Saturday April 18, 2015

We were awake early and had the tent and bikes packed. We had just got our breakfast things out as there was no sign of Mark, when he appeared and asked if we would like coffee and scrambled eggs, we said yes. Our breakfast stuff was packed away and we had coffee, scrambled eggs on tacos, it was lovely.

We followed the road and then had to get on Interstate 8, but we passed part of the agricultural area of Blythe.

We headed out not sure on where we were going to sleep tonight. We had been trying to get hold of Nancy who was on the ACA maps, and had not been very successful in getting hold of, we had the wrong phone number.  We had contacted Janet who had stayed with her and she told us she worked in the post office and gave us the number. We didn’t know what post office, but Ralf suggested we stop in Palo Verde and ask if the person there knew Nancy. Lo and behold, it was Nancy. She invited us to stay with her, and told us she would be closing the PO at noon and heading home.

We had an ice-cream, and waited for Nancy to finish work. She gave us directions to her place which was another 5 miles down the road.  Unfortunately, there is a one mile dirt road to get to her place, but apart from that it is a lovely 1959 trailer home, we have the bed at the back, close to the air conditioner and the washroom.

Nancy has been looking after cyclists for over 4 years. She provides dinner and breakfast and asks for a donation.

We chatted to two other cyclists who had also arranged to stay. Danni and Jill are a father and daughter team who are also going east to west. They started on March 1^st and have the minimum amount of gear – it is called “bike-packing”.  Although they are staying at motels and eating out every night.

After dinner Ralf went out to take some sunset shots and Nancy took Jill, Danni and I through some easy yoga and relaxation exercises that will help our backs on these rides.

Tomorrow is a long ride to Brawley, it will be hilly and we have a warmshowers host tomorrow night.