i manged to get my tent semi fixed with the help of an ex-marine Tom, who was starting his first tour aged 68. it was at loads of strange angles but it did the job in the end.
on tuesday i got an early start and without much wind i managed to rinse it on the arizona highway 60. went through apache territory which reminded me a bit of tibet as the surroundings were stunning but the local people lived in realtive poverty, shifting through the post office in the morning (i asume to pick up their pay outs). also on many of the native american land there are huge casinos which i think is a bit off key as the only jobs many of the indians have is working in an industry that many people feel is morally degrading. however i had a so much fun cruising that i made Globe by lunch and then Superior by the end of the afternoon. i managed about 100 miles in fantastic weather and i think i am actually starting to enjoy climbing up hills. seems a bit strange to me as well! the ride coming down was breath-taking as the road winded down through bare rock faces (sometimes at a 7% slope which was fun but a little scary at times with all the lorries passing by). managed to get a trailor to sleep in at an RV park where the woman said i should borrow her car to do some shopping. nice 1!
this morning i think i have seen the best views all trip. just past Superior there is some incredible scenery with huge cacti, rolling hills covered with yellow flowers and if thats not good enough, mountains with impressive outcrops of rock. then it was all downhill from there, in both senses. coming into phoenix (tempe/apache junction if you know it) was extremely surreal. loads of 1 story houses spread out in the middle of the desert but all with nice little gardens and trees. it is so artificial and the architecture is offensive. There are all these gated estates with the same house replecated over a whole block and then the next block will be a different style of houses. it seems i am in lego land and they even have golf courses with lush green turf in the middle of this monstrosity. i apologise to all phoenix residents but after the views of this morning i cant say i am too impressed. am staying with a cyclist tonight so hopefully i will see some of the cooler stuff that phoenix has to offer. i havent actually made into phoenix after cycling for about 20 miles through the city! aparently it is 90 miles from end to end.
think i have only about 400 miles till i reach the pacific ocean so i should be done in less than a week. cant believe it is coming to an end.
