6/4/00
Tonopah, AZ
Mileage 101.97 miles
Max. 33.3 mph
Avg. 13.98

Up early and on the road out of Blythe by 6:00 am. I decided to try waiting to eat until I had put in 20 miles or so. Breakfast came at Quartzite. My tooth ached but keeping air away from it seemed to help. That wasn't always convenient especially on the uphills.

The valley fed by the Colorado River is production agriculture country. Needles, which I first heard of as a teenager for some unknown reason, is home to several horse farms. Alfalfa is a big crop and so are oranges.

I had worried about crossing the river because one account said the sidewalk entrance to the bridge was a mile before the bridge itself and easy to miss. I just continued on I10 without incident and crossed over on what appeared to me to be a new bridge.

Since much of the ride within 15 miles of the west side of the river was a gentle downhill I assumed I was in for a long climb out of the valley. Sure enough that was what made up the next 20 miles on the eastern side but it was steeper.

Even though it was early it was hot. My small thermometer registered 110 degrees by mid morning. To cool down I stopped at a restaurant and loitered. The waitress kept my large tumbler of ice tea full though I drained it three times and still felt thirsty. Out on the road I thought I was doing a good job staying even with my need for water but clearly I wasn't.

I called ahead to reserve a room in Tonopah. When I asked whether the clerk wanted my credit card number to hold the room--I thought I might arrive late--he said I shouldn't give the number over a cell phone and would hold the room without it. I didn't know whether he was referring to problems in his area or to a more general precaution.

Tonopah (hot water under a bush), was much like Desert Center. It had a post office and a café. At Joe and Alice's Café I had a good Mexican meal of chicken enchiladas, salad, beans, rice, and tea for under $5.00. They sold huge cinnamon buns for $1.25, and I bought one for breakfast. It didn't last the night.

At the suggestion of several truckers I looked into the last of the many spas that at one time drew visitors to this high point on the way from the Colorado River to Phoenix. Hand painted signs reading "Hot Springs" led along a dusty unpaved road a quarter mile west of the café.

It was hot and dry and an hour until sunset. Despite thinking that a visit to a hot springs in 100 degree heat was just plain dumb, I followed a path into a compound surrounded by an eight foot high plank fence. A large water tank, (20' x 10') anchored one corner. Eight foot high plank walls divided the interior space into several 20' x 20' unroofed rooms. Narrow concrete walkways linked the rooms into a maze like pattern. I could hear several people speaking quietly in one of them.

Pam, a pleasant, heavy set young woman, appeared with a large towel wrapped around her and tucked in front. She said she was a teacher off for the summer and was taking care of the place for the owners during the weekend. She asked whether I wanted a public or private room. I chose the less expensive one ($5.00) and was led to a room with a 10' x 10' cement walled pool in the middle. Several 100 gallon stock tanks full of water were positioned along one wall.

Pam related that others could possibly join me but that that was not likely. She pointed to a dozen or so cubbies off in an alcove where I was to store my clothes--this was a nudist hot springs spa I learned at that moment. As we chatted the top half of Pam's towel suddenly came undone and she caught it at her waist. Without so much as a blush or any attempt to cover herself she kept on talking and explained matter of factly that I would have use of the pool for an hour. Then after a few more comments she turned and left. I never saw her again.

Above the pool, misters chilled the dry air, and an arbor screened the still hot setting sun. I stepped into the pool and hopped right back out. Because the surrounding air was so hot, there was no vapor to warn me that the water was around 160 degrees. It was too hot to sit in. I did manage to acclimate to my knees but after a short time got out to answer a call on the cell phone that turned out to be from my wife. I didn't say anything about my hostess. The stock tanks along the side wall held cooler water so I soaked in one for a few minutes, dried off, and went on my way.

Both tires were flat when I got back to my room. That meant I would turn in late because in addition to patching tubes, I needed to write about the day, and to pack up my malfunctioning Palm Pilot for mailing in the morning together with any other items I wasn't using. Tomorrow I would be in Phoenix where I could mail the package and pick up new tubes. Working late into the night led to eating the cinnamon roll rather than saving it for breakfast.