Wednesday 23 November 2022

Phoenix

We have been rather hopeless at blogging as we've cycled along. In part this is because we decided to do without SIM cards and so the internet has been hard to come by, but it's also because freed of the bonds of paid employment for a while the last thing we wanted to do was to sit in front of a computer!

Anyway, after 49 days on the road, we have made it to Phoenix. We are now only 8 days from San Diego and the end of the American leg of our ride. We're taking a few days off in an Airbnb to do some admin, some laundry and, yes, to update our blog. In fact, having had a nagging sense all along that we had better keep moving, we now find ourselves with time to spare before our December 9th flight. We don't want to get to the finish too early and be twiddling our thumbs. It's a very odd feeling to be still for a while, but not an unpleasant one!

So far Strava tells us this is what we've done:

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Things we've seen at the side of the road

Americans call two-way roads with ample shoulders like this one 'Country Lanes' which makes me chuckle:

Generally, there's plenty of space for us on our bikes. Motorists (especially truckers) are extremely courteous. We could count on one hand the number of times we've felt unsafe or been treated uncharitably by other road users - it's very rare. 

But we do see a lot of junk at the side of the road, some of it interesting and some even quite useful! Here's a taste of what we've stumbled across:

  • Blown-out tyre rubber
  • A rubber duck
  • Nerf gun pellets
  • A wireless speaker (it worked and we've still got it)
  • A cowboy's spur
  • An elephant soft toy
  • Sunglasses (fake Oakleys and a bit scratched)
  • A pillow
  • A dead racoon holding a helium balloon - I kid you not!
  • Cooler boxes
  • Multiple number plates
  • A Pinocchio toy
  • A skeleton toy
  • A bunch of keys
  • US flags
  • A tablecloth
  • Tyre wire (= punctures)
  • A camping mat
  • Spoons
  • Knives
  • Lots of coins (useful for our laundry)
  • A bra (Jo didn't fancy it!)
  • Lots of shoes both pairs and odd
  • Straws
  • Blankets
  • Take-away food rubbish
  • Spanners
  • Nuts and bolts
  • Hub caps
  • A penknife
  • American-style baseball caps
  • A full cardboard case of beer (yep, we picked them up!)
  • Empty beer cans
  • Cardboard boxes
  • Vaping paraphernalia
  • Loads and loads and loads of roadkill :-( This has included: dead snakes, alligators, spiders, deer, racoons, skunks, tortoises, dogs, cats, turtles, boars, armadillos, porcupines, squirrels, and javelinas... 



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