Gil's quick comments (after the computer at the motel ate the version he spent 15 minutes on): "Very hard day. Hot, hot, hot. Started at 7:15 am. Cool for about 5 min. There was a 5 mile hill that was steep to start the day. Then temp climbed. At 26 mile crossed a mountain. Another 5 mile hill."
The man pictured in the second shot (holding Dad's bike) is Jose, a physician from Guatemala.
Dad said today was very hard - on a scale of 1-10, he'd give it an 8.5. It was hot (113 degrees on bike temperature gauge) and there were two major climbs, each one over five miles long - one took over an hour to make. He rode with the group he had planned to ride with on the first day of riding, which was nice. They overshot a critical turn and went a total of five miles out of the way (2.5 in each direction), and then they (and many other riders) overshot the motel due to a new building being built in front of it. Added three more miles to the day. A total of 92 miles as a result of the two over-shoots; 7:15-4:00 total trip time. His sun"burn" from the first day isn't a burn after all, so that's good.
When he got in, he showered and drank a lot, then they had their group RAP on desert crossing. They stressed the danger of the desert; it would be hotter and more intense than today was. Much of the ride will be on the interstate, and there's one stretch of about 19 miles where there's no place to find shade or a stop. If they need to rest, they're to leave their bikes on the road, climb UNDER the road, and watch for snakes. (Fun.) "They made it clear that it would be no picnic." They suggested that anyone who arrived after 3 pm today take the van for the first 32 miles tomorrow - Dad, Tom, probably Richard, and at least 12 others have decided to "do the adult thing" and ride the van part-way tomorrow, bringing the day's desert ride to 68 miles instead of 100. Making the decision now has removed some of his stress about tomorrow, and he's pleased that the ride in the van will give him more opportunities to get desert footage for the video than he would be able to do while riding - says that it's real easy to get left behind if you stop to film for a minute, and the desert isn't the place to do that. He also didn't want to risk making the full desert ride but setting himself up for future problems due to it so early in the trip - it looks like their first week is the hardest from the schedule.
He was tired, but in good spirits. (Some of that may have to do with having showered, some desert stress off his shoulders, and being about to go out to dinner with friends.)
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