We were greeted with a lovely sunrise and rode through more agricultural areas. Thank you farmers! Once out of Blythe, we said goodbye to the Imperial Valley.
Today we made our first state line crossing when we crossed the Colorado River. It’s a tradition that we do a dance or jig to celebrate state lines. I think cartwheels might be fun some time but then again I might hurt myself.😂
At coffee this morning a local let us know the annual Rock, Gem and Mineral Festival was going on in Quartzsite. Apparently the Quartzsite area is a rockhound’s paradise and morphs into a giant RV rally/show. She also mentioned food trucks!
And oh… there are saguaro cacti now and the skies continue to be clear and blue.
We left I-10 and cruised into Quartzsite on a smooth downhill and upon reaching town, encountered a huge traffic backup, emergency vehicles and four entrance and exit ramps to and from I-10. If that wasn’t a big enough fiasco to navigate through on bikes (and just as we were thinking about food trucks) Tom realized his rear tire was flat.
We cycled off-road on the Great Divide over 2,600 miles without any flat tires and within the first week, we have a flat. The nail Tom’s tire picked up was so long it also punctured the tire sidewall so the tire wouldn’t seal.
Tom pulled the nail and plugged the hole and we limped into town for food. Since we weren’t sure if the tire fix would hold we looked for some tent space in town to spend the night.
Probs going to get a late start tomorrow as the tire will probably need a tube. Once we get to Tempe, Tom will get a new tire. It’s all part of bike travel. 😊
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Keep Calm and Pedal On 