Day Three: my worst day of touring. Ever.

I had the air conditioner on Hi Cool all night and slept really great. Because I wanted to get in some miles before it got too hot, I woke up early and was rolling by 8AM. It was still pleasantly cool when I left.

I stopped at a Circle K on the way out of town and bought three energy bars and 2 liters of Gatorade. That should be enough to get me to Glamis where I'll eat a quick lunch and climb over the hill to Palo Verde.

When I tried to pay for the energy bars and Gatorade with a traveler's check the guy looked at it like it was a precious historic artifact. He held it gingerly between his index fingers and thumbs and said, "Wow. I've never seen one of these before." Then he added, "Sorry. We don't take checks." "But it's a TRAVELER'S CHECK. Everyone takes them," I rebutted as people began stacking up behind me. That was the extent of my debating skills and he countered with, "Sorry," thus ending the discussion. I used my credit card and left with no more cash than I had walked in with.

I shouldn't have been surprised. When I was at the bank the teller told me they only had five sets left and he didn't think they'd be getting any more. I guess people just don't use them.

I rode the fourteen miles to Brawley (pop. 22,052) and refilled my water bottles at a convenience store on the east side of town, my last outpost. While I was there I asked the cashier if they take traveler's checks. He didn't seem to know what they were, either. I should've tried the brilliant debating skills I'd used on the last guy. Maybe it would've worked with this guy - he didn't look as smart as the other guy. But was he dumb enough to give money to a guy dripping with sweat, wearing funny clothes, and trying to spend a type of currency he's never seen before? Probably not.

The temperature rose rapidly on the way to Glamis. As I was riding I began seriously wondering whether I was going to be able to make it to Palo Verde. By 10:30 it was in the mid- to upper 90s. I was already burning up, stopping anywhere I could find even a small patch of shade, even a ditch.

From mark on a bike 08

After a while I stopped wondering about whether it WOULD or WOULDN'T be dangerous and began wondering just HOW dangerous it would be for me to ride the rest of the way. An additional factor to consider is that there would be 1500 feet of climbing. Still, I would think about over a long cool lunch in Glamis and decide at that time.

From mark on a bike 08

When I arrived in Glamis shortly before noon I was very relieved when I walked into the air-conditioned store. I grabbed an ice-cold Coke and asked if they take traveler's checks.

The man behind the counter looked to be around 65. He was obese and sweating in his overalls, even in the cool air. When I interrupted his concentration of Judge Judy on the TV behind me he was visibly unhappy but never glanced my way.

"He wants to know if we take traveler's checks," he announced to the room, then emitted a wheezy laugh. Then, just to make sure I didn't misunderstand him, he firmly added, "No." He did, fortunately, take credit cards, so I asked him if I could wait and pay for everything I wanted at once. The only other person in the building was also behind the counter and gave me a nod.

The cafe is only open from October to May, so I was limited to the grocery store items. The MAIN thing I wanted was to cool off so I found the only chair in the store and plopped down onto it. Now that I was in the cool air I REALLY began sweating. I was just starting to feel a difference when the owner/cashier saw me and said, "This ain't no cafe where you come in and sit down. You buy something.... Then LEAVE." This time he was looking directly at me.

I was dumbfounded. I honestly didn't have a response so I gathered up my stuff and walked over to pay for my drink.

When I tried to use my debit card so I could get some cash it said "system error," even after two tries so I gave the assistant my credit card to pay for my Coke. He told me there was a $10.00 minimum, but by that time I just wanted to leave. I said I didn't care. I also added that I just wanted to leave because that other guy is being a real bastard. I was pretty unhappy.

Great. Now I'm outside at a picnic table, thinking. And sweating. Boy, did I show him.

Bicycle touring, like everything else in life, is about problem solving. Of course, this is a completely different set of problems than the ones you encounter at work or sailing a boat or choosing where to get a haircut.

My current problem: I'm at a picnic table outside the only building in Glamis. I haven't eaten anything but a couple of energy bars this morning. I don't have any food, nor do I have any money to buy food. It's at least 105 degrees, and I have over 30 miles of riding, most of which is uphill.

Broken down, it's: Do I stay here, or Do I keep going. That seems pretty simple. I CAN'T stay here with no food or water.

So, I need to leave. Do I ride or get to Palo Verde some other way. I have no illusions about what I can and can't do. If I ride, I'll end up in the ER. That means I need to find another way to get there.

