Gila Bend to Casa Grande, AZ
Daily Route
Daily Elevation
As we went to sleep last night the rain began. The sound of the rain on the tent helped me fall asleep pretty quickly. When the alarm went off at 7 AM it was raining. I thought about texting everyone saying that I will not leave the tent till the rain stops, but within 5 minutes of waking, the rain stopped. Quick...let's pack up and get our tent down before it starts again.
It stopped raining, but it is really cold out here this morning. With the temperature at 50 degrees and a chance of rain all day, everyone is bundled up and ready to ride just after 9 AM.
As soon as we got out of town we entered the Sonoran Desert National Monument. It is a very nice surfaced road with saguaro cacti everywhere.
It stopped raining, but it is really cold out here this morning. With the temperature at 50 degrees and a chance of rain all day, everyone is bundled up and ready to ride just after 9 AM.
As soon as we got out of town we entered the Sonoran Desert National Monument. It is a very nice surfaced road with saguaro cacti everywhere.
 Entering Sonoran Desert National Monument |  |
Today, the only town on the route is 40 miles in, so Jackie found us this impromptu rest stop on a sandy shoulder.
Rest stop in the desert.
So far we have been really lucky with the weather. Yes, it is chilly, but at least it isn't raining. The map shows a small town coming up in 10 miles with a fire station and a school. We might be able to stop at the station to fill up our water. Well...10 miles later there wasn't much of this "town," so we continued on for the next 10 miles until we finally reached Maricopa. We decided on a Subway for lunch, and as we approached it the rain began to fall.
After a check of the radar we realized we were trapped here for the next hour or so as a thunderstorm passes over us.
After a check of the radar we realized we were trapped here for the next hour or so as a thunderstorm passes over us.
Making the most of our Subway break
The thunderstorm passed, but we weren't going to escape the rain. The next 24 miles and 1 hour, 40 minutes later was challenging. Rainy, 44 degrees, slight headwind, busy road with a small shoulder...everything to make you wonder what the heck we are doing out here.
We made it to the turn and waited for Jackie and Jimmy to arrive. Here we are shivering:
We made it to the turn and waited for Jackie and Jimmy to arrive. Here we are shivering:
We finally arrived at the AirBnB at 4:15 PM. We were freezing, wet, and downright miserable. All this was resolved when Patrick showed up with our bags and hot showers were taken. It was decided to go out Chinese instead of cooking. As you can, it was a great choice.
 Sake bomb! |  Chinese food makes us happy |
Tomorrow we have another zero day which is good timing since it is supposed to rain all day tomorrow. This AirBnB is really nice and will be a great place to hang out in tomorrow.
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