I was packed, breakfasted and on the road by 7.20am and it was a lovely morning, cool and sunny. I rode gradually uphill into the wind at first, painfully slowly! I did see my first owl though, and a deer. Then down for a bit, making up time, then up and down along a lakeshore in the cool shadow of a mountain. The railway went alongside the road and I exchanged waves with the drivers as usual. Thankfully he didn't sound the horn this time, the train was only about 5ft away and I think I may have gone deaf!
I crossed the final time zone of the trip then the road started to flatten out a bit and I got a gentle tailwind! Lots of sections of road looked like they were going downhill, but they were hard work. My altimeter assured me that I was actually going up, but it still looked like down. By the end of the day my knees were sore from trying to go faster on the false downhills, my eyes refusing to believe my legs. I really enjoyed the morning though, it being cool enough to ride a bit harder and take in the views - shimmering lakes, crystal clear rivers, deep green forested mountains, fragrant wildflower meadows and bare rocks showing off their near-vertical seams.
As it got hotter, I stopped more often for cold sugary drinks and to rest in the shade. One rest stop had a river running by it and I put my bare feet in the ice cold water until they went numb.
About 20km out of town, I saw a cyclist coming the other way and stopped to chat in the full heat of the sun. Heather was delightfully enthusiastic and we exchanged stories about our journeys and experiences. She had cycled across the US when she turned 50 and was now near the end of a three week trip around the Rockies, having just turned 60. She came to Canada to escape the Arizona heat! Heather, I think you brought it with you by mistake.
On the outskirts of town, I passed orchards and fruit stands and stopped to eat cherries, peaches and apricots. I ate so many that I fully deserve to feel rather unwell, but no ill effects yet!
Once in Creston, I couldn't face being outdoors at a campsite so checked into a motel and put the air con on full blast to have a nap. Even at 9pm when I went out for dinner, it was uncomfortably hot. Another early start is in order tomorrow, the forecast is for 37 degrees, so I dread to think how hot it will get on the road!
The section of road in the picture below is one of those false downhills - it still looks downhill to me now!
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