After leaving the McDonald's I headed out into the beautiful morning and rode along some quiet flat country roads where agriculture thrived. I say cabbages being harvested and marvelled at the canal irrigation systems they had in place.
And then google maps did the classic sending me down a gravel road. Perhaps I should've just turned around and found an alternate route but I dislike backtracking. I tried to see it as part of the adventure, to embrace the inconvenience of bouncing around on gravel. I, unfortunately had stomach cramps (pms) and the gravel road didn't help me feel better.
It seemed to go on and on, and I began to question if there really was a bridge leading to Hwy 78, the road I had to be on but was avoiding as long as possible.
Then I saw it and I grew hopeful of the end being in sight of this vibrating gravel.
When I finally did reach the pavement of 78 I was glad for the ease of cycling it offered... Until I realized I had a brutal headwind to fight. (I believe it was 23km/hr from the south/ southwest).
So it was slow going. And with the sun it grew hot.
I was glad I had borrowed an extra water bottle from Ty, because it came in handy today.
The road was newly paved and had hardly any shoulder to ride on, so it was all about riding the while line. It wasn't straight or flat either.
Saw another touring cyclist, so we stopped and talked from across the road from each other as traffic blew by.
He was doing something he'd always wanted to do but finally had time and opportunity to do with his semiretired life. Frank (sounds like Frunk), turned out to be of Dutch decent as well so we chatted a bit in Dutch, because we could :)
Then onwards. I had my music going, the upbeat workout style in hopes that I could feed off the energy of it, distract myself from how frustrated I was becoming with the brutal headwind.
There wasn't much to look at, just rocky desert, so I stayed down in my drops (lower part of my handlebars) so I would be a bit more aerodynamic.
It was one of those days, when the mental battle rages, when all I want to do is quit, when I have to force myself to keep pedalling, keep hoping that it will all be worth it in the end.
Wind is an unseen enemy, but I was happy for Frank who had a sweet tailwind (okay, maybe I was more jealous of him).
When the road shifted to a more westerly direction I felt things were a bit easier with the crosswind.
Time seemed to drag by. I was grateful for the cloud cover that helped cool things a bit.
I made it to Glamis after 5 1/2 hrs of cycling and I was 2/3 done my ride.
Glamis is where most cyclists stop and camp out. Not that there is much more than RVs parked on the sand. 
It's home of the Imperial Sand Dunes, equivalent to a giant sandbox where adults play with their grown up toys of ATV's, Dune buggies, dirt bikes and all terrain vehicles, going up and down and around the sand dunes all day. And they think they're tough.
I stopped for a brief bathroom break and briefly chatted with some of the guys, who joked they get a good thumb workout (accelerator!)
It was really beautiful seeing those pristine sand dunes covering a vast expanse of land. But every time a car or truck drove by I got pelted with flying sand so I had to keep my mouth shut and squint my eyes. I could feel the sand sticking all over the left side of my body and in my ear.
And then I was beyond them and into more desolate land. At least I could keep a better pace since the wind wasn't in my face.
I was so ready to call it a day. Then I passed a canal, and where there is water there is life and agriculture.
Passed fields of green, chirping birds. And life seemed a bit happier.
Broccoli is being harvested, passed some on the side of the road. If it hadn't looked so beat up I might've picked it up for supper.
I had a cheap AirBnb booked on the far side of town, for which I was very thankful (probably would've had to get a hotel otherwise).
Stopped in a Family Doller (apparently no Dollar General store around these parts, which is my preferred store) and picked up some food items to stock my supply. Just over 147 Km's of riding.
Briefly met my host, Elvira, and was shown the place. It was a really nice place in probably the best neighborhood in town. She had a cold pool so first thing I did was Chill myself in it hoping it would help my muscles recover better. Then shower, then eat.
I felt utterly spent and wished I didn't have to cycle the next day. At least it won't be as long of a ride, but still, a rest day would've been lovely!
Made soup and mashed potatoes for supper, watched a Masterchef episode on my iPad and went to bed early, exhausted and sore all over.
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- Eritia
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