A chilly start to today, the hiker / biker site finished up home to three other cyclists (one off to Chile, the others off to Las Vegas), and six walkers doing the Arizona Trail.

Just about packed and ready to go

Bill being one of them, we said a final farewell but we will keep in touch.

Bill, 70 at the end of December

Today is 28 miles of mostly downhill riding so we are looking forward to an easy day along highway 64. There was a very good shoulder all of the way as well (I think they have resurfaced the old crumbling one). The ascents were short and gentle and the descents long and gentle.

It started off as a cycle through stunted ponderosa pines and as the miles mounted these began to give way to open scrubland, all very dry and the Rulerman had been out again with his roads.

It did not take us long at sll to reach Valle and the Flintstones themed campground (who could resist stopping here?). It was very run down now but someone had once spent a lot of money on it. The site shop is well stocked and there are two gas stations and two motels here as well as the obligatory souvenir shops.

Outside the souvenir shop

Initially the campground looked great, lovely and flat without any rocks either but it contained a hidden secret. A plant called a Caltrop, it has seeds that are just like the medieval iron caltrops used on the battlefields to bring down horses (and in this case bicycles). The cycle tyres were covered in them just wheeling then to a picnic bench. We carefully chose the best (with the least number of plants) site to pitch our tent. There would be no sitting outside on our inflatable camping mats tonight.

We still have no phone signal or WiFi here (there was a very poor access from the motel opposite where we had a bite to eat).

The weather has not been mentioned for quite a while now, us British love talking weather. It is hot and sunny during the day (often 30 degrees plus) with a gentle southerly breeze. Now we are lower the nights are all milder around 8 degrees.

A nice sunset spoilt by someone in the way again