We slept well last night in the hold of the USS Constitution, as our coverted trailer at the Quartzsite Yacht Club was christened.   6 AM rolled around and both of us had been awake for 10 minutes or more, and it didn't take long for us to pack our panniers and get them back on the bikes which had spent the night tethered to the boat.  Sailing boats are always so cramped.   It wasn't until I began rolling mine toward the road that I noticed the back tire was three quarters flat.  Jerome 13 - Barb 0.  So I sat in front of the hotel office and proceeded to repair it whIle Barb got us a complimentary cup of coffee.

Tire repaired, we headed up the street to the Times Three restaurant which had been recommended for breakfast.   Fast service, standard breakfast fare at a good price.

Then we got on the road and started another gradual climb out of town on I -10.   The shoulders were smooth, the temperature mild, and there was very little wind.  We did the 8 mile climb in less than an hour and were enjoying the ensuing downhill.

That's when we ran across an old office chair, without a few of its casters,  but sitting upright off the shounder of the interstate.   How could we resist such a photo opp.  Look! Arizona has set up a rest stop for cyclists.   I should have known better.

A few miles later and just short of the real rest stop my bike began feeling strangely erratic.  Flat front tire as Arizona taught me respect.  Jerome 14 - Barb 0.

The rest of the ride out of Arizona was easy as we soon crossed the Colorado River and entered California.

Blythe CA is the last town to get supplies before tackling a 90 mile stretch of the route without services, so we stopped at an Albertsons supermarket to get Gatorade and food for lunch tomorrow.   Then Barb spotted a busy Mexican cafe as we passed by, so we stopped there for a quick lunch of shrimp tacos.

Then we took off into our long stretch, taking back roads through agricultural fields along the Colorado River.  A favorable wind had come up and we were making great time as we got on CA 78.  But five miles north of Palo Verde the squishiness in my rear wheel was back and we needed to stop while I changed yet another flat.  Jerome 15 - Barb 0.

Back on the road, we stopped in Palo Verde for a soda --Barb's treat as she was feeling sorry for me. We only had 5 miles to go to our host's home for the night.  Less than a mile from our turn.  Yes,  Jerome 16 - Barb 0. But this time I was able to simply pump a bit more air into the tire and didn't have to make a roadside repair.  Trying to be thankful.

We arrived at Nancy Dean Mercury's home in the desert south of Palo Verde shortly thereafter.   Nancy lives in a comfortable trailer in the tranquil peace of the desert and is a blessing for touring cyclists trying to bridge the long dry haul between Blythe and Brawley CA.  She's lived a very interesting life and has traveled much of the world before returning to her roots here in the desert.   She's greeted us warmly and provided snacks while I worked repairing my flat and patching tubes.  She cooked a delicious filling meal and has been a valuable source of information about the road ahead.

Despite the flats, it's been a good day and we're anxious to be through tomorrow's difficult stretch.

Well and resting comfortably.