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Lake Havasu City AZ to Kingman AZ – 64.04 miles – 4206 ft climbing

The ride to Kingman involved a couple of minor climbs near the beginning and end of the ride. The novelty of this stage was that I would be riding a blue shield interstate expressway for the first time. There was very little flat road on the route. Heading out of Lake Havasu City, the impact from any wind was negligible. I just took my time and casually made my way north. The weather was perfect. Temperatures were in the low 70s F as I started just after sunrise. To celebrate the warmer weather and to be more visible on the interstate, I donned a different (red) cycling jersey. The weather forecast for Kingman was high winds in the afternoon, so I wanted to get an early start to avoid any problems. As I look out of my third floor motel window at 3 pm, the parking lot lamp pole is wildly oscillating a few feet back and forth. After meandering though town for I while, I headed back onto the main highway north in order to connect up to I-40. When I was approaching the summit of the climb just north of town, I realized that my average speed with photo stops and pit stops was under 10 mph. This was far slower that I had planned on. Fortunately the summit approached and gave me an opportunity to boost my average back up as I cruised on the gradual down-grade in the mid 20 mph range, still not really making any effort of it.

Along the way, the scenery was just too special to not savor the moment. After all, this is exactly the type of experience I was craving. I had perfect weather, inspiring vistas in all directions, and I was pursuing my top unfulfilled personal achievement goal.

One of the things I noticed as I frequently glance back in my rear view mirror is that the scenery is even more spectacular if you turn around. This often caused me to just brake and take it in. The words from brother-in-law Bernard about the geology of northern Arizona were floating around in my head as I took in the splendid colors and rocks formations.

Once I reached I-40, I was a bit disappointed in the condition of the shoulder. The cracks in the shoulder were frequently “sealed” with tar that had the effect of a mini speed bump every dozen feet or so. In one of the photos here you can get an idea of what I am referring to. This seemed to mostly be the case for the first several miles until I headed due north. It was a relief to have a full shoulder to ride on though. The majority of vehicles were 18 wheeler trucks – and yes I did count over two 10-minute increments (average 6.8 vehicles per minute, 59% trucks, 27% pickup/SUVs, 4% RVs). Sister-in-law Julie asked me before the start of the trip – “so what is it you think about all of those hours on the road?” – well, this is one of those things I do to occupy the time. I also focus on the road as if playing a space invaders type video game – shifting left and right to line up any breaks in the tar where openings appear, yet avoiding the bolts, straps, shredded tire pieces or what have you that’s ended up in my path.

This is at precisely the spot where Karen passed my by as she shuttled between motels. She was my good luck charm today, because after she pulled away, the roads were clear and smooth. The winds also picked up into the mid teens and almost completely at my back. This made the gradual ascent of 2600 feet practically effortless. The net effect was like riding on flat road. I chose to cruise just a few miles faster than the wind was pushing me so that I would get a light refreshing breeze in my face. The temperature was rising, but still below 80 F.

Karen must have given me all here luck though. Shortly thereafter I received a series of voice-mails from her. First, that the car had a warning light lit. She later informed me that there was something wrong with her eye. She did find a lucky penny when she checked in though, so perhaps she got some good karma with it. The light disappeared and a trip to the auto dealer verified that it was nothing. Once I arrived at the motel, it appeared that her fear of pink eye was not correct. She just now returned from a quilt show in Kingman and although here eyes are still irritated, she says that she’ll wait until the morning. We are now thinking that it may have been a pet that occupied our last motel room before us.

The last five miles or so, I turned off the I-40 and took the back roads in. When I wrote yesterday about one stretch having the steepest climb, I was wrong. It was topped today, although for a shorted distance, so it depends how you keep score. After the constant din of traffic, the quiet back roads were a pleasant way to wrap up another ideal ride.