Time: 3h31m35s
Distance: 99.99km
Avg spd: 28.4km/hr
Climbing: 663m
What a crazy little town... a golf course, community center, population of 125, and a combination Firehall-Library and a (man-made) lake in the middle of the desert. But desert Center, CA, despite it's size, is our oasis from the heat. We are blessed again with a lake to swim in, pool to swim in, and an air-conditioned community center (with Wi-Fi!) to sleep and relax in.
Believe it or not, this is the road 1km from camp::
The ride went according to plant today - we were on the road by 5:45am, and rolled into 'camp' around 10:20am. The heat wasn't outrageous by that point, but it was certainly heading that direction. Riders who just arrived claimed temperatures of 117F (47C) radiating off the pavement.
My wrist was really tight and sore leaving camp this morning, and it was super tough to roll my sleeping bag and tenting gear. But two Advil and time on the bike helped loosen it up. We prayed for it before we left camp this morning, and will continue to do so going forward. I highly doubt it will be significant enough to sideline me for any amount of time, and that is a huge relief. I'd very much still appreciate all your prayers going forward.
Leaving Coachella as the sun came up was absolutely beautiful. We rode past more vineyards, with the locals up at the crack of dawn to pick in the cool of the early day.
We then climbed a beautiful, steady 3% grade Box Canyon and to the I-10. I've never seen geography like what we're seeing, and it's all blowing me away.
Internet access has proven to be difficult to come by, mostly because we end up in places pretty far from (out of walking distance) coffee shops or McDonalds. My apologies for the not keeping up, but it will likely be this way for a little while.
Tomorrow we hit Arizona. It's gonna be hot, so we'll start early again. I'm on the sweep team, which means I'm on the team that helps put out dinner tonight, breakfast tomorrow, and cleans up camp after everyone leaves. Being the last to leave also means I'll likely be one of the last guys to arrive, as we'll need to collect the slower riders, and people who have had mechanical problems. With any luck, we'll all be back in camp by 1pm...
Sleep has been tough to get. I'm certainly not getting enough hours of sleep, and it likely won't change. I'd also appreciate all sorts of prayer for finding respite whenever possible.
Alright... time to see what help is needed in the kitchen.
Distance: 99.99km
Avg spd: 28.4km/hr
Climbing: 663m
What a crazy little town... a golf course, community center, population of 125, and a combination Firehall-Library and a (man-made) lake in the middle of the desert. But desert Center, CA, despite it's size, is our oasis from the heat. We are blessed again with a lake to swim in, pool to swim in, and an air-conditioned community center (with Wi-Fi!) to sleep and relax in.
Believe it or not, this is the road 1km from camp::
And this is our point of refuge:
The ride went according to plant today - we were on the road by 5:45am, and rolled into 'camp' around 10:20am. The heat wasn't outrageous by that point, but it was certainly heading that direction. Riders who just arrived claimed temperatures of 117F (47C) radiating off the pavement.
Leaving Coachella as the sun came up was absolutely beautiful. We rode past more vineyards, with the locals up at the crack of dawn to pick in the cool of the early day.
We then climbed a beautiful, steady 3% grade Box Canyon and to the I-10. I've never seen geography like what we're seeing, and it's all blowing me away.
Internet access has proven to be difficult to come by, mostly because we end up in places pretty far from (out of walking distance) coffee shops or McDonalds. My apologies for the not keeping up, but it will likely be this way for a little while.
Tomorrow we hit Arizona. It's gonna be hot, so we'll start early again. I'm on the sweep team, which means I'm on the team that helps put out dinner tonight, breakfast tomorrow, and cleans up camp after everyone leaves. Being the last to leave also means I'll likely be one of the last guys to arrive, as we'll need to collect the slower riders, and people who have had mechanical problems. With any luck, we'll all be back in camp by 1pm...
Sleep has been tough to get. I'm certainly not getting enough hours of sleep, and it likely won't change. I'd also appreciate all sorts of prayer for finding respite whenever possible.
Alright... time to see what help is needed in the kitchen.
Stephen:
ReplyDeleteLooking like you are having an awesome time. Have a great ride. We'll be praying for you.
Arend and Barb
Thinking of you back home Steve. The hood is cleaning itself up and will be back to its old self (sort of) by the time you are home. Don't worry about your blogging, you should be maximizing your pool time.
ReplyDeleteHey Steve,
ReplyDeleteWe are thinking and praying for you. Careful with that wrist, you will need if for more wallyball later this year. PS The blog is super interesting.
Daryl & Suzie