Today, as we head East, we experience 35 miles of Interstate 8. The road is smooth, fast and quite scenic.
It’s starting to feel like the desert. Temps rise to 86 degrees, but it’s a dry heat. Here are today’s stats:
Start city: Dateland, AZ
End city: Gila Bend, AZ
Miles: 53
Total miles to date: 323
Pedaling time: 3 hours, 14 minutes
Avg. speed: 16.3 mph
Feet climbed: 700
Fatigue factor: 5 (out of 10)
For our friend Mark:
Wind: NE, 5-10mph
Road condition: 4 out of 5
The truckers are respectful of the bicycles and move to the left lane when they can.
With the speed limit at 75, we appreciate this courtesy.
There are beautiful mountain vistas and wildflowers growing along the roadside.
The train theme continues as well. 
We heard them every 15 minutes or so from our campsite last night, and we see quite a few very long double stacked trains along our route.
We arrive in Gila Bend, our overnight city.
You have to love a city with a sense of humor.
Lunch comes with 3 miles left in our 52-mile ride.
It’s at Sophia’s, which is billed as Bubba’s favorite Mexican restaurant.
We are less than a week into our trip and one thing we have already learned is that if Bubba says the food is good you can bank on it.
We each enjoy a combination plate and note that Bubba is probably right…it’s pretty darn delicious!
Tomorrow: Our longest ride of the tour, and our longest of the year!
Our friend Laura loves to track us. See where we are right now (tap the icon to see how fast we are moving): http://tinyurl.com/rogerandeve
Hit the button in the upper right column to follow this blog and get e-mail updates every time we post
Eve and Roger's Cycling Adventures 
Bubbas motto … it’s all good!
Tell Bubba his son says “Hi!”
Bubba is a big guy! All is good when a man that large truly looks like he is enjoying himself.
Hmm from I8 to maybe I10 tomorrow?!?! Nice that you have flowers in that vast dry land. Love the updates and you are still smiling.😎😎
Hope you encountered the friendly people and avoided the crabs
We have gotta stop at Gila Bend. That sign was a “knee-slappa” kind of funny! Wind stats are a nice addition.
The Sonoran Desert is unique. It takes over 100 years for those cacti to
get large, and the museum in the Tucson area has a forest of them. Sonora
is a state in Mexico. Rolled Sonoran tacos and tortillas are delicious.
The desert blooms in February, and the tops of each cactus has flowers.Tiny cactus wrens live in the holes you see.
We used to wet bandanas to cool our heads and around our necks when
riding in the AZ heat. No cooling towels then…
Your Former First Grade AZ Teacher/Stoker D
Love the blog and following along on the ride! Looks like such fun. And good food too!
Congrats!! You’ve been on this great adventure for a whole week already! As I read your daily notes, it reminds me of when I worked at the Kennedy Space Center. During a shuttle launch I would go outside to experience the excitemement and feel the sound waves (hearing them too, but there’s nothing like feeling the rumble in your chest). The analogy is this – after launch I would go back inside to my office and I would always think, ‘OK, They will have orbited the earth in the next 45 minutes – what will I have accomplished?!’ Am so impressed with what you guys are accomplishing! Great job!
Love it! Love it! Love it!
Helps to have a known point-of-reference to understand that Bubba is… ONE BIG DUDE! Drafting him must be SWEET! (Looks like you might pass by/through Bisbee en route to Douglas (???). If you can make the stop, the Bisbee Bicycle Brothel is worth the time. Some great vintage bikes and ephemera… some/most for sale! The owner is a Davidson (NC) College grad! The Gadsden Hotel in Douglas is worth a wander-in — the lobby is rather “grand” (considering the location and era). Also, I saw from some recent PAC Tour Desert Camp riders’ posts that there’s also a new brewpub in Tombstone.)
He’s big, but very friendly. Bubba doesn’t ride. He shepherds his flock across the country. Thanks for the tips. We will try to get there.
really a great blog, thanks for posting
>