I'm sitting here out in the parking lot of the church, next to the van and trailer, drinking a beer and blogging. I haven't even gone into the church yet, because I want to capture my thoughts about today. Things have been a bit grump lately, and I have committed to making sure that I am as diligent about documenting the good days as the bad ones, so I just want to put down in the written record that today was absolutely fucking fantastic. And it's not even over yet, it's only 2pm, and the crickets are chirping as Brian puts out all the wet tents. As if the universe wanted to make up for the last few days, the weather today was fantastic - clear and sunny all day. It started out a little cold, about 35 degrees, but that ended up being a blessing in disguise because when the sun came out it didn't get baking hot. I had an impromptu breakfast of diet coke, decaf coffee, hard boiled eggs and brownies provided by the church, then it was 2 miles out of Williams to I-40, 15 miles downhill on I-40 (which was freezing but otherwise great), then onto Highway 89, which might get my award for one of the best country highways we've ever ridden on. It reminded me of the best California riding, or maybe even more so the Hill Country near Austin, except not anywhere near as hot. Big, flat wide shoulder, good pavement. You could argue it wasn't terribly scenic but I didn't care; it was rolling hills with sparse trees and the wind was at out backs. We stopped once in a random spot on the side of the road, and rolled out the tables and chairs and sat at talked for a while. Then another 24 miles into a small town with civilization, and another rest stop - a Bike the US for MS classic in the parking lot of a combination Burger King/Walgreens (it was Whopper Wednesday!) and more chatting and talking, then an easy 17 miles into Prescott.
When this sport - and this organization - clicks, and the weather cooperates, there really is nothing better. The easy miles, the feeling of the bike under your feet, the camaraderie of the team rest stops - it's just one of my favorite things in life. It reminded me of the best days of the Northern Tier or the Pac Coast, just sailing from town to town, letting the country slip by while all my worries just evaporate.
Things have been a bit rough lately - and they probably will get rough again - but sitting under this tree, listening to the leaves roll by on the concrete as my bike sits next to one side and a beer to the other, things are pretty great!
Update! I ended up walking over to the Palace - the oldest bar in Arizona, where they played up the tourist angle a ton, and the waiters and waitresses were dressed straight out of the 1890s, complete with batwing doors. And then back to the church where an alum made us dinner. We had dinner and it was great! I am so tired, though! Prescott is very nice, much nicer than I would have thought.
