Hello everyone,
No pictures today as I didn't carry my camera. My goal was to survive the day. I did make it to Blythe, though. We traveled on I-10 for most of the day with a 11 mile climb out of Indio. The weather was cooler than normal but the CrossRoads staff said that the crosswinds and blowing sand were the worse that they had seen in the 12 years that they have been running the tour. DOT trucks were even out with snowplows - plowing the sand drifts off the highway. The crosswinds were very gusty and tricky, not knowing when they were coming. Some riders were blown off the road. Two were taken to the hospital. Another rider was picked up by the wind, turned around, and left heading in the opposite direction leaning against a shrub but was otherwise unharmed. We did have partial tail winds which were a big help. Riding on I-10 was not as bad as I thought it would be. The shoulders were smooth although we had to dodge shredded truck tires. Some had flats from the tire wire. Tomorrow will be an even longer day at 115 miles and more climbing. It's past bedtime.
Bye for now,
Bob
