Day 27 - It's HOT (Also, Day 28 Start)

What better time for record setting heat for this time of year in the desert than when I'm bicycling through it. I heard 103 being bounced around around 4:00 today. But I regress...

Waking up this morning, I got a late start, enjoying having a bed and shower for what will probably be the last time in a few days. Checking out, the same lady that I ran across last evening was there and we had another good 30 minutes of stories and conversation shared. I headed over to the diner that was just two buildings down and had a tasty Sunday brunch buffet, then finally took off down the road.

The weather was great and I made nice headway - a given on days I get good breakfast. Fairly soon, I was passing through the Ute reservation coming up on Four Corners. I'd been warned that it was under construction/renovation, and sure enough, I wasn't able to actually get to the corners, being blocked about 20 meters away. Ahhh well, at least I saw it.

Soon after that, the heat really set in for the day. The amount of liquids I drank today was massive, and was truly amazing. Fortunately, all of the scattered towns have had trading posts or gas stations, so I managed to keep my fluid supply high. Progress was a bit slower than I had hoped as I plugged along. I'm in the tiny little outpost of Mexican Water now - not much more than a gas station/shop and a restaurant. Kim - the guy running the shop told me a bunch of bikers go this way and that I can camp out behind the place, as well as giving me a heads up about free wifi that is available here. He's a great guy! We've been chatting about politics and his life (he grew up in Utah and ended up coming out here to help a friend rebuild a sheep herd)

Even with a bit of light left, I'll probably relax here and at least get a nap in. Tomorrow is supposed to have more record-breaking heat, so I'm aiming to get an early start - perhaps even before the sun rises - to get in as much mileage as I can. I'm 190 miles from Flagstaff at this point, and would love to make it in two days. With an inexpensive hotel mapped out, I figure I might be ready for another shower by then. Arizona is also my second to last state. After this, all I have left is California. Amazing...



Well, I didn't get to post yet because blogger is having issues. While I was sitting outside, another local came up. He turned out to be a police officer for the Navajo Nation. He, Kim and I sat around and I got to learn a lot about local politics and how the Native American nations work. To get local perspectives was absolutely wonderful. We talked about the divide between the youth and adults in how they viewed tribal life (interesting parallels with West Virginia politics in some ways), what kind of crime they face and the financial limitations, as well as customs, respect and tourists that pass through.

An education I could get nowhere else.. Wonderful!

Posting was still down, so I've added a little more. I started out the morning after breakfast at the restaurant in Mexican Water and made good time in cooler weather for the first 20 miles or so. Soon though, the winds started up again, holding me back a bit. Also, I ran into "blowing dust" signs, and areas with wind pushing grit across the road. Not the most pleasant of riding conditions. Finally, I got into Kayenta. Stopping at the McDonald's to try to update again, I saw a loaded bicycle outside. A quick check inside found me the other biker. His name is David and he's been on the road for the last 5 months after quitting his job to do this. He started in Chicago (where he's from) and has gone across the north, down the coast, and is now headed home through the more southerly of directions. We chatted and shared route information for an hour or two as the worst head of the day occurred. He just got back from Monument Valley, a side trip he'd done. Great guy with a lot of fun stories to share. I may run through the night to hit Flagstaff tomorrow night. We'll see what the weather and my body is saying.