I decide to hitchhike, so I rolled my bike to the road and stick out my thumb. Hitchhiking isn't something I really want to do, and was embarassed that I'm having to "cheat." In all my years of bicycle touring I've only hitchhiked one other time, during my 1982 trip, and it was only about 400 yeards over a dangerous bridge, and only so I could say I hitchhiked. This is different - it feels more like failure. Still, if not wise enough, I'm at least old and experienced enough to know when I should NOT be riding.

A guy with a loaded touring bike is somewhat of a curiosity so I didn't think I'd have much trouble catching a ride, especially since about three fourths of the passing vehicles were trucks.

Apparently, I wasn't that much of a curiosity because three hours later I was still standing there.

Oh, and did I mention it was hot?

During that time I asked a couple of Border Patrol if they knew anyone I could pay to take me to Palo Verde. (Since I had no money my plan was to have them drop me off at the bank) They didn't know of anyone and they themselves were going in the opposite direction.

My Adventure Cycling maps have emergency numbers for the sheriff. I decided that this was at least semi-urgent. After I explained my situation to the dispatcher, that is, that if I keep riding I'll be going to to the hospital, she let me know that "We're not a transportation service. You might try calling a taxi service." She was kind enough, however, to provide me with the number to a taxi service which, when called, connected me with a five-and-dime store in Blythe.

After some initial confusion on both our parts, the lady there gave me the correct number for the only local cab company: Reliable Transportation.

Reliable Transportation may be reliable, but at $300.00 I would have to think about it.

Problem solving.... I was running out of ideas.

At that point, I decided to go back into the store and buy a bunch of food in spite of the jerk who was running it. Just suck it up and go get some stuff.

When I walked back to the door it was locked. They closed at 3:30, fifteen minutes ago.

I went back out to the road and stuck my thumb out.

By now I was starting to feel despondent.

I ate my last energy bar, a melted confusion of chocolate, nuts, and caramel, and started thinking.

Back to problem solving. Do I keep riding or do I stay there. I can't stay. I have no food, and I drank most of my water while trying to hitchhike.

That means I start riding. By now it was nearing 5:00. I'll eventually be riding in the dark, but at least I'll be moving.

It's hard to convey how hot it is using words. People say, "It's like an oven." But, what you don't understand is that IT'S LIKE AN OVEN. Preheat your oven to 120 degrees and stick your hand in. Or your head. There is no breeze. There is no shade anywhere in sight. Glamis is where the Star Wars desert scenes were filmed. No matter how much water or Gatorade I drank it just wasn't cooling me down. My heart rate, even after I'd stopped riding for a while, continued to hover around 100 beats per minute (borderline too high). And, underlying it all, was a mild nausea which had begun in the morning and remained with me all day.

Before I left Glamis I called Heather. While talking to her I did think of one other possibility. If you read last year's blog you know about warmshowers.org. It's an organization where you can sign up to let people pitch a tent in your back yard while they bicycle across the country. Many people also offer a shower.

While I was riding, Heather looked up the closest guy on the list, called him, and explained my situation. Three long, searing, dizzying miles from Glamis I got a call from a guy named Wayne Pinkerton. He talked to me and quickly realized I was in no shape to ride so he closed his store 45 minutes early and drove AN HOUR to pick me up.

This is where I waited for Wayne.

From mark on a bike 08

From mark on a bike 08

Wayne doesn't bicycle; he just heard about warmshowers and thought it sounded like a fun way to meet some interesting people so he signed up a couple of months ago.

"Interesting." Huh. I guess that's supposed to be me. The dumb, sweaty guy.

He picked me up on the side of the road at dusk with a cooler full of soft drinks, Gatorade, and beer. I guzzled a couple of the Gatorades right away, then started on the water.

On the ride back I saw the terrain over which I would've been riding. Rolling hills with no shoulder. Invisible in the troughs until the last second. Not the best place to be riding after dark.

We stopped at a fast food place and Wayne bought me some food, then took me out to his bait shop where I set up camp on a pier. It was too warm for a tent so I just used my sleeping bag. I took a shower and felt a lot better.

These pictures were taken the next morning.

From mark on a bike 08

From mark on a bike 08

From mark on a bike 08

At the end of my day Heather frequently asks, "Are you having fun?" Today could only be described as "fun" if I were the sort of person who enjoyed sticking a fork deep into my thigh, snipping off my fingers with a set of pruning shears, or giving myself multiple papercuts on my eyes.

No. Today was NOT a fun day.

However, it wasn't necessarily a BAD day. I'm not so naive or inexperienced to believe that all days are going to be fun. However, I'm not dead or in a hospital, I have a new friend, and today WAS an adventure. Not one I'd care to repeat, but an adventure.

45.22 miles
12.3 average
3:41:19 time
The cumulative odometer somehow reset itself