Days 3 & 4 - The Decent into the Devil's Furnace

After we left Jacumba on the 3rd day we had a moderate climb to interstate 8. Once on 8 we began the most incredible decent down the Sierras. The road was as smooth as glass and we were reaching speeds of 32 mph as we snaked our way to the desert below. What had taken us two days to ascend now took 50 minutes to descend. It was probably the most thrilling joy ride I've ever taken.

Once on the desert floor the change in temperature was dramatic. The heat was intense and once off the interstate the road was a tapestry of broken asphalt. I rattled along so long on the road that one of the lens in my glasses popped out. As we continued for many miles on this road I was able to get a picture of my no name bike. I can now say that I been to the desert on a bike with no name.

After a 63 mile day we stayed at a very nice modern church that must have been a hotel at one time. It had a pool and showers. We all slept on the floor of a large common room. 17 snoring people not in tune. I know because I was up most of the night worrying about day 4. 

Day 4 began very early because we wanted to get as many miles in as we could to beat the scorching heat. Riding in the desert as the sun comes up is breathtaking. Once the sun appeared though, the temperature began to rise. By 8:00 AM it was 90 degrees and at 12:00 it was over 105. It was a 90 mile day and by 1:00 there were only 6 of us still riding. The road temperature hit 116 when we were sill 20 miles away from our destination of Blythe, CA. I'm happy that my research on hydration and carbohydrate intake paid off. We pulled into our luxurious Motel 6 and I immediately jumped into the pool. I'm tired tonight but looking forward to an easier ride, 63 miles and it's only supposed to be 100 degrees. We'll be camping at a KOA so I may not be able to post. To be continued. . .

My friend James is from England. He's an author and I'm going to begin reading his latest book. There are so many great people on this adventure. I'll be introducing them along the way.