19 March 2014
Globe to Safford, Arizona
80 miles (Total Miles = 583)

I’ve discovered a new weight loss program and it has nothing to do with riding a bike across the country. In fact, it’s much more akin to taking a Carnival Cruise. It’s called the Norovirus and when it hits you 22 miles into an 80 mile ride, you might as well forget about tonight’s pool party on the Lido Deck. There’s a party going on all right but it’s a bunch of virus particles doing their happy dance up and down your intestinal tract. We’ll leave the rest to your imagination but my advice would be to not think about it too hard or long. I’m sure those of my fellow riders who experienced the onslaught while gathered around the Apache Reservation Texaco’s rubbish bin would rather not think about it at all.

For anyone wondering why we would pay for a ride like this, now would come the answer – so that when the unexpected hits, you have two guaranteed Cycling Angels to take you under their wings and shepherd you onward. No need to go all Clairol Girl; these are the angels that ride with you every day. Why they do this job is beyond me. I mean, if I wanted to drive 60 miles down the highway with my shotgun passenger puking into a Tidy Cat bucket, I would have had kids. So to Paul and Nicole – the former who kept the panhandlers at bay and the warm clothes coming and the latter who bore the unbearable for those long highway miles with too many desperate stops to count – my deepest gratitude for the comfort and care. I think I’d ask for a raise.

Back out on the road, Gina kept on pedaling, the Taylor Freeze ice cream shop in Pima her primary destination. It’s not just the ice cream there that’s famous – it’s the chance for you to become famous as well, with your picture up on the Coast to Coast Wall. Gina’s will be there soon, probably with a hint of mint chocolate chip in the corners of her smile.