Day 6 Wickenburg, AZ to Prescott, AZ
59.2 miles
4:53 time,
6,100 feet of climbing
Today was the day for getting on the dancin’ shoes. This means climbing and more climbing. When it really gets steep you have to dance out of the saddle to climb. We started the day with a gentle uphill for about the first 17 miles. It was very scenic and nice to be out of the desert. It was pleasant and cool, a nice change from the previous two days. I rode solo for the whole day-it was kind of neat. On the hill climbs I was rocking out.
Then came the first big climb a 7.3 mile 2,000 foot climb. There were no trees or cover and the temperature started to rise. The first rest stop was on top of the hill at Yarnell pass. After the hill, I dallied for 20 minutes and carb loaded and hit the road. I was still chasing the gang of five. What I didn’t know was that they stopped at a gun store/museum and I passed them, so I was chasing a ghost the rest of the day.
The next 13 miles was a real fun ride. I average 25 mph and enjoyed the pretty scenery. There were ranches and farms along the way. Then came the false flats. That’s what the cue sheet said anyway. I thought false flats were when women wear high heeled shoes and have longer pants covering so you can’t tell. I now know it is when it appears that you are on flat terrain but you are really climbing. I climbed 1000 feet in the next five miles. False flats are demoralizing and the sun by this time was getting really hot and the dreaded head wind returned. This was the toughest part of the day, even though the climbing wasn’t that severe. Fortunately, I arrived at a little store in the middle of nowhere (there seems to be a theme here). I watered up, had a carb load and buttered myself up before I hit the road. If you don’t know about buttering up, then ……oh well you’ll figure it out. At this point just call me Willie Nelson as I’m on the road again. As hard as it may seem, I am already tired of candy bars, power bars, sweet liquids, goo, gel, peanut butter and any other snacks that we normally eat to power us up throughout the day. Just when I can eat anything that I want, I now have no desire for it. If I never have another Gator Aid after this trip, it will be too soon.
We finished the ride with another 14 mile climb. This took us up to an elevation over 6,000 feet. This climb was absolutely beautiful. There were plants and trees and rocks and things (an America song?). It started to get cooler. There were at least six false summits. This is when you see what you think is the summit, but when your bike gets there you only have more climbing. This also can be a little demoralizing. This is when your brain and thighs make a deal. If the next one isn’t the summit I can rest. Then the brain lies and makes the body continue.
At the peak it was a fun ride down into Prescott, AZ. Prescott is a really neat little town. It is a town where you could easily spend a few days. One of the main streets used to be known as whiskey row. There are all kinds of neat shops and bars in this quaint little town. Unfortunately, we really didn’t have the time to explore much. This would be a fun place to visit someday. We had just time for dinner where we celebrated Eric’s birthday at a very nice steakhouse and solved all the world’s problems. Tomorrow is another climbing day as we head into Cottonwood, AZ a little town outside of Sedona.
Signing off……….
