In the desert 2

Day 12
Distance Travelled 71.9 Miles
Time in saddle 7hrs 39 Mins
Overall distance 955 miles
Ordered a pizza last night, the guy, who was on his own said it would be about 20 minutes so I said I would call back. I went back to my motel to edit the footage and forgot what time it was. I quickly went back to the pizza place, the guy was on his way out with my pizza in his hand, He said “I thought you’d forgot so I was going to bring it to you” how scary is that? How did he know where I was? News must travel fast in these small towns. I suppose they don’t get many knackered looking middle-aged men dressed in Lycra stopping over. It was very kind of him though. The walls are thin in this motel. I heard the guy next door using the toilet this morning about five o’clock, I nearly pooed my pants. I thought that he was in my loo. I had this vision of a big cowboy coming out the loo, throwing a couple of dollars on the bed and thanking me for last night…..well I did have a can of beer when I’d finished my ride. Luckily that wasn’t the case. I don’t feel like writing this blog at the moment, because I’m so shattered. If I don’t do it now I will forget what happened, everyday is just mixing into he other. I don’t even remember which town I’ve been in. I set off later than expected. As I travel east I need to alter the time on my watch, I forgot to and was an hour behind. Talk about swings and roundabouts. Yesterday was the best days cycling I’ve done so far. Today was the worst. I wasn’t sure if I could cycle on Highway 70, being an interstate I couldn’t normally ride a bike on it. However to go a different way would take me at least four extra days cycling. I asked the lady who served me breakfast at ‘Mom’s Place’ She said I couldn’t. After I left I asked an old guy who was watering his plants. He tried to send me in the wrong direction. I eventually came upon two hippie type bikers, the cycle kind who, were just riding around the country as a way of life, fantastic. He said I could ride on Highway 70, “Cos I done it” he boasted proudly. They were a really nice couple that didn’t seem to have a worry in the world, just cycling about living in a tent. I got the answer I was looking for and I was off. The guy did say that the road climbed a way…thirty miles later it flattened off…. for a couple of miles. I was knackered. It was particularly hot today too and I think the heat started to affect me. I felt really lethargic and my legs felt like jelly. After about forty three miles I wanted to stop cycling and set up my tent but I would have been a little embarrassed at only doing forty odd miles. I don’t know how I did the next thirty miles. I kept giving myself little incentives, like ‘after the next hill I’ll see how I feel. Or what’s over the next brow?’ It’s amazing how you can play tricks with your mind and body. The hours just went by and I was at seventy miles. I carried on until I got to just over seventy-one miles. Out of those seventy-one miles I must have climbed for sixty of them, it’s been horrendous. Then it started to pour down When I mean rain I mean a thunderstorm. I managed to get the tent up without getting absolutely drenched. I was wet, but I’d put my waterproof coat on so the damage was limited. It’s pouring down, I’m in my tent absolutely knackered somewhere in the San Rafael Desert…it doesn’t get weirder that that. The lightening just lit my tent up like Blackpool Illuminations, wow.
While I was cycling along on the Interstate I could hear police sirens. I thought here they come, but then again sirens, a bit heavy handed isn’t it? The car went straight past me as I’d stopped my bike ready for the prone position. I’ve seen all the films…book him Dano. There was a massive crash on the opposite side of the freeway. Two massive lorries had jack-knifed and actually mounted each other. It looked really serious. Traffic was held up for miles. As I cycled past people kept stopping me to ask what had happened. I didn’t take any pictures or film I thought it was a bit morbid….and I didn’t want to highlight the fact that I was happily cycling along the freeway…I still don’t know if its legal or not.
I’m going to have an early night and set off bright and cheerful tomorrow. The rest will do me the world of good….I’ll drop off like a baby…if the storm stops trying to blow my tent from under me.