Day 17 Florence Junction, Arizona

Stats
Daily mileage 115 (new highest) Ride time 7hr 56min
Avg speed 14.50mph Total mileage 940

I treated myself to another shower this morning and was on the road by 0745hrs. I stopped almost instantly and bought myself a coffee and muffin. The wind looked good and I was informed it was a flat ride into Phoenix. They were right. The road was so straight I could follow it into the horizon until it turned into a dot. It was incredible and reminded me of cycling across Oz.

The landscape has changed dramatically in the last few days. The wilderness is covered in a variety of cacti. I have been wanting to see theses ever since I began this adventure. The traffic started to increase as I approached the outskirts of Phoenix. I made a decision to by pass the city by going as far south and then east as possible. I was hoping to bump into a bike shop along the way as I only have one spare inner tube left.

The road east went on forever. Including a few stops, it took me approximately 5 hours to pass the city. It didn’t help by the amount of frigging traffic lights but nevertheless it a massive sprawl of a city. 4 o clock came and I still felt good and decided to push on to a rest area at a junction 16 miles out the city. The sun came down so quickly but I still managed to cycle fast, despite having cycled 100 miles already.

The rest areas have been well marked on my maps and extremely reliable. But not this time. With no water remaining and nothing in sight I decided to find somewhere to wild camp. I scouted the ground and found a patch in a disused garage forecourt. There are several large holes in the ground that could be inhabited by spiders or scorpions. Not that I know anything about rattlesnakes, but this looks like an ideal spot for them too. I erected my tent in lightening fashion and jump in it for cover. As I lay inside my tent, I hear 5 shotgun shots echo around the hills. They sounded pretty close. I am not so worried about the gunmen, more about what they are shooting! Nothing that will get me I hope.

I am so thirsty. I should have been more prepared and had an emergency supply of water. Its going to be 18 miles in the morning before I come across a water supply. I must stop writing about it as it making more thirsty!

I was told today that I will be interviewed by the sexy Kate Thornton when I fly back into Heathrow airport as apart of a new series they are filming. In that case, I am definitely going to keep the beard as it adds to the authenticity of the journey!

I have added a video that I have edited using my mobile phone, hence the cheesy music over the top! Hope you enjoy it.