Day 4

Calexico, CA to Yuma, AZ - 58 miles

A new state!

My stay in the border town went well.  I didn't get shot, mugged, or taken as so many people think is inevitable.  It's just like anywhere - don't do stupid stuff at stupid times and stupid stuff tends not to happen.  Another week or two there would also take the rust off my Spanish fluency.  I wish I could use it more.

This morning, I passed many miles of fields with workers tending to the crops.  Quite a bit of lettuce.  This entire area wouldn't grow much without irrigation.  Look at the satellite imagery of southern California sometime.  

Had to battle the terrible road conditions today.  Reduced shoulders, bumps, cracks, and debris.  It was all there.  Some of the worst road surface I ever biked was actually on I-8 before and past the Imperial Sand Dunes about 20 miles west of Yuma.

Star Wars fans may recognize the Imperial Sand Dunes.  The scenes on Tatooine in Episode VI: Return of the Jedi were filmed here, though many viewers were probably too distracted gawking at Princess Leia and watching Gamorrean guards fall into the Pit of Carkoon.  The sand dunes claim the top spot on my favorite geographical features so far.

Had another dog attack on the north side of Yuma.  Moronic owners without the dog on a leash of course.  The no-leash situation is all too popular in public places.  I deal with it all the time on disc golf courses.  It's public property and policy states put the mut on a leash.  The leash is rarely used.  Maybe the owners need a leash.

This was a big dog and did not look friendly.  They started yelling for it to come back.  Do you think it did?  Not a chance.  Never works.  I kicked it down with all I had and don't really know if I outran it or if one of the swerving cars in traffic hit it.  Either way, I'm sure it wasn't the owner's fault.  Most of the 4.5 million dog bites per year never seem to be the owner's fault.

Because I traveled by bike, I didn't need to wait for the 3:10 train to Yuma.  Given the poor state of the roads and all the dogs, however, the train may be the way to go.  Can't complain about the weather though.  It is warming up nicely now.  Finally hit 70 degrees today.  That's about 75 more than at home.  Hopefully the wind cooperates.  We'll see what tomorrow brings.  For now, I'll sit outside and watch the sunset.