Day 16 - September 25, 2017 - 41.41 miles, 1,601 feet ascent

Safford, AZ to Duncan, AZ

We all thought this would be an easy day!  The joke was on us, as we are already tired from the last few days, and the effect is cumulative.   I started today's ride with fatigued muscles, so I wasn't very fast.   That's all.  Not strenuous, but I normally would have been much faster.  The hours each day in the saddle are adding up as well, causing a little sensitivity where my sit bones hit the saddle. 

Sadly, we learned today that another of our teammates is leaving the tour due to health reasons.  Patrick, our EMT from Louisiana, has a torn meniscus, and can no longer ride.  I think he will meet up with us when we get to Louisiana, just to say hello.   I am now officially the second youngest person on the tour - the youngest being 22!

The day started with a group outing to the grocery store, as we needed to carry forward breakfast and lunch for tomorrow, Tuesday.   The two cooks for the day purchased the groceries, then we all divided them up before heading to Duncan.    We have never started as a group since we left San Diego, so it was interesting to see who the leaders are.  Certainly not me!  I was quickly dropped, and subsequently pedaled at my own speed, until others caught up.

Ken, Eileen, and Neal soon caught up with Tom C and I at one of the historical monuments, where Eileen captured a selfie with some of us in the background.  Twenty more miles, ten up, and ten down!

The town of Duncan lies in this valley, with the mountains in the background.   Looked much better in person - photos do not do it justice.

When we arrived in Duncan, the six riders in front of us were just finishing lunch at Hilda's, the only restaurant in town.  Us four stragglers joined them, then soon departed for the city Park, where we pitched our tents settled in for a while,   Time check:  1430.   Showers were to come later at the high school, at 1800.   In the interim, some of us went to the local library, all for various reasons.  Some wanted internet.   Some wanted to write their blogs, and me - I wanted to upload my Garmin data to Garmin Connect and Strava.   Success!  I was worried about losing data, but the storage was sufficient for over two weeks of riding.  

Just a comment about riding conditions - yesterday, most drivers moved over and gave us some room. Many, though, were very rude and inconsiderate, some even slowing down and yelling "Get off the road!"    Today was much different. With only one or two exceptions, every driver gave us plenty of room.

Then there is the problem with transverse cracking of the asphalt on the shoulder, which is difficult to ride because of the constant jostling and bumping.  These cracks are perpendicular to the centerline of the road, and typically only on the shoulder.  As a result, bicyclists are forced to ride in the traffic lane, albeit on the right side of the lane.   This may be what causes some drivers to become irate, as they may be momentarily inconvenienced by having to move over a little to go around us.  Oh well, too bad.   I ride with my own safety in mind, often defensively.