Day 5

Brawley, CA to Blythe, CA - 91 miles. 

The longest distance I've ever pedalled. I know, only 9 more and I could have claimed a century, but considering we left camp at 8:45 am, and pulled into the motel, yes, thank goodness, the motel at 5:35 pm, I wasn't interested in setting any personal records. Besides, if push came to shove, I can always fall back on the metric century I most certainly achieved. 

The beginning of the day was almost perfect; overcast, coolish, no wind, flat terrain. We actually covered the first 30 miles in just over two hours, and relaxed at Glamis with a water break. Glamis consists of a general store and restaurant. It sits in the middle of a 50-mile-wide expanse of sand dunes, most of which are protected, but there is a large area open to off-road enthusiasts. Apparently, from American Thanksgiving through the New Year, as many as 50 000 people will show up to watch various competitions, and to play. 

Everything changed as we set off from Glamis. The skies cleared, the temp rose, the terrain became hillier, and, most dreaded of all, the headwinds reappeared. The next 15 miles took 2 hours. I've never been on my Granny (small) front ring as I have this trip. At least we had a shoulder during this section. That changed when we reached the "dips". Think roller-coaster. Steep down, steep up, limited visibility. Could be a lot of fun in a motorized vehicle, but on a bike it was hard work and somewhat nerve-wracking to be constantly watching for overtaking traffic since we had little shoulder to play with.

It was along this stretch that Dena and I had our first, and I pray only, near-death experience. Dena was ahead, I was behind; Gina was farther down the road watching in disbelief. The centre line was a double solid, no passing. A line of transports was approaching, and suddenly one pulled out to pass the truck in front going uphill, coming at us. He didn't have the speed, but instead of pulling back in, he pulled abreast the other, heading right at us. There was no shoulder; I was riding the white line on the side, and didn't even have enough time to unclip before he was upon us. I was sure I was going to be sucked into him, Dena had a foot down, but I had to maintain my balance. He was by us in a matter of seconds, but they were the scariest seconds I've had on a bike. We took a short break to vent. 

Finally, after miles of emptiness and uneven pavement, we crossed the line between Imperial County and Riverside County, and immediately the road became newly-paved and wide-shouldered. The last two hours were heavenly.

Fortunately, there are no campgrounds in Blythe, so the motel was our only option. I was only too happy not to have to put up my tent. It had been a long day.