97 miles through the desert today, from Indio to Blythe, California. Not a lot of climbing, and even fewer turns. Riding on the Interstate was really not bad. The road is good with consistent 12′ shoulders. Riding 10 feet away from a semi going 70 feels a lot safer than riding 3 feet from a pickup going 45 (either can kill you). The truckers were consistently courteous, moving into the left lane when possible. This being California, someone often took advantage of the chance to pass on the right.

The problem the Interstate brings is innumerable small pieces of steel on the shoulder from shredded steel belted tires. I dug 5 wires out of my tires, 2 of which flattened the tire. Now I’m up to 3 flats.

Tomorrow is the longest ride of the trip, 115 miles of desert to Wickenburg, Arizona.