Day 24 - Feb 1

Today turned out to be a 100/118 day instead of the 100/100.  We road 100 miles in 118 degree heat!!!  Yay! 

It was 2 degrees cooler than yesterday.  But today even though longer was an easier day.  Instead of a day long headwind, we had a moderating cross wind to tailwind.  The roads at times were the dreaded chip seal roads or even no road and were jarringly unnerving.  But when the tailwind would come up...  Yippy off to the races.

It is hard to imagine for those up north with blizzard warnings and sub zero temperatures but it is blistering hot down here.  The asphalt is radiating the heat back up at you and the wind is so hot it feels like a blast furnace.  It is not something that you would say.... Hey let's go for a 50 mile bike ride.  :)

For some of my coast to coast riding friends, unlike our trip across the US where we had SAG stops every 18-22 miles with cokes and cold water and snacks...  Here you leave in the morning and ride 50 miles and you have a lunch stop.  Then you ride the rest of the day to the camp site.  When you come to a village you look for a coke stop.  Since they are in the middle of no where, the coke and or water is usually luke warm but it tastes so good anyway.  And lastly as of yesterday on this trip we have ridden enough miles to have put us past the half way point across the US ... i.e.  the boot fence

This trip is way more primitive than the trip across the US.  As the tour company says...  if we made the days shorter and the roads were better and the conditions more suitable anyone could do it.  They want to preserve the Epic nature of the trip.  Thank goodness, I wouldn't want to be comfortable or anything.  :)

Back to today...  all in all a really good day.  I almost got run off the road by a huge bus that as passing a truck.  He was in my lane a coming on fast.  He honked the horn and was mad that I was there.  We rode through so many small villages and towns. I still can't get over how we attract so much attention.  They line the street or crowd around us in a market.  Everyone wants to get a look at us.  We are downright popular when we hit town.

The only real shade tree for miles

A herd of cattle that just about came right thru our camp.

After the cattle came thru this bull came up to the tents and started scraping the ground with his hoof.  He was trying to tell us we set up camp on his domain.