Wow, we really can’t believe we have now been on the road for fifty days.
Even though the hotel was just across the road from a busy railway line, we both slept well. Actually, I think we are starting to get used to the sound of trains passing all night long in our different ways. I just sleep through it now, while Deborah apparently dreams of trains.
No complaints about the motel breakfast this morning as there wasn’t one. Instead, we bought a box of oaty wheaty honey-infused roasted bits yesterday, which almost tasted like cereal once we had drowned it in milk.
We hadn’t unpacked much, so packing didn’t take long, but it was still around 8:30 am before we hit the road. We didn’t know where we would end up today as there isn’t any affordable accommodation between Seligman and Kingman, but making it as far as Kingman in a day would be based on too many factors out of our control to risk booking accommodation. The title of this blog does, however, give it away.
It was going to be another one of those boring navigation days, although not a boring interstate slog this time. Highway 66 passes the hotel and would lead us all the way to Kingman without a turn and running through a single town that could be described as a town. This section of the route also had a few of those iconic infinity roads, where long straight stretches of the road appear to disappear over the horizon. As if that wasn’t enough, today was also payback time for the big climbs we have been doing over the past few days. While we still had approximately 400m (1300 ft) of ascent today we also had 950m (3100 ft) of decent, with some downhill sections running for mile after mile.
Deborah had checked the weather forecast for today and announced it would be hot. I, therefore, put on my sandals and t-shirt for the first time in a week. It was still a little chilly when we left the hotel, but it was when I couldn’t feel my fingers and toes that I regretted not checking the weather forecast myself. I should have also questioned why Deborah, with her ‘hot’ forecast, was wearing socks and long-fingered cycling gloves.
By noon the air temperature was in the mid-twenties so when we arrived at Peach Springs for our lunch stop Deborah’s layers started to get peeled off and my fingers and toes started to regain some feeling. Peach Springs boasted the only food market of the day too, so it was a little disappointing to discover there was nothing remotely vegetarian on sale, so we made do with biscuits and the leftover milk from breakfast.
We had a couple of roadside stops to stretch the non-cycling muscles in our legs and take a break from the monotony of the spectacular landscape we were cycling through, but as the day progressed and the possibility of making it to Kingman became a real possibility, the stops became short.
By 4 pm we were on the outskirts of Kingman, having cycled over 80 miles.
Another 8 miles and we had passed through the town and arrived at our hotel. We checked in, dumped our bikes in the room then went to the park across the road to find out what was generating the noise.
We were welcomed to Halloween Queen and informed that Drag Queen competition would be starting shortly. I assume that was so that we could watch it rather than suggesting we were eligible to participate in it. Clearly our welcome party’s idea of ‘shortly’ and ours differed, so after half an hour of hovering around with very little happening we headed out to discover what else Kingman had to offer.
After a short walk around the immediate vicinity of the park we decided that food should be a priority, so after a quick Google Maps search we headed to the only establishment within walking distance that would have a reasonable vegetarian selection, Family Dollar.
While dining on wraps, cheese, tomatoes and Rolo ice-cream we are now chilling out, planning tomorrow and watching King Kong on TV.
Still enjoying the blog and all the pics. The Grand Canyon pics were memorable. Good to see you managed to get the bike seat sorted. I was starting to think you might be stuck for awhile or have to get a ride to another town and back.
Should be interesting and more food choices once in CA.
Getting a ride was never a consideration. We have enough Gorilla Tape to fix anything if it came to that.. 😀