Day 11

It's my day to cook, so I got on the road circa 6am. The forecast called once again for near-record breaking highs around 105'. The first 25 miles were an easy ride through eastern Tempe and Apache Junction. We ended up stopping at Starbucks because we couldn't find any local cafes.

We had a few more "flat" miles after Apache Junction, and then we began the climb. There was a mountain range in front of us, and we knew it wouldn't be easy to climb.

Ignoring the daunting miles to come, the scenery was probably the best yet.

I felt amazingly well on the ride until the last 3 miles. I hit a wall, and there was no getting though it. I had been riding with Young Mark and ended up a ways ahead of him on the climb to Gonzala's Pass,

but he passed me in the last 3 miles. 52.2 miles, my new record.

I spun the last 3 miles into camp and set out for a rootbeer float before I began my cooking. Gunnar, my cooking partner, had his bike stolen yesterday in Tempe, so of course we gave him the week off from "duties". Young Mark, Melina, and Frosty, and everyone else, really helped me out.