I didn’t have any breakfast before setting off as the Warmshowers hosts were still in bed and I didn’t want to ask about boiling some water to make porridge. Must learn to be more forthright and ask for things. The result of which was feeling pretty ropy first thing, stopped at Bashas’ for fruit and pastries which seemed to get me going. An easier road out of the city than the way in and the development stopped abruptly and returned to a desert landscape, only this time mountainous rather than the flatlands to the West of Phoenix. 

 

On Ryan’s recommendation I was taking an alternative route to that originally planned. The further I got along the road the more that decision paid off. It genuinely felt like the scenery improved with every corner turned or peak crested. Probably the best riding of the trip so far. By the time the road turned to dirt I had it basically to myself and didn’t see a car for about an hour as I navigated the washboard. The only company were the cacti perched on the cliff sides like characters from an old Western, waiting for me to roll into the ambush they’d set. Thankfully, I had just enough water and energy to push through unscathed.

 

Rejoined the recently paved road and dropped down to a campsite on the lakefront and a much needed dip to cool off. Most elevation gain since the first day but definitely prefer winding up and down a mountainside than slogging along the shoulder of a flat highway. Bodes well for what is to come.