What We Have Here Is A Failure To Navigate

If there was ever any doubt as to whether or not my itinerary on this journey is being made up as I go along, well … today should alleviate any doubt.

After my somewhat long day in the heat yesterday, I was generally pleased with my progress as I wasn’t entirely sure making it to El Centro on day two was reasonable. Clearly it was. And from El Centro, it’s a mere 102 km to Yuma. My Southern Tier ride was starting off nicely. And while most of the ride to Yuma appears to be uphill, it doesn’t look to be severely uphill. Yes, it would still be hot but it certainly seemed like a reasonable follow up to yesterday’s ride.

I must have been more tired than I thought as I slept a bit later than I had hoped. After yesterday’s ride in the heat, I had planned on making an early departure this morning. That didn’t happen. That said, I was still confident that making it to Yuma today wouldn’t be a problem. I was even hoping to get there for 3:10 just so I could make a “3:10 to Yuma” reference. Then I made a somewhat important discovery. Yuma isn’t actually on the Southern Tier route. I’m not going to lie, that kind of caught me off guard.

I don’t know why I thought Yuma was on the Southern Tier route. But I did. I’d like to blame it on sunstroke yesterday but it was clearly just incompetence on my part. I hate it when that happens. I’d even sent out a Warm Showers request to a host in Yuma. Fortunately, they weren’t available to host so I didn’t have to contact them to let them know I was an idiot and wouldn’t be in Yuma after all.

After discovering my navigational error, I spent quite a bit of time examining the map to determine WHY the Southern Tier route doesn’t go through Yuma as it seemed like a natural route. So much so that I was tempted to just go my own way (that’s kind of my thing after all) and ignore the “official” route. It took a while but I finally opted to bypass Yuma (and Tuscon) and follow the official route. In the grand scheme of things I think both routes have the same issues. Wind, poor roads, lack of services like water, and of course, the desert heat.

My biggest dilemma now was coming up with a new plan for the day. With the extra time I spent on research this morning it was starting to get a bit late to start a 160 km ride. And yes, the research done this morning is likely something that should’ve been done at some point PRIOR to this morning. No point dwelling on that. The lack of services over the next couple of days also meant I was ill-prepared in terms of food for the road. Subway is great but I’m thinking a sub won’t last long in the heat that’s coming my way.

As it happens, there’s a Warm Showers host in Brawley – just north of El Centro. The hosts are Bill and Theresa and, despite the short notice, they offered to host me for tonight. I now had a new plan.

The ride to Brawley is only 25 km from El Centro. And Brawley has all the amenities I would need in order to stock up for the road. I’m not sure where I’m going to put all these extra supplies but I’ll just have to figure that out. One thing is for certain, my loaded bike will be about as heavy as it’s ever been as I’ll be carrying a LOT more water than I usually do. It’s my understanding that there aren’t a lot of refill locations through the desert.

After a bit of procrastination, I eventually checked out of the Coronado Inn shortly before 11:00. I’m not going to lie, it was more than a little warm outside. Some might even call it hot. This is exactly why I was planning on an early departure. Fortunately, I had a short ride ahead of me.

The ride to Brawley was completely uneventful and I arrived shortly after 12:00. Bill wasn’t going to be home until around 5:00 so I had some time to fill. That wasn’t an issue.

Task number one was groceries and that was accomplished at Walmart. No, I haven’t changed my views on said store but the convenience and prices were too good to pass up. From there I made my way over to the Brawley Public Library. Much like my experience in Cardiff, I never actually made it inside the library.

The Brawley Public Library has a nice treed and shaded area complete with picnic tables which happen to be conveniently located within range of their WiFi signal. As such, I set up my “office” for the day outside. Sure, the mercury was topping 35 degrees in the shade but what can I say, I like being outside.

The afternoon passed quickly but productively. I got some writing done, edited some photos, and did a bit more research on my upcoming route.

From the library I made my way over to meet my hosts for the night. Upon opening the door, Bill was very welcoming. Well, actually … he opened the door and immediately told me they don’t like cyclists around there. Yes, he was kidding.

My evening with Bill and Theresa was very enjoyable. There were great conversations and Bill was able to outline what I could expect on tomorrow’s ride. It was very helpful. There were also quesadillas and salsa. Homemade salsa. REALLY good homemade salsa. It was a Bill creation and he had clearly mastered the formula! Oh, and there may have been some ice cream. Actually, there may have been a lot of ice cream. Bill and Theresa obviously have the same appreciation for ice cream as I do. Clearly they are very wise!

Oh, Bill also put me in touch with Nancy in Palo Verde – about 105 km from Brawley. Nancy isn’t officially a Warm Showers host but she has hosted many cyclists – many of whom are referred by Bill. So, my evening not only ended with a great visit with Bill and Theresa, but I also now had a plan for tomorrow. Considering how the day started, I think it ended incredibly well.

Today’s totals:
Distance travelled: 29.52 km
Ride time: 1:26:23
Average speed: 20.50 km/h
Maximum speed: 29.27 km/h