It was a great day to ride a bicycle. Day-wise we are
¼ of the way across America. Of the ten days we have been on the bikes, there
are two standout days, the Salome-Buckeye run and today’s run. On both of those
days, the traffic was light, the road was smooth, and Sara and I chatted as we
rode. For me it was paradise.
It all started at 6:05 am in the Comfort Inn parking
lot in Thatcher. The cool morning air registered 64 degrees, as cold as it has
been for us since leaving Columbus. Last evening when we went over the route
together, I promised Sara that we would have a tailwind for most of the ride. As
it were, we had a moderate headwind as we turned east on US 70. Just after
passing a major junction 12-miles out of town, Susan passed us by on her way to
the first of our several designated stops. I flagged her down. She did not show
her concern, but later that day Susan told us that at the moment we flagged her
down, she was deeply concerned. She was scheduled to meet us at mile 25. As it
turned out, the day worked out well.
We passed by Susan’s second rest stop because we were
moving so well. The headwind was
subsiding, and, it was only 23 miles from our next stop, the dusty Arizona town
of Duncan. So we pressed on. We arrived
at the Duncan city limit sign, but there was no Susan. We kept riding, and
looking. The city limit sign was about five miles from the center of town. Finally
we found Susan at a car wash parking lot. It was the only available shade
within a 20-mile radius. We cooled off and ate before heading out.
It is as though the town of Duncan is in a time
capsule. It is not an exaggeration when I say that nearly every house had one
or several shells of old cars sitting in the front lawn. I observed a ’38 sedan
with no front end, a ’58 pickup with no bed, a ’68 station wagon with no windows.
A dust cloud covered the town, settling on everything at one point until a
passing semi re-launched the dirt in a system of perpetual motion. It reminded
me of photos of the 30s Oklahoma dustbowl.
Leaving Duncan in the dust (pun intended) meant that
we were half way home. At the eastern city limit sign we met up with a queue of
automobiles and trucks waiting. One lane of the road was being repaved for a
distance of five miles. While the traffic waited, we were allowed to progress
in the unused lane. After four miles we encountered the pilot vehicle leading
the westbound traffic to the other side of the detour. After the cars passed,
Sara and I had a good 15 minutes before the eastbound traffic would catch us. We
took advantage of it, running for the state line one mile away.
The Welcome to New Mexico sign greeted us to the Land
of Enchantment. The road had a new surface, a wide smooth berm, and no traffic
after the first quantum of vehicles passed us by. The promised tailwind finally
arrived at a rate of 15 miles per hour. Sara and I both used our big
chainrings, and we were off to the races. The 38 miles evaporated like the
water in an Arizona wash. We waved off Susan at two of the three designated
rest stops.
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| US 70 headed into Duncan |
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| US 70 east of Duncan |
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