56.7 miles to Wickenberg,, AZ

We were forewarned that our motel in Salome had "character." We all made sure we wore our sandals in the shower and on the carpet that must be original from the 60's. A pink neon light shone outside our windows. Believe it or not, I slept fairly well for once, only waking about 4 times during the night The morning was gorgeous starting out in the 40's and rising to high 60's by mid afternoon. We took a right out of the "motel" that did not even warrant a rating, and eased onto the smooth shoulder of Highway 60. The road was straight and flat for miles and miles and miles and miles. The Harcuvar Mountains were on our far left while the Big Horn Mountains were far off to our right. We rode through the middle of a vast open space, occasionally dotted with farm crops, a grove of nut trees, desolate remains of old cafes and homes, and RV parks. There are so many of these RV places that are just plunked in the middle of nowhere. I guess this area attracts a lot of "snowbirds" from the north for these winter months. A few miles down the road we stopped at this funky, cool, coffeehouse that had a potpourri of eclectic articles, signs, and decorations sprinkled in every nook and cranny. The coffee drinkers in the group enjoyed their special lattes and beverages. We all spent much more time in this unique little place than we planned only a few miles into our trip for the day.

At about mile 29, we stopped in a little town called Aguilla, and visited,the Coyote Cafe to have a regular lunch from the counter instead of our usual peanut butter and jelly sandwiches that we make in the morning after breakfast. I had cranberry juice, a grilled cheese and tomato sandwich, with cottage cheese, along with a tall glass of ice water. Outside the Cafe we noticed some plastic zip lock sandwich bags partially filled with water with a penny inside. Curious, I went back inside to ask what they were for. One woman said they were to keep the flies away but didn't know how they worked. Has anyone ever heard of such a thing or know what might make this work?

The road surface was less smooth for the rest of the journey. It makes my hands go numb easily even though I have gel pads and move my hand position often The sun was out most of the day but large, fluffy clouds cast shadows on the mountains to our north and it looked as if some sprinkles may have reached the ground far off into the distance. At mile 33, I heard a HUGE explosion and wound up with another flat in my rear tire . For those keeping tract that would be flat # 3 in less than a week and the second one in the rear. It left a huge gash,about 7 inches long in the inner tube. With some help, we got her pumped up and finished the rest of the trip to Wickenberg without incident. There are some rough edges on the metal rim of my tire that may have to be filed down if that happens again. We rolled in to hotel parking lot about 3:30. Because of the rough road , our average speed was 11.5 miles per hour. Our dinner was lasagna, salad, garlic bread and a mini brownie.
My eyes are itchy and sore probably due to the spring pollen.I am already aquiring a biker tan with while stripes on my legs and arms and two dark circles on my hands where there is an opening in the gloves.
Love,
Robin