Big mileage days and the hot sun had taken its toll upon us so it seemed logical to make our first semi-unsupported day a light one. We planned to cover only 55 miles and happy to have done so. Andy still was having knee problems and the day included an insidiously slow uphill accompanied by a steady head wind. After our country café breaky we slowly got on our bicycles and pedaled into the blowing wind. Within a few moments we looked at each other and said \"IHNE\", which stands for \"I have no energy.\" We had arranged to meet Joyce 15 miles down the road at a rest area, but as we came upon it we discovered it closed.
Joyce was nowhere to be seen so we began to search for the sister rest area on the other side of the road. Our quest for relaxation was quickly interrupted by the too-well-known hissing noise of the trip's first flat \--Andy's rear tire punctured by a chunk of Bud bottle. Only a few miles later it was flat again, adding to the sinking feeling that we might never make it to Wickenburg. Once we repaired the second flat we were on our way down the deadly straight road towards Aguila. Joyce appeared miraculously as we came into Aguila and we sat down for our midday meal at a charming little Mexican diner.
After a hearty and beany lunch we loaded the bikes with our packs for the first time and readied ourselves to hit the road. Joyce was on her way directly to Phoenix to meet her friend and we were to be on our own for the first time. Before parting, Joyce told us of another cyclist she met. A crusty bearded dude, who was on his way to Arkansas from Canada to meet his family and be reunited with his Motorcycle. His doctor had recommended bicycling as therapy to recover from a motorcycle accident, a prescription he had apparently taken seriously.
We didn't anticipate catching up to him because when Joyce met him he was just outside of Wickenburg. We'd almost forgotten about this mythological character, mesmerized by the dull landscape and tedium of the grade and wind, but he was to surprise us as we approached town. At the end of the steepest part of the day we crested and were treated to a sweeping view of the valley that housed our destination. As we whizzed down the 1000 foot descent we saw a goony looking dude using a metal detector to look for change in a turnout. Andy signaled me to stop and we chatted with Art for a while as he swept the gravel for change.
He could live on a dollar a day and had already found sixty-six cents. Two thirds of the way towards his daily budget he felt comfortable stopping to exchange advice and pleasantries with us. Bearded with faded and blurry tattoos he recounted some of the stories Joyce had shared earlier. We wished each other luck and continued our plunge into the valley. Ye Olde Wickenburg unfolded before us and we arranged to stay in the Ye Olde Beste Westerne, the most elegant place in towne. We felt we deserved a little comfort. A walk around town, scoping out dinner and entertainment opportunities yielded a number of options.
We mulled them over in the Pony Espresso sipping an iced mocha. This was civilization. After a swim in the pool and a little yoga we hit the street. Anita's Mexican Cuisine served up an awesome margarita and the best Carne Asada we had ever tasted. The portions were so large we had enough for the next day's lunch. After dinner we saw arch-conservative Clint Eastwood's, new movie \"Absolute Power\". It was not absolutely boring and predictable but close to it. Couldn't find the energy to go to any of the downtown drinking establishments for a cold one afterwards as we had promised ourselves, but a big comfortable bed was a good consolation.
The next day would be a big one, our arrival in Phoenix.