Day 7: Lake Havasu City to Kingman

Today's 85.5 mile ride went well. The combination of climbing, distance, and elevation was challenging but I felt strong all of the way and had no problems. At the 20 mile point we turned onto I-40 west for about 9 miles, which was not a road I ever thought I would do on a bike. However, the truckers all moved over to the center lane when they saw our line of 10 bikers and the shoulder was wide and in good condition - so not really too bad.

We then turned onto and spent the rest of the day riding on Historic Route 66. The highlight of the ride was the little town of Oatman. It is a former gold mining town which has undergone a renaissance of sorts due to the popularity of Route 66. Wild burros roam the streets and the main street looks like it is right out of a western movie. It is definitely worth a visit - although not particularly easy to get to.

After leaving Oatman we had a steep 2 mile climb up to Sitgreaves Pass at 3550 ft elevation. Although it was very hot, I had just been energized by a high calorie lunch and actually enjoyed climbing to the top at a fairly brisk pace. I definitely like to climb - words I may come to regret as we get into the Rockies.

As we neared Kingman I could finally feel some cooling in the temperatures - all the way down to the low 90"s. Temperatures for tomorrows ride up to Seligman should be in the upper 80's. High temperatures will go down another 10 degrees as we climb up to the south rim of the Grand Canyon on Saturday. Then I will start complaining about the cold 40 degree mornings.

We will be on Route 66 all day tomorrow so it should be fun.

Steve

Steve