Day 6, Palo Verde, CA to Quartzsite, AZ

Up at 6:00 am PST. Jim washed our riding gear yesterday and my soaking wet wool shirt dried outside even though it was in the 40's this morning. I guess that's what happens when you're in an area that gets an inch of rain yearly.

Our host made us another wonderful meal and we are so grateful to experience this hospitality from strangers who help cyclists. Thanks Nancy!

Riding through irrigated farmland similar to the Imperial Valley in the morning we stopped to shed gear as it warmed up.

 I left first and it took Jim longer to catch up than it should've. He had to put on an extra 1 and 1/2 miles to go back and retrieve his gloves. We followed her tip to get to Blythe, CA on back roads, and then to eat at Lalo's Mexican Restaurant.

 

Across the Colorado River and were in the 2nd of 8 states we are crossing. On the shoulder of I-10 we finally got a little push from the big rigs wake and a tailwind, hallelujah! 

We stopped at a rest stop and an older couple pulled in with a van advertising jerky. Since we've been eating jerky I asked about buying some. We tasted some samples and said which ones we wanted but the whole process took about 20 minutes. It's a good thing we weren't in a hurry. A long climb brought us to Quartzsite at 2:00 pm (3:00 pm with the time change) where we paid $10 each for pitching our tents in what amounted to a big gravel and rock parking lot surrounded by land yachts (RV's). 

Watch out for those trees, they fight back, and draw blood. 

50 miles today (for me) including circling the RV park several times, looking for a tent friendly place in vain.