Tuesday, April 29th, 2008
I rode down a 30 mile stretch of road to get to the freeway. Nothing exciting, just flat and boring. When I got to the freeway, it was my intention to cross over and keep going, but I soon discovered that the road ahead after the freeway was all gravel. Suck! So after my brother google mapped it from Texas and tried to find another route, I ended up taking the freeway shoulder. I don't think I'm afraid of the shoulder anymore, I was at first, but it's not that bad. Most semi trucks move over a
n entire lane for you, and give you plenty of room.
I stopped at a rest stop about 10 miles up the road to rest while the day was the hottest. That's what I do now, I ride very early in the morning, get in the shade in the afternoon, and then ride for a couple more hours in the early evening before it gets dark.
Nicolette is a good friend from Houston. She was in my stake, and we became g
ood friends. She just moved to Mesa, AZ to take the branch manager position at Pointe Pest Control here in town. She runs the entire operation down here, and is a very busy person. We ran a lot of errands that night, and I didn't get to rest until about midnight or later. It was okay though. Since I've been on this trip, I don't feel a sense of urgency, I'm totally relaxed and not worried about time very much, which is nice.
Location: Mesa, AZ
Campsite: Nicolette's Apt. Complex
Miles: 65
Ride Time: 5 Hours 23 Minutes
Weight: ?
Temperature: 111
Odometer: 305
Average Speed: 12 mph
Today was a good day.
A long day, but good. I started out from Hope, and rode about 7 miles to the next town where I stopped for breakfast. You know how I had mentioned the "road from Hell" back on day 4? Well, I found the "Bathroom from Hell" this morning. You probably don't want to know this, but I'm going to tell you anyways. I went into the bathroom at that little diner in Salome, AZ (which was located outside the building), and when I opened the door, and took one whiff I commenced vomiting all over that bathroom. It was the most disgusting smell I have ever encountered in my 24 years of existence! Ahhh! Yughk! I didn't even know something could smell that bad. It was hard to eat my breakfast, but I needed the energy.
I rode down a 30 mile stretch of road to get to the freeway. Nothing exciting, just flat and boring. When I got to the freeway, it was my intention to cross over and keep going, but I soon discovered that the road ahead after the freeway was all gravel. Suck! So after my brother google mapped it from Texas and tried to find another route, I ended up taking the freeway shoulder. I don't think I'm afraid of the shoulder anymore, I was at first, but it's not that bad. Most semi trucks move over a
n entire lane for you, and give you plenty of room. I stopped at a rest stop about 10 miles up the road to rest while the day was the hottest. That's what I do now, I ride very early in the morning, get in the shade in the afternoon, and then ride for a couple more hours in the early evening before it gets dark.
When 4:30 ran around, I left again and rode another 20 miles or so to a
nother "Flying J" gas station. I was planning on riding another 30 miles into town the following day and then have my friend pick me up and take me to their house in Mesa, but I was so beat, I had forgotten to put on sunblock that morning, and my skin was fried big time, so I was depleted of all energy. I hitch hiked with a guy named Marty for about 20 miles until I was in the Phoenix city limits, then I called Nicolette, and she came and picked me up later that night and took me back to the Apt. complex where she and her employees live.
nother "Flying J" gas station. I was planning on riding another 30 miles into town the following day and then have my friend pick me up and take me to their house in Mesa, but I was so beat, I had forgotten to put on sunblock that morning, and my skin was fried big time, so I was depleted of all energy. I hitch hiked with a guy named Marty for about 20 miles until I was in the Phoenix city limits, then I called Nicolette, and she came and picked me up later that night and took me back to the Apt. complex where she and her employees live. Nicolette is a good friend from Houston. She was in my stake, and we became g
ood friends. She just moved to Mesa, AZ to take the branch manager position at Pointe Pest Control here in town. She runs the entire operation down here, and is a very busy person. We ran a lot of errands that night, and I didn't get to rest until about midnight or later. It was okay though. Since I've been on this trip, I don't feel a sense of urgency, I'm totally relaxed and not worried about time very much, which is nice.It was nice to get a good night's sleep though, I enjoyed it very much.
Spiritual Thought for the Day:
Your body and mind are an amazing creation. They can get used-to any type of input you give it. Sometimes, this works to our disadvantage because we program ourselves to do stupid things, our actions put us in horrible situations, and every part of our being adapts to that undesirable way of living. On the positive side, we can also develop new habits, change the way in which we live and act, and our bodies/minds, believe it or not, will eventually adapt as well, and begin to live happier.
You know how you hear about someone who had a positive lifestyle change, and then looked back on their old way of living and said: "I don't know how I ever could-have survived living like that!" ?... That's because they have adapted to a better way of living, and your body/mind are telling you to NEVER go back there.
You CAN change anything about yourself, you can become ANYTHING you want to become, it just takes the willpower and endurance to get through the first stages of adaptation that your whole being needs, to "switch-over" completely. Keep going, it's worth it.
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