Day 6 of Riding

I've titled today "day 6" because Russ said yesterday he was just stretching out, preparing himself for worship & listening to praise music - it didn't count as a full day of riding!
Our day began before 5 am and we were on the road from Lauglin, NV at 5:15.  We drove back to the AZ Hwy 95 / I-40 intersection, filled the van with gas once again and started riding at 6:30 am on Interstate 40.  The sky was clear, the temperature was a pleasant 82 degrees.

As you can see, the mountains are really beautiful.  We started seeing some new and different terrain today.  Today we saw birds, in previous days of desert travel it must have been too hot for birds.  It felt too hot for me, too!  The temperature was beginning to rise as we traveled along today, Russ said the high temperature on the bike was 114 degrees!

Our first break was at 8 am at a rest area.  As we parked, we noticed a guy and his mother beside us in a van with a trailer.  We soon realized that they had 2 flats on the trailer and were phoning for help.  He was trying to get the trailer disconnected from the van but it was stuck.  Russ lent a helping hand and together they got it disconnected.  Today we had the opportunity to "do unto others", it's a good feeling.  We saw them later pass us by in their van probably on the way to repairs; we hope and pray they got the tires fixed and made it back to the trailer and are on their way.  Too many times we are in such a hurry in life and our own business, I know we have missed opportunites to help others.  Lord, help us to open our eyes to those you want us to reach out to.

 I-40 was great during this stretch of the trip.  The shoulder was wide, traffic was light and I felt safe.
We took a couple more breaks this morning in the only shade you can find in the desert...under the overpasses! 

We ran across some interesting named roads and "wash" today...it makes you wonder why, who and how someone came up with the names!

There seemed to be a bit more life in the desert and the mountains really are beautiful.  During the course of the day the elevation changed from 560 to 4000 feet.  Lots of gradual climbing.

We arrived in Kingman, Arizona around 11 am.

 
As we came into town, there was a BIG hill! It really doesn't look that bad in the picture, but in real life, it was STEEP!

Kingman is known for Route 66 going through town, so of course, we traveled on it to get to our motel!  Russ rode 41 miles this morning.

Quality Inn, here we come!  We enjoyed the pool, (it was FREEEEEZING cold!!) the hot tub and Russ thought about the sauna...but changed his mind.  I think he'd experienced that on the road!!

After swimming and a bit of rest, Russ decided since there seemed to be a strong tail wind he would ride some more.  We headed out once again at 2:45, it was 105 degrees.  The wind seemed to blow him right along.  We turned from Route 66 back onto I-40 east.  Unfortunately, the shoulder was VERY rocky and rough and Russ had to ride the white line while I followed straddling the line to protect him.  The traffic was HEAVY and seemed to be flying.  Before we left the motel as we prayed together, I prayed for mechanical issues, strength, etc., I should have prayed for the road. This was a white knuckle, scared to death time for me.  I had to just focus on what was ahead instead of looking in the rear view mirror to see what was coming.  I just kept singing "Trust & Obey" over and over and praying that the people behind us would pay attention and pass us safely.  We were safe and thank the Lord, after a few miles, Russ was able to get on the shoulder again.  Once again, I'm reminded to keep my eyes and focus on the Lord and trust in Him. 

Back on the shoulder again, praise the LORD!! Russ ended the day at the Hwy 93 exit at 4 pm with 63 miles for the day.  The temperature 93 degrees, much cooler now than when we'd left at 2:45 and at a higher elevation.

We ate dinner, then stopped at Safeway to pick up more bananas...we are up to 45 now!  As the guys were waiting for me to come out of the grocery store, there were interesting passengers & driver in a motor home across from them!

 Thank you for your prayers, it is so encouraging to know you hold us up in prayer.
Until tomorrow, blessings to you!
Russ & Carol