Day 5 – Wednesday, July 4th (375 miles, Springerville, AZ to Blythe, CA):
Today was the worst day of the trip so far, solely due to the heat. When we left Springerville, the temperature was right around 60 degrees and it felt so good. Coming out of Springerville, we rode through beautiful fields and into some small mountains. We eventually stopped and ate breakfast in Show Low, AZ, where a 4th of July parade was going on. From Show Low, we continued west through Arizona and into the hottest temperatures I have ever experienced. Coming down from the mountains and into the desert was absolutely miserable. The temperature reached 115 degrees in Arizona! No cloud cover to help, just lots of sun and heat. I’ll never again ride through this type of weather, there is nothing fun about it. I got more sunburn and sweat the entire afternoon until I reached the hotel in Blythe.
Our plan was to find a 4th of July celebration and fireworks to watch once we reached Blythe but by the time we got there, my dad and I just wanted to stay inside the hotel with the AC.
Cactus on the side of the highway in the Arizona desert.
Day 6 – Thursday, July 5th (275 miles, Blythe, CA to Palmdale, CA):
Another hot day! We left Blythe and headed to Joshua Tree National Park, arriving at the park around 10:30am. Already pushing mid 90’s when we arrived. We rode throughout the park and stopped at various exhibits, taking pictures and walking around. Although Joshua Tree is a beautiful place, its better to visit just about any other time of year than the middle of the summer, so we were fine not hanging around too long. After leaving Joshua Tree, we continued west and got a hotel in Palmdale, CA for the night. Tomorrow we compete our riding for the week, ending in Santa Barbara, CA.
Beautiful but hot day in Joshua Tree National Park
herecomestrebble 