sound of big 18 wheel trucks thundering past your left ear 15 feet away still kicks in the adrenaline!
Chris and Penny
