Twang Your Magic Twanger, Froggy.

Hiya Kids, Hiya, Hiya, Hiya

Greetings from Andy Devine Boulevard in Kingman, AZ. Thom and I had discussed trying to do 100 miles today.  We had an early evening last night and it was supposed to be cool today, so everything looked in order.  As we were packing the car after spending 3 nights in the same motel in Needles, I noticed that my front tire was flat. No big deal and we changed it and started on our ride at 7:45 am. Thom had same work phone calls before we left the parking lot. We knew we were taking local roads for 14.5 miles before getting on I-40 in Arizona. After a gate on a private road being closed, some dirt roads a rather mean looking dog that we decided to avoid and nearly 20 miles we got on I-40. 

We were greeted by a rough shoulder that made us question our decision to ride the Interstate. Fortunately after a few miles the shoulder was smoother. We decided to take a break at a rest area about 30 miles from Kingman. While there we noticed rain clouds all around us. I texted Claudia who said it was raining and 53 degrees in Kingman. We decided to wait out the storm in the rest area. After 45 minutes or so, it looked like the weather was clearing and we headed back on the highway. Claudia had warned us about construction where one lane was closed and then the shoulder was closed. It didn't sound like fun but there was no alternative. Right before we got to the bridge where the shoulder was closed there was a Highway Patrolman in his car. We stopped to ask him about the best way to proceed. As I pulled up my gaiter, he laughed and said "You got a much better chance of getting hit by a truck out here than you do of catching Covid." Anyway it turned out we could ride on the closed shoulder, though the construction crew thought we were crazy. 

Today was one of those days when neither one of us could get into a rhythm It was a gradual uphill from the highway entrance to Kingman. After the construction when I was a little ahead of Thom, I stopped to wait for him. There I noticed that my front tire was a little soft. We filled it up with some CO2 and hoped it would last until Kingman which was 16 + miles away.  

I tried to push real hard knowing as we approached Kingman we were due for a 3.7 mile steep uphill. Claudia had advised us to look at Route 66 as an alternate to see if the incline was less severe. I stopped at an exit for Route 66. It started to drizzle while Thom approached. We decided to stop at the truck stop at the exit and determine if we should wait out the rain or call Claudia. In that short half mile, it started to hail. Wow does that hurt when you are biking. We were soaked when we got to the truck stop. We called Claudia and asked her to come get us while we tried to warm up and get something to eat. You can see the hail on Thom's back in the picture below,

Thom decided to post the picture and tag our location on Facebook. It turns out the name of the truck stop is Crazy Fred's Whorehouse and Truck Stop. Claudia was surprised to be tagged visiting a whorehouse. Oh well.

Here is my ride on Strava. 

Here is our progress I know the progress is the same as yesterday. I have updated the spreadsheet and I don't know why it doesn't update the numbers.