Indio to Blythe, CA

102.5 miles, 6:00 hours riding time, 5,466 calories, 2323 feet of ascent

Well, to be honest, today wasn't much fun. To get to Blythe from Indio, you have to ride on Interstate 10. It's legal for bicycles to use the freeway, if there are no other roads. We left the hotel at 7:15 am to avoid the rising sun and started the day with an eleven-mile climb. The rest of the day was spent on the highway, riding on the shoulder. Luckily, the shoulder is wide on I-10 and the truck drivers are very courteous. Unluckily, there's lots of little bits of steel wire from blown steel-belted radial tires - just waiting to ruin a cyclist's day! A few people had to pull off the road to change a tire. Oh, yes, did I mention it was one-hundred degrees in the shade? Not that there was any shade. We were briefed last night on riding across the desert - everyone carried a backpack water system and two full bottles on their bikes. Many wore white leggings and arm covers - think Lawrence of Arabia! CrossRoads set up a bunch of support stops for refills of Gatorade, water and snacks. It was a long, hot day. I'm glad that we have that behind us. Of course, tomorrow we ride an even longer day through the desert to Wickenburg, Arizona. Crossing the state line, we sprinkle some beach sand on the border to appease the wind gods…