Day 219: Wenden, AZ

It has finally cooled down to some nice, comfortable temperatures.  As a result, there was no need to rush to hit the road this morning.  Instead, we waited around for the sun to warm everything up, allowing us a chance to relax and take our time enjoying our coffee and breakfast.

The areas that we will be traveling through the next few days are areas that we have driven through before, because in the past my mother had owned a mobile home in Yuma, AZ.  Over time, we've taken just about every route imaginable between there and Boise, so it should look fairly familiar to us.

Our route today had some elevation gain, but the big climb was a gentle grade that didn't slow down my pace all that much.  Most of the rest was through flat valleys bordered by mountain ranges on the north and south.  Even with a late start, I covered the 51 miles before noon.

Parts of the road had a lot raised cracks on the shoulders, some of which were at least a few inches tall.  To escape being jarred silly,I rode a good part of the day on the white fog line.  I bailed out onto the shoulder when oncoming traffic approached, just in case there was also traffic overtaking me from behind.  But the traffic was fairly light for much of the day.

I think at one point I may have seen a mountain lion walking along a dry wash that crossed under US 60.  I only caught a glimpse out of the corner of my eye, so I can't be certain.  All I know is that it was quite close to the highway and much bigger than I had imagined one would be, so I wasn't too anxious to turn around for a closer look.  And I figured the odds weren't good that I would get a photo before he either got out of sight or got too close.

We are camped at Centennial Park Campground ($14, power, water, plus an additional $2 each for adjustable showers).  The water here is not potable, but it is OK for washing, brushing your teeth, etc.  The water in the showers is run through a reverse osmosis filter to remove high levels of nitrates and nitrites (thus the additional cost for the showers).  If we wanted, we could camp here for $70 per week or $160 per month, and that would include a $1 discount off of golf fees (there is a golf course and driving range here).  Of course, if we can't drink the water, an extended stay doesn't make a whole lot of sense for us.