Trip Summary

Day 52: 2929 miles completed, 8 states, 7 flat tires, 4 flat mattresses, 40 new friends and Bruce #1, 8 rest days

Monday, March 16, 2015

Day 10: West Tuscon


Our rest day was followed by a "short" forty three mile route from the East side of Tuscon to the West side.  The first twenty miles were a friendly mix of bike paths and residential neighborhoods which were isolated from the winds. Before venturing back on the city streets we visited the Tuscon area Jewish Community Center.  Our German traveling companion, originally from Israel, is riding coast to coast raising money to support Holocaust survivors (link).

After the easy half of the ride, we turned the corner and suffered through a medium strength headwind for the duration of today's ride.  One our our group, Roger, needed some medication so we made a quick stop at Wal-Mart.  Since none of us were aware enough to join him, he ended up walking his bike through the store.  Wish we had a photo of that.  While waiting, we sought nourishment/fluids and fixed Ken's chain which had shifted off the cassette and got stuck.  As Roger was returning, we readied ourselves and were surprised as an automated sprinkler burst from the ground showering us with a blast of cold water.

The remainder of the ride was uneventful.  Other than a plethora of cacti, the one interesting site was the largest airplane graveyard. We were planning to stop for a pizza lunch, unfortunately the spot that 2013 riders raved about was closed, so we settled for Pizza Hut.  The food was average, but the climate was excellent.  With lunch occurring three miles from camp and starting about noon, we filled our bellies on the buffet, stretching our dining experience past two hours.  We caught up on communication while enjoying the air conditioning.


UK Update:  Graham continues to have problems with his rear wheel.  The other day two spokes needed tightening on route.  Bad news, he left his sunglasses at camp this morning.  Good news though as his lost pair of shorts magically reappeared in the laundry bin.  

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