What a relief. We finished; no flats; no accidents; no mishaps. I know our wives and families are just as relieved. Thank you to everyone for your encouragement and understanding.
Today was an interesting contrasting day. We had breakfast and got away around 9am. Wickenburg is a modern day western town. One brief aside. Last night at dinner a couple of fellows came into the restaurant and were seated at the table beside us. They and several other patrons never removed their cowboy hats. One of these fellows had a revolver in a holster on one hip and a knife in a holster on the other hip. I can honestly say that I’ve never seen that except for law enforcement. I didn’t feel threatened; it was just strange to see a private citizen with a gun in open view.
We rode on Route 60 which was 4 lanes with a wide shoulder all the way to Phoenix. It was pretty wide open country and we were cruising. As we got closer to Phoenix, the landscape changed gradually into suburban sprawl. We figured out how to get onto bike paths west of the city limits and rode them for perhaps 25 miles. Other than sparse signage on the trails to tell you where you are, it was great. When the bike trails turned from macadem to gravel, we had to go on the city streets. Not much fun but ok. Then back on another macadem bike trail almost all the way to our hotel in Tempe. Tempe reminds me of Colorado Springs for some reason. College town with upscale shops and a mountain in the background, close enough to ride or run to.
Tomorrow I fly home to rejoin Marcia and the kids. Yes I missed Josh, Molly and Teresa too. Can’t wait to see everyone and start planning the next leg of our cross country bike trip. What a blast this has been!