6/8/00
Willcox, AZ
Mileage 84.91 miles
Avg 14.12 mph
Max 40.8 mph

Change was what seemed most evident today. Fear about the difficulty of the hills pushed an early start. I met with a photographer at 5:30 am and was on the road by 6:15 am. Tucson was overcast, and the clouds persisted through mid morning so that reduced the temperature a lot. My little thermometer showed only 98 degrees by then. Humidity was up a little. The air felt thicker believe it or not. A cooler day meant more energy so the day was finished by 3:00 pm.

Despite warnings on maps and by those familiar with the roadway from Tucson that the hills were bad, they weren't. In fact, there were only two significant climbs extending more than a mile. Since the 10 mile climb after Palm Springs was the basis for my definition of a hard climb, I was worried at the start of the day and then relieved at how easy the day was when I pulled into Willcox mid-afternoon.

The desert here higher up has no Saguaro cacti and none of the deer antler shaped ones either (don't know the name). Century plants and yucca are dominant instead plus the trees are shorter. Must be even less rain than in the middle of the state. Housing appears more spread out and settlements are fewer.

This evening after a salad and pizza at the Hut, I noted that the sky was grey with thunder clouds and the air smelled of smoke. It was blowing out of the east so that may have come from the forest fires some have warned me about. As I left Tucson, I could see a fire burning high up on one of the surrounding mountains. Evidently, lightening was the culprit.

Taking the day off in Tucson was wise. Knowing when to rest is as important as eating and drinking liquids. The adage is: Rest before fatigue, eat before hunger and drink before thirst. This still is fun